6/09/2005

February

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February (nigatsu 二月)

***** Location: Worldwide
***** Season: Early Spring
***** Category: Season


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Explanation

nigatsu - the second lunar month

Haiku nigatsu in the Edo period relates to the climate of present-day March,
but some festivals are dated in our present-day February.

. Names of Japanese months and their meanings .


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February - Footsteps of Spring

Nigatsu 二月

Spring is believed to start on about February 4th, which is said to be the first day of spring. Even if we hear only the sound of the word haru (spring), we become happy and have great expectations for the coming days,though the temperature of this month is still low and it remains the coldness of winter.

 We feel excited to hear the word harusamu (cold spring), even if it is cold. But the word yokan (the lingering cold of early spring) emphasizes the coldness of winter which is lingering on. As the snow begins to melt and the ice is getting thinner and thinner, the workings of animals and plants become active as shown by seasonal word neko-no-koi (a cat in heat).

Such seasonal words as shirauo (whitebait, icefish), wakasagi (pondsmelt), erisasu (a kind of fishing device put up in the water) are the good examples which show the relationship between the human beings and these fishes. For people have been related to fish which begin to be active in spring and have lived through the means of fishing. And also in this season there start noyaki and yamayaki (burning the withered grass of the field or the mountain to vitalize) every place in the country.

 People feel like to be released from the closed winter life, which makes them open the windows and go out.

 Everyone feels the revival of life and is filled with joy,looking the scenes in which nekoyanagi (pussy willow), crocuses, katakuri (flower of dogtooth), yukiwarisou (mealy primrose), fuki-no-tou (butterbur sprout) are glittering in the sun of early spring. It is not too much to say that people have been admiring ume-no-hana (ume flower) the best since the old days. Being not only noble and beautiful but also sweet-scented, ume-no-hana, which is the first to bloom in spring, has been composed in many poems as the symbol of early spring. By seeing ume flowers, perhaps the Japanese people feel the footsteps of spring close to them.
Inahata Teiko
http://www.kyoshi.or.jp/12month/12month-2.htm

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Photo by Gabi Greve

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kigo for early spring

nigatsu jin 二月尽 (にがつじん)
second month comes to an end

..... nigatsu hatsu 二月果つ(にがつはつ)
..... nigatsu tsuku 二月尽く(にがつつく)
..... nigatsu owaru 二月終る(にがつおわる)
..... nigatsu yuku 二月逝く(にがつゆく) second month is going


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Japan in February

. February 3rd or 4th: Setsubun .
Japan is a country with four separate seasons and the term setsubun originally referred to the days marking the change from one season to the next but now only the day before risshun is called by that name.

On the night of setsubun many households perform mame-maki, or a bean-throwing ceremony. They fill a small measuring cup with roasted soybeans and throw the beans around the room shouting Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" which means, roughly, "out with the goblins and in with fortune!" They also open windows and throw beans outside.
When they are done with that they then eat the same number of beans as their age which supposedly will allow them to be free of sickens during the coming year.


. February 4th or 5th: Risshun .
Risshun is the first day of spring in the traditional Japanese calendar. No special events are held on this day, though.
The time between the end of January and Risshun is generally the coldest time of the year.

. February 8: Hari-kuyoo for needles .
This is the day when Buddhist masses are sung for needles broken during the past year since it is thought that the needles' lives were sacrificed in service.
A small three-step altar is set up and hung with a sacred rope and strips of cut white paper which indicate a sanctified area. On the top step are offerings of fruit and sweet cakes. On the middle step is a cake of tofu and on the bottom step are various sewing accessories.

February 11: National Foundation Day
This originates in a celebration marking the enthronement of the first Japanese emperor, Emperor Jimmu. After World War II the holiday was abolished, basically for political reasons, but it was reestablished in 1966 due to popular support.


February 14: Valentine’s Day

Valentine's Day differs considerably from our Western version. In the west boys and men give their girlfriends/wives/etc. boxes of chocolate and/or flowers.
In Japan, on the other hand, it is the females who give the chocolates.
There are also two types of giving. One is honmei chocolate which is given to true sweethearts of the girls and there is "giri" or obligation chocolate given to male classmates, colleagues at work and friends.

. February 16: Bonden.
This is at the Asahiokayama-jinja Shrine , Yokote-shi, Akita.
Special shrine decorations called bonden, each carried by 20 to 30 young men are taken to a shrine for consecration. Rival groups shake and spin the bonden and compete to become the first group to set them in place.
The bonden consists of three meter long poles wound with cloths of five different colors and some form of decoration at the top.
Another BONDEN is at Izuyama-jinja Shrine, Omagari-shi, Akita.

February 21, nearest Sunday to this date
. O-Taue-Matsuri (御田植祭) .
at Kagami-tsukuri-jinja Shrine, Taramoto-cho, Nara. Another rice-planting festival with its own special dance.

http://www.bookmice.net/darkchilde/japan/jfeb.html


Japanese Festivals of all months
January .. .. February .. .. March .. .. April .. .. May .. .. June .. .. July .. .. August .. .. September .. .. October .. .. November .. .. December
http://www.bookmice.net/darkchilde/japan/jfestival.html

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Worldwide use

Southern Hemisphere, Tropics ...
Adjustments for each region must be made.

Calendar reference kigo

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Quotes ... Links ... References ... Chores

Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo
http://www.egreenway.com/months/monfeb.htm


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Things found on the way


The name February is believed to have derived from the name 'Februa' taken from the Roman 'Festival of Purification'. The root 'februo' meaningto 'I purify by sacrifice'. As part of the seasonal calendar February is the time of the 'Ice Moon' according to Pagan beliefs, and the period described as the 'Moon of the Dark Red Calf' by Black Elk. February has also been known as 'Sprout-kale' by the Anglo-Saxons in relation to the time the kale and cabbage was edible
- Mystical WWW

If apples were pears
And peaches were plums
And the rose had a different name.
If tigers were bears
And fingers were thumbs
I'd love you just the same.
Valentine's Day Songs and Poems

February Photos Collection
http://www.acclaimimages.com/search_terms/february.html

February Calendar & Holidays worldwide

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HAIKU




February ends -
snowflakes fly to the earth
hugging each other

Haiku by Origa (Olga Hooper)
Haiga by Nakamura Sakuo

Russian:

конец февраля ...
снежинки летят к земле
обнявшись

http://www.livejournal.com/users/origa/2004/04/28/

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Wishing and wanting
to see you,
I step on thin ice.


Madoka Mayuzumi
http://www.egreenway.com/months/monfeb.htm


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February haiku
by Victor P. Gendrano
http://www.geocities.com/vgendrano/febhaiku.html

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Haiku from February 2003
by Gary Warner

yesterday's paper
frozen in a puddle
Groundhog's Day

http://www.haikuworld.org/gary/feb2003.gar.html

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Aozora haiku publication : February 2003
Editor : Jasminka Nadaskic Diordievic, and submissions (s)
http://www.tempslibres.org/aozora/en/hpub/pub0302.html


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Related words

***** Calendar reference kigo

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still feeling cold, remaining cold, yokan 余寒 (よかん)
lingering cold, nokoru samusa 残る寒さ(のこるさむさ)
. COLD kigo for spring .


. . . . SPRING
the complete SAIJIKI



. WKD : February - KIGO CALENDAR .

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6/02/2005

Fan (oogi and uchiwa)

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Fan (oogi 扇 - uchiwa 団扇)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: All Summer and others, see below
***** Category: Humanity


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Explanation

hand fan, folding fan, oogi 扇
folding fan, sensu 扇子
white fan, hakusen 白扇
fan with a picture, e-oogi 絵扇

kinu oogi 絹扇(きぬおうぎ)hand fan from silk
kooogi, ko-oogi 小扇(こおうぎ)small folding fan
furuoogi, furu-oogi 古扇(ふるおうぎ)old folding fan
oogitsukai 扇使い(おうぎつかい)user of a folding fan

oogiuri, oori-uri 扇売(おうぎうり)vendor of folding fans
oogiten 扇店(おうぎてん) shop selling folding fans

suehiro 末広(すえひろ)"to fold out", an opened folding fan
auspicious play of words with something lasting for a long time

oogi no kaname 扇の要(おうぎのかなめ) rivet of a fan


CLICK for more OOGI folding fan photos !
CLICK for more UCHIWA photos !


The hand fan, folding fan is often used as a prop in Japanese traditional dance, kabuki and no performances and comes in many forms and varieties. Since its original purpose is to bring some cool air to the person, it is used as a kigo for summer.
The sight of a mother fanning her baby with a round fan (uchiwa) is still a very sweet memory of the good old times.
The impregnated fan was impregnated with the juice of the persimmon (shibugaki). Nowadays they are coated with plastic and used as commercials at summer festivals.

A white fan could later be painted by a friend or famous person. To get such a present is quite an honour and you can display such a fan with a special stand in your home.

The culture of using fans is quite old, since the Japanese summer can be quite hot and humid and even a little breeze could be a refreshment.

uchiwa, see below

Gabi Greve


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observance kigo for early summer

mooka no jun 孟夏の旬 (もうかのじゅん)
"ritual of the first summer"
..... oogi o tamau 初夏 扇を賜う(おうぎをたまう) giving away fans
..... oogi no hai 扇の拝(おうぎのはい) "audience with fans"

Court ceremony on the first day of the fourth month (of the lunar calendar), dating back to the Heian period.
After the banquet, the emperor gives away hand fans to the participants.
During the coming hot summer months, ogi were put into a box (yanai bako やないばこ【柳筥】) made of willow tree wood, so the fans could be freely used.

moo 孟 siginifies the beginning of a season.

CLICK for more photos


庭の余花扇の拝に罷(まか)り出づ

Aoki Getto 青木月斗


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. ooginagashi 扇流し(おうぎながし)floating handfans
Ogi nagashi during the Mifune Festival in Kyoto
Mifune matsuri 三船祭



.SAIJIKI ... OBSERVANCES, FESTIVALS
Kigo for Summer
 


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The following copy from a store in Kyoto selling fans will give you an impression of the long and detailed cultural value of a simple thing like a hand fan.

In addition to fans for cooling yourself in the hot weather, there is a great variety of traditional Japanese folding fans which are used for ceremonial occasions, traditional drama and dance performances, and also used decoratively.

*Shimai-sen(ougi)  



There are five different styles and schools (called Nougaku-goryu) in Noh performance, the oldest Japanese form of drama, and each school uses its own distinct type of fans, which differ in framework shape and engravings. The paintings on fans also vary according to the Noh school: Kanzemizu (flowing water) is for the Kanze school, Mitsugumo (three clouds) for the Kita school, Itsutsugumo (five clouds) for the Houshou school, Gosei (five stars) for the Konparu school, and Kuyousei (nine stars) for the Kongou school.

*Mai-sen  (See the link quoted below to look at the sample)
Used in Japanese traditional dance performances. Mai-sen take several different forms:Ryugi-mono (Featuring the symbol of each dance school).Muryu (No symbol printed, so usable by all schools.)Butai-mono (Used in stage performances, with the design depending on the program of dance and music to be performed.)

*Natsu-sen  
This kind of fan is generally about 23 cm in size for the men's version, with a smaller type for women, usually about 20 cm across. A great variety of Natsu-sen have developed over the years: some have curved main frameworks to go well with kimono, or are made by pasting silk on a framework instead of paper, or by pasting washi (Japanese traditional paper) and silk together on the framework.

*Byakudan-sen  
These fans are made of sandalwood, and keep their unique fragrance of sandalwood for a long time. This fan is usually made by binding thin plates of sandalwood with strings in the same way as the hi-ougi (described below), or by pasting washi on a sandalwood framework.

*Chaseki-sen  
A fan for taking to the tea ceremony. The size is generally about 15 cm for women and about 18 cm across for men. Decorated with a variety of designs, including passages quoted from the 100 poems about the rules of preparing and serving tea by Rikyu, the founder of the Japanese tea ceremony; emblems of the Sen-ke school, founded by Rikyu, or symbols of flowers and sweets suitable for the tea ceremony.

*Shikifuku-sen (for formal ceremonies)  
Shu-u-gi-sen fans are formally exchanged between a man and woman at meetings with a view to marriage, or used in wedding ceremonies. There are two types of Shu-u-gi-sen for men: a traditional hoso-hone Haku-sen type (thin-framework white fan), and a type for use with Western dress suits. Mourning fans are dark gray with a black-colored framework and are used only at funerals.

*Kazari-sen (Decorative fans)  
Decorating your alcove or wall with this type of fan creates a distinctly Japanese mood. Fans with India-ink paintings or drawings make very good gifts.

*Hi-ougi (traditional ceremony fans)  



Made by binding thin strips of Japanese cypress with silk strings. A very classical Japanese fan, now mainly used in Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, or in traditional ceremonies at the Imperial Court. The hi-ougi for Buddhist or Shinto priests is not decorated with paintings and has no accessories, but those for court ladies or used in the Urayashi-mai (Japanese traditional court dances) are very richly colorful and have accessories, such as decorative flowers and five-color fringes.

*Chu-u-kei, Bonbori and Onatsu-sen  
Ceremonial fans for monks. The chu-u-kei is a fan whose head part is wider than its grip part when folded. A bonbori is a simplified form of chu-u-kei and is mainly used by Buddhist missionaries. The onatsu-sen was designed as a daily-use fan and its head part is unfolded to only about half the size of a chu-u-kei.

*Mame-sen, small fans for dolls  
Fans for dolls. The size is between about 3 - 9 cm. Selectable according to the type of doll.

http://www.kyosendo.co.jp/english/shurui_frm-e.html


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Picture of a round fan, Uchiwa
http://homepage2.nifty.com/hyousube/so66.htm

A whole page with samples of round fans.
http://homepage2.nifty.com/hyousube/oki5.htm

For Children
http://homepage2.nifty.com/hyousube/oki4.htm


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kigo for early summer

uchiwa maki 団扇撒 (うちわまき) "scattering fans"
..... bonmoo-e 梵網会(ぼんもうえ)

At Temple Toshodai-Ji 唐招提寺 on the 19th of may, the death anniversary of the temple founder Ganjin 鑑真和尚.
Small insects are driven out from under mosquito nets and out of the temple, to show mercy for them and not kill them.

. tama oogi 宝扇 treasure-fan .

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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kigo for all summer

uchiwa 団扇 (うちわ) round hand fan
..... 団(うちわ)
shirouchiwa, shiro uchiwa 白団扇(しろうちわ)white hand fan
euchiwa, e-uchiwa 絵団扇(えうちわ) round fan with a picture
kinu uchiwa 絹団扇(きぬうちわ)round fan made from silk
shibu uchiwa 渋団扇(しぶうちわ)round impregnated fan

mizu uchiwa 水団扇 / 水うちわ(みずうちわ)"water fan"
made from impregnated washi paper
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Nara uchiwa 奈良団扇(ならうちわ)round fan from Nara
Kasuga uchiwa 春日団扇 from 春日神社 Kasuga Shrine
They were first made by the Kasuga Shrine for its festival, and soon became a trade-mark item for Shrine festivals all over Japan.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Kyoo uchiwa, kyoouchiwa 京団扇(きょううちわ)round fan from Kyoto
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Gifu uchiwa 岐阜団扇(ぎふうちわ)round fan from Gifu
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



CLICK for more photos
Fukakusa uchiwa 深草団扇(ふかくさうちわ)
with patterns of grasses, made in Kyoto

furuuchiwa, furu uchiwa 古団扇(ふるうちわ)old round fan

uchiwakake 団扇掛(うちわかけ)stand for many fans
often in restaurants




uchiwa uri 団扇売(うちわうり)vendor of round fans
uchiwauri, uchiwa-uri 団扇売り


A Fan Peddler Showing his Wares to a Young Woman
Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木 春信 (1725-1770)



CLICK for more photos !



source : edokurashi.hatenablog.com/entry - 渡辺京二

. Doing Business in Edo - 江戸の商売 .

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Worldwide use

Fächer; Faltfächer
uchiwa : blattförmiger Fächer


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Things found on the way


A True Story from China
Travelling by Air in China to the desert oasis of Dun Huang, each passenger got a small folding fan made from sandalwood, with a lovely smell, upon entering the aircraft. "What a nice present" I thought and packed it in my bag. I should have known better after traveling extensively in Asia ...

Soon after takeoff it became quite hot inside the aircraft, after all the Gobi Desert was below our eyes, a breathtaking sight, but that is a different story.
The stewardess anounced: "Our airconditioning is out of order, so please use the hand fan we provided for you to keep comfortable."

I still keep this little one (or rather two, my husband got one of course) to tell the story of non-electric happiness. And it did not loose its nice smell even after more than 20 years.
Gabi Greve , 2004





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source : poco-toma

Self-made uchiwa from strong washi paper and handpainted


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Hand Fan (uchiwa) with Daruma san.



There are more to be seen in my Photo Album

PHOTOS gabigreve



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oogi uri, oogi-uri 扇売り vendor of fans

In the town of Edo he walked around before the New Year and sold cheap fans with auspicious symbols for the New Year (mount Fuji, a hawk, eggplants or the 7 Gods of good luck) in small wooden boxes. They were used as "obligatory presents" to teachers, doctors and other important people (it is said to be the fore-runner of the famous "o-toshidama" money presents of our day).
The recipient of these boxes would pile them up at the gate to his home to show how much he was honored. (Some say they even bought them for themselves to show off.)
Anyway, after the New Year there was no more use for these boxes, so the vendors came back and called for collecting them

o-harai oogibako お払い扇箱 "Buying back fan boxes"

and payed a small sum. They kept the boxes till next year to start another round of business.

A senryu from Edo

 売るうちにもう買いに来る扇箱
uru uchi ni moo kai ni kuru oogibako

while selling them
they already buy them back -
the fan boxes


o haraibako ni suru お払い箱にする - dismiss, fire, sack
o haraibako ni sareta お払い箱にされた -
be get fired, to be dismissed, be sacked


. Doing Business in Edo - 江戸の商売 .

- - - Not to mix with
. O-haraibako 御祓箱 box to transport talismans .

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CLICK for enlargement !

The Fan Shop Mieidô 「美影堂」 
「すゑひろ」 扇屋美影堂店先
by Utagawa Toyokuni I
The real name of the fan shop, 美影堂 Mieidô, is partly visible on the signboard in the shape of a giant fan overhead. As a joke, the name and trademark of the publisher, Eijudô, are substituted for the shop name elsewhere in the picture.

- source :mfa.org/collections - boston -

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. Edo shokunin 江戸職人 craftsmen of Edo .

uchiwashi, uchiwa shi 団扇師 making handfans
Handfans were used all year to start and keep the kitchen fire in Edo. These fans were especially strong and the paper was coated with kakishibu 柿渋 persimmon extract to make them some kind of water-proof.
They were also useful to hit flies and mosquitos.

Since the late Edo period women used to carry a handfan all the time, especially as a fashion item when going out.

江戸前の風は団扇で追い出され
Edo-mae no kaze wa uchiwa de oidasare

wind from the Edo Bay
is driven away
by all the hand fans

- Senryu of Edo -

sensu shokunin 扇子職人 craftsman making folding fans


source : edoichiba.jp..sensu..


uchiwa shokunin 団扇職人 craftsman making hand fans


source : edoichiba.jp..sensu..

azuma uchiwa 東団扇 made in Tokyo
made with bamboo from Chiba

Edo uchiwa 江戸団扇

- quote
Edo Uchiwa is a type of uchiwa, a traditional Japanese fan.
Uchiwa is often used by a person to create a breeze to keep cool in hot weather. They are part of Japanese seasonal traditions and are often given as gifts at these times. Originally, a big leaf and an animal hair were used as an uchiwa, to purify and pray. Over time they have changed, and are now made from one piece of bamboo and paper.



It is said that uchiawa originally came from China. During the Edo period in Japan, there were uchiwa's that was called Edo Uchiwa which used the Ukiyo-e technique with printing such as kabuki actors, landscapes, and portrait of beautiful women. Nowadays, in summer, you will see uchiwa everywhere in the street, which have not a printing of Ukiyo-e, but an advertisement of companies or products.
- source : tokyopic.com/image



CLICK for more photos !

There are many Uchiwa with illustrations of 浮世絵 ukiyo-e
and also Ukiyo-e with people using an Uchiwa in the Edo period. They show many aspects of the daily life in Edo and will be a source of further study.

. Join the Edo friends on facebook ! .




. 与謝蕪村 Yosa Buson in Edo ! .

褌に 団扇さしたる 亭主かな
fundoshi ni uchiwa sashitaru teishu kana

In his loincloth
Bearing a round fan,
Household head

Tr. Shoji Kumano



fundoshi senu shiri fukareyuku haru no kaze

There's no loincloth
on that butt blown in view--
in the spring breeze.

Tr. Steven D. Carter


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Boshu uchiwa 房州団扇 / 房州うちわ Handfans from Boshu



- quote -
With the high temperatures and similarly high humidity of Japanese summers, the uchiwa, or Japanese fan, has long been a vital summertime accessory. Uchiwa are even distributed on the streets as advertising tools when the temperature rises. As a common item in daily life, Chiba Prefecture’s one and only government-designated traditional craft, the Boshu uchiwa, is widely known across the nation.

The history of Boshu uchiwa can be traced back to the Edo Period (1603-1868). Back then, Boshu – now the southern region of Chiba Prefecture – was a producer of medake, a thin and supple form of bamboo that’s used as the main constituent of uchiwa. According to a document compiled in Chiba Prefecture in 1911, uchiwa production in the Boshu region started in the southern town of 那古町 Nagomachi in 1877. In a document published in 1918, it’s mentioned that in 1884 a man called 岩城惣五郎 Iwaki Sogoro of Nagomachi invited craftsmen from Tokyo to come develop uchiwa production as the major industry of Chiba Prefecture’s southern region. Boshu uchiwa output reached its heyday around 1935, with annual production reaching roughly 8 million units. Today, it is crowned as one of the three major uchiwa brands of Japan, and is considered a representative brand of Japan on the whole

Boshu uchiwa take various forms: the standard round-shaped type; the “egg type,” which features a unique, smooth curve; and a long-shafted type, which allows the wielder to see the design move when it’s spun with the palms of the hands. Boshu’s status as a bamboo production district allows the use of high quality bamboo to achieve these various shapes, conjoined with unique shafts that make the most of bamboo’s natural roundness.

Boshu uchiwa are hand-manufactured in a 21-step process that starts from the peeling of the bamboo. The handle is light and durable, and has a bone structure made by dividing one end of the shaft into 48 to 64 equal parts, woven together by yarn. Combined with a beautiful semicircle lattice design known as a mado, or window, this is an uchiwa that highlights the refined skill of the craftsperson. Visitors to the area should enjoy cooling down in the summer with a storied Boshu uchiwa.
- source : japan-brand.jnto.go.jp/crafts -


. Chiba Folk Art - 千葉県 .
Booshuu 房州 Boshu Southern part of Chiba

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Kyoo uchiwa 京団扇
Kyo Uchiwa, round fan from Kyoto




- quote
Kyo uchiwa fans are believed to have developed after Korean fans brought to Japan by pirates between 1336 and 1392 influenced the designs of the fans used by the Japanese imperial household. These were then brought from Kyshuu to Yamato Province, and from there to the Fukakusa area of Kyoto. It is here that Kyo uchiwa fans became established.

As the generations passed, these fans became more and more a ubiquitous element of Kyoto life. Today, new ideas and creative variations continue to be incorporated, producing new items of elegance and beauty that cannot be seen elsewhere in Japan.

The primary point that sets Kyo uchiwa fans apart from others are their embellishments and rich, beautiful designs. However, a more concrete difference is that Kyo fans feature a body inserted into an independently made handle.

The number of spokes varies from 50 to 100, with more spokes indicating a higher class of fan. Those with 100 spokes are considered decorative fans. Bamboo handles are common, but cedar is also employed. The handles of some fans are given a lacquer finish.
- source : www.jcrafts.com/eg/shop


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HAIKU


singing a song
and slapping his butt...
with a fan


えどの水呑とて左り団扇かな
Edo no mizu nomu tote hidari uchiwa kana

living in comfort in Edo
his left hand
fanning


Or: "her left hand fanning."
Edo is present-day Tokyo. Shinji Ogawa explains that the phrase, edo no mizu nomu ("to drink Edo's water"), is equivalent to "being in Edo" or "living in Edo."
The phrase, "left hand fanning" (hidari uchiwa) is an idiom in Japanese for "living comfortably." Shinji believes that "this haiku is Issa's cynical remark about his contemporary haiku-poets living in Edo."

Kobayashi Issa

and another way to use the oogi as a light shade

umi no tsuki oogi kabutte netari keri

moon on the sea--
he's under his fan
sleeping

Issa

There are 37 haiku about the fan by Issa.
http://www.xula.edu/cat/issa/



松に腰かけて土民も扇哉
matsu ni koshi kakete domin mo oogi kana

on the pine
sits also a farmer
with a folding fan


Considering the use of MO, this might refere to the famous pine where Minamoto no Yoshitsune rested. There are some places in Japan that claim this pine.


The Pine Tree Where Yoshitsune Rested
quote
Takamatsu
Near Yashima Station there is a small area with a pine tree beside a small shrine. The pine tree is famous, because it is believed to be the spot where Yoshitsune, the leader of the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War, rested prior to the Battle at Yashima. It is said that he rested at this location and placed his saddle on the pine tree.
It is a historical site that a traveller who is interested in the history of the Genpei Wars (or the famous Tales of Heike, which was written about this war) should visit. Because it is near the station, visiting the famous pine tree is also a nice way to pass the time while waiting for the bus that takes you up to Yashima Island and Yashima Shrine.

source : www.virtualtourist.com


kurakake matsu 経鞍掛松


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Related words

***** electric fan, ceiling fan,
ventilator (senpuuki 扇風機)

kigo for all summer

An electric appliance used in many homes now. In the hotter areas of Japan and the USA, it might be used the whole year round, but as a kigo, it refers to summer non the less. Its effect, the cooling of rooms, evokes the heat of summer days.

diner night --
the ceiling fan twirling
in our teaspoons

Barry George Philadelphia, PA, USA
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/haiku/03/selection2002.html


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siesta time -
the gentle humming
of my fan

Gabi Greve
Summer 2010


- - - - -


Лепеза, вентилатор / lepeza, ventilator (Fan, Ventilator)
. WKD : Serbia Saijiki .


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Kigo for other seasons


***** Folding fan and handfan in autumn



fuyu oogi 冬扇 (ふゆおうぎ) "handfan in winter"
kigo for all winter

This refers to a saying about "useless things" from Matsuo Basho:
a brazier / fireplace in summer and a fan in winter
karo toosen かろとうせん【夏炉冬扇】
toosen karo とうせんかろ【冬扇夏炉】
He was referring to himself, his poetical activities were useless compared with the wishes of other people.


予が風雅は夏炉冬扇のごとし
yo ga fuuga wa karo toosen no gotoshi

my elegance
is like a fireplace in summer
like a fan in winter



There was a kind of oogi made from thin pieces of pine wood.



quote
Haiku is a useless thing, a haiku poet is a useless person.

Karo-tosen is an old Chinese saying which has been adopted in Japan, though seldom, if ever, used nowadays. Karo means a fireplace in summer and tosen means a fan in winter. What is the use of a fireplace in hot summer? What is the use of a fan in bitter winter? The saying should now be self-explanatory. Yes, it is to describe something useless or uselessness of things. And we haiku poets had better be, and are, karo-tosen.

Towards the end of April (lunar calendar) of the year 6 Genroku (1693), one of Basho’s disciple, Morikawa Kyoriku (1656-1715), was preparing for his return journey to Hikone Domain (in today’s Shiga Prefecture) where he served as a high-ranking retinue. Kyoriku had been staying in Edo since August of the previous year. He was in company with his Lord, who was serving sankin-kotai obligations in the seat of the Tokugawa government. Sankin-kotai was a duty imposed on feudal lords requiring them to live part-time in Edo and part-time back in their provincial domains, while their wives and children were required to permanently live in Edo. This arrangement was a key policy of Tokugawa to keep his retinues under tight control.

In the early August of 1692, Kyoriku met Basho for the first time, formally becoming his disciple. For the following nine months, the two kept in close contact, becoming important for each other, not least because Kyoriku taught Basho art. So close they were that Basho took the trouble of writing a long farewell letter to him on his departure from Edo, which happens to have become one of the most important documents to study Basho’s thoughts. Called Kyoriku Ribetsu no Kotoba, the letter provides us with an insight into the deepest feelings of Basho. One key sentence goes: yo ga fuga wa karo tosen no gotoshi, or
‘My haikai is like karo tosen’, namely ‘useless’.

What are we to do if Basho says that his poetry is useless? His was not an idle remark of self-mockery or of amusing Kyoriku in a light-hearted way. It was mentioned after a long and hard navel-gazing reflection on his life. There have been numerous academic studies on this point. Quite apart from them, it certainly provides us with enormous food for thought. Let us look at some of its ramifications.

MORE
source : Susumu Takiguchi, 2005

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MORE oogi ōgi hokku by Matsuo Basho

富士の風や扇にのせて江戸土産
. Fuji no kaze ya oogi ni nosete Edo miyage .
a gift from Edo



ひらひらと挙ぐる扇や雲の峰
hira hira to / aguru ōgi ya / kumo no mine

............................................................................





扇にて酒くむ陰や散る桜
oogi nite sake kumu kage ya chiru sakura


With my fan
I mime sipping sake – shaded by
falling cherry blossom.

Tr. McAuley


In the shadow of a tree
scooping sake with a fan –
scattering cherry blossoms

Tr. Shirane


Pretending to drink
sake from my fan,
sprinkled with cherry petals.

Tr. Stryk



quote Bill Higginson
Different seasons, one dominates:
When season words relate to topics in different seasons, usually one or the other obviously governs, and the poem will be placed under that topic in its season. Sample:

oogi nite sake kumu kage ya chiru sakura

with a fan
I drink sake in the shade . . .
falling cherry blossoms

Here Basho mimics a noh actor; when the play calls for drinking sake (rice wine), the actor mimes the motions using a closed folding fan as a prop.
Since FALLING CHERRY BLOSSOMS (chiru sakura) is not only a topic appropriate to spring but actually happens in spring, the poem is definitely placed in spring. A FAN (ogi), normally a summer seasonal topic, can easily be present at other seasons

. WKD : POEMS WITH TWO SEASON WORDS .


Written in 1688, Oi no Kobumi


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団扇もてあふがん人のうしろむき
uchiwa mote / aogan hito no / ushiro muki

. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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kigo for the New Year

. oogi nage 扇投(おうぎなげ)
Fan-throwing competition



. hatsu oogi 初扇 (はつおうぎ) first use of the folding fan .
during a Noh performance


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kigo for all spring

uchiwa tsukuru 団扇作る (うちわつくる)
making uchiwa

..... uchiwa haru 団扇張る(うちわはる)papering uchiwa
..... oogi haru 扇張る(おうぎはる)
oogi hosu 扇干す(おうぎほす)drying oogi fans
after they are papered


. HUMANITY KIGO
for all seasons


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observance kigo for late summer

. oogi matsuri 扇祭(おうぎまつり) hand fan festival .
Nachi no himatsuri 那智の火祭り Fire Festival at Nachi
main festival at shrine Nachi Taisha, July 14.



. karasu uchiwa 烏団扇(からすうちわ)"craw fan".
sumomo matsuri すもも祭 Sumomo plum festival
July 20 at the shrine Ookunitama 大国魂神社 Okunitama Jinja


. Tengu no ha-uchiwa 天狗の羽団扇
"feather fan of a Tengu" .



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. tsurushibina つるし雛 / 吊るし雛 small hanging hina dolls .



Added with the wish for "suehiro" 末広(すえひろ)"to fold out", an auspicious play of words with something good lasting for a long time. May the girl lead a plentiful life.


. SAIJIKI ... HUMANITY - - - Kigo for Summer  


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yakuyoke uchiwa 厄除けうちわ handfan to ward off evil influence



at the summer festival for the god of
Tooka Daimyoojin
稲荷大明神 Toka Daimyojin

at Enryuji Temple, Mikawa-cho, Hiroshima City.

- quote
Tookasan Yukata Festival
Toukasan [とうかさん], the most festive of Hiroshima’s downtown festivals, dates back around 400 years. It signals the start of summer and locals mark the occasion by giving traditional lightweight summer kimono, called yukata, their first outing of the year. Everyone from young punks to pensioners loves toukasan and the streets are packed and ablaze with color.
Most will line up at Enryu-ji Temple at the end of Chuo-dori – recognizable by the many many read lanterns that hand over the forecourt (not to mention the long line that spills out and down the street during the festival) – to pray to Touka Daimyoujin for good fortune, but Toukasan is as much about showing off your yukata, sampling the street food and playing festival games as it is about religious ritual.

Touka is an alternative reading for the characters of the Shinto god Inari – the kami of rice, prosperity, fertility as well as other good stuff like tea and sake. Inari shrines are distinguished by multiple torii gates and statues of foxes – the most famous being Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto – and you’ll often find them within the grounds of a Buddhist temple, as at Enryu-ji, among other temples, here in Hiroshima.

The festival was originally held on the day on which Boys’ Day fell according to the old lunar calendar. As that could be anywhere from early May to late June in the Gregorian calendar it was decided that it would be held around the 10th of June (the 10th of the month also being referred to as touka in Japanese). Pressure from traders saw the festival extended to two and then three days – Inari is the god of prosperity after all. Since 1999 the festival has started on the first Friday of June, ensuring a full weekend of enlightened cash flow.

After paying your respects, make a ¥300 offering and get a yakuyoke uchiwa fan. According to the temple website these fans are the embodiment of Touka Daimyoujin herself, and the most effective talisman for warding off misfortune in all of Japan. Guaranteed to be effective aid to health, wealth and longevity. Quite a bargain.
- source : www.gethiroshima.com




- とうかさん大祭 Tookasan big festival
- source : www.toukasan.jp


Yakuyoke 厄除お守り warding off evil
personal yakudoshi 厄年 "years of personal calamity"
yakubarai 厄払い casting off the old impurities and sins


. WKD - Hiroshima Festivals .


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source : rakuten.co.jp/raimdo

. Fudō Myō-ō, Fudoo Myoo-Oo 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O
Acala Vidyârâja - Vidyaraja – Fudo Myoo .



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. chuukei 中啓 Chukei, ceremonial fan of a priest .

Many shine in brilliant silver and gold color coating.
It is not used to fan for fresh air, but sometimes hit to make a sound.
Sometimes it can be opened and a rosary or sutra book placed on it during ceremonies when sitting on Tatami mats.
This fan can also be placed in the collar when both hands are needed.

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[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #uchiwa #ogo #handfan #sensu #foldingfan -
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Fallen leaves (ochiba)

[ . BACK to Worldkigo TOP . ]
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Fallen leaves (ochiba) and related kigo

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: All Winter . see below
***** Category: Plant


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Explanation

fallen leaves, falling leaves, ochiba 落葉 おちば

rake for sweeping fallen leaves, ochiba kaki 落葉掻(おちばかき)
... sweeping fallen leaves, ochiba haku 落葉はく
basket for collecting fallen leaves, ochiba kago 落葉籠(おちばかご)

time for the leaves to fall, ochiba doki 落葉時(おちばどき)
mountain (forest) with fallen leaves, ochiba yama 落葉山(おちばやま)


withered leaves, kareha 枯葉 (かれは)
When we walk among these leaves in a forest, they often make a special rustling sound, associated with the sadness, solitude and the hardships of the cold winter days of the Edo period and before that time.
"rustling leaves" is not a kigo, though, since it can also refer to leaves still on the trees which are rustling in the breeze. You have to specify this is your haiku.


decayed leaves, kuchiba 朽葉 (くちば)
They can be used as compost in spring. Many of our local farmers go to the woods in winter and carry loads of decayed leaves to their fields in an attempt to use natural fertilizers. This practise was common use before the advent of chemical fertilizers.


. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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leaves of trees, ko no ha 木の葉 (このは)

falling leaves making a sound like rain, ko no ha no ame
... 木の葉の雨(このはのあめ)
falling leaves making a sound like sleet,
... ko no ha no shigure 木の葉の時雨(このはのしぐれ)
It reminds the Japanes of the sound of rain or sleet in winter. Here the action of falling and the sound this produces is the main theme of the kigo.

leaves falling down, leaves scattering, ko no ha chiru
木の葉散る(このはちる)
burning tree leaves, ko no ha yaku 木の葉焼く(このはやく)


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Fallen leaves from special trees:
all are kigo for early winter

"red leaves are falling down", momiji chiru 紅葉散る (もみじちる )
... chiru momiji 散紅葉(ちりもみじ)

larch trees shedding needles,
karamatsu chiru 落葉松散る (からまつちる)



CLICK for more photos !
fallen leaves from the big magnolia,
Magnolia hypoleuca, hoo ochiba 朴落葉(ほおおちば)



CLICK for more photos !
fallen leaves from the persimmon tree,
kaki ochiba 柿落葉, 柿落ち葉(かきおちば)



CLICK for more photos !
fallen leaves from the gingko tree,
ichoo ochiba 銀杏落葉 いちょうおちば



one leaf of the paulownia tree, kiri hitoha 桐一葉
(this may also be placed in early autumn, see below)

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yellow (leaves) falling, kooraku 黄落 (こうらく)
is a kigo for late autumn.
This may save the day of the misunderstandings, see below?!



From the fallen leaves it leads us to the withered trees, bare trees, kareki koboku 枯木 and related winter kigo.


For details about these trees, see related kigo below.

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kigo for late mid-spring

kashiwa ochiba 柏落葉 (かしわおちば)
fallen leaves of oak trees
..... kashiwa chiru 柏散る(かしわちる)



kigo for late spring

haru ochiba 春落葉 はるおちば fallen leaves in spring
..... haru no ochiba 春の落葉(はるのおちば)
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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kigo for early summer

. sugi ochiba, sugiochiba 杉落葉(すぎおちば)
fallen needles (leaves) of cedar
 

tokiwagi ochiba 常盤木落葉 ときわぎおちば
(needles and leaves of evergreens falling)

matsu ochiba 松落葉(まつおちば) pine needles falling
松葉散る(まつばちる)、散松葉(ちりまつば)
momi ochiba 樅落葉(もみおちば) fir needles falling
hinoki ochiba 檜落葉(ひのきおちば) hinoki cyrpess needles falling

shii ochiba 椎落葉(しいおちば) quinquapin leaves falling
kashi ochiba 樫落葉(かしおちば) kashi oak leaves falling
kusu ochiba 樟落葉(くすおちば) camphor tree leaves falling

hiiragi ochiba 柊落葉(ひいらぎおちば) holly leaves falling
tsuge ochiba 黄楊落葉(つげおちば) boxwood leaves falling

mochi ochiba 冬青落葉(もちおちば) Aquifoliaceae
mokkoku ochiba 木檞落葉(もっこくおちば)

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Some autumn kigo for special leaves


kigo for early autumn

. kiri hitoha 桐一葉 (きりひとは) one paulownia leaf
..... hitoha, hito ha 一葉(ひとは)one leaf
..... ichiyo, ichi yo
hitoha otsu 一葉落つ(ひとはおつ)one leaf falls
hitoha no aki 一葉の秋(ひとはのあき)autumn of one leaf
kiri no aki 桐の秋(きりのあき)paulownia in autumn


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kigo for mid-autumn

. yanagi chiru 柳散る
leaves of the willow are falling

chiru yanagi 散る柳(ちるやなぎ)
yanagi kibamu 柳黄ばむ(やなぎきばむ)willow leaves getting yellow


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kigo for late autumn

. itchoo chiru 銀杏散る (いちょうちる) gingko leaves falling



nanoki chiru, na no ki chiru 名の木散る (なのきちる)
leaves from famous special trees are falling

na no ki, lit. "trees with a name"



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Why are fallen leaves a kigo for WINTER in Japan?

Most of us Europeans and the haiku friends in North America see them falling in autumn.... Even here in the rural Japan of Okayama they start falling in october, but it takes well into december until they are all gone.

In Japanese traditional poetry and in haiku, autumn is mostly associated with the beautiful colored leaves, momiji, and parties of viewing these beautiful leaves. In contrast to these autumn activities, haiku poets tend to see the "fallen leaves" in the next season, winter.

"Falling leaves" do indeed give us the feeling of late autumn, whereas "fallen leaves (the correct translation for ochiba)" are what is left over all winter, after they have fallen on the ground.

Trees need to get rid of their leaves to withstand the snow and cold in winter. Watching the colored leaves slowly decay on the ground reminds us strongly that winter is approaching fast, in fact is here now and will stay with us for quite a while.

This is a difficult kigo in the worldwide context. If you can accept the conventions of traditional Japanese haiku, it will be winter. You also have to consult with the leader of your group of linked verses and how he wants to use it.

Please add your thoughts to the discussion of fallen leaves in a worldwide kigo context!

Gabi Greve

CLICK for another one !
© PHOTO Gabi Greve, Persimmon leaf, September 2007

... ... ...

Quote from the University of Virginia Saijiki

Leaves drifting down one by one, and those driven off the branches by gusts of wind--all are potent signs of approaching winter. Ochiba refers both to leaves falling and to those already lying on the ground, though when the latter become dry and faded they are called "withered leaves" (kareha). The sound of these under foot calls to mind the dreariness of winter.


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Priest Ryokan sweeping leaves

CLICK for original LINK !
© PHOTO www.kurashiki.co.jp/entsu-ji

Ryokan Memorial Day (Ryokan-ki, Japan)

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The Bamboo Rake / Ray Rasmussen
http://www.raysweb.net/bamboorake/


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http://cat22.k-free.net/flow/500.html

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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


Japanese page with beautiful colored fallen leaves.
http://www.janjan.jp/photo-msg/0410/0410199864/1.php


Link with many more pictures, click any of the buttons.
http://cat22.k-free.net/flow/img01/fe022.jpg
http://cat22.k-free.net/flow/500.html



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落ちてから風引きおこす一葉かな
ochite kara kaze hiki okosu hitoha kana

whenn it falls,
it makes a little wind -
one paulownia leaf


Machida Kyoko, the calligraphy Sensei
of Isabelle Prondzynski


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HAIKU


sweeping fallen leaves -
the wind sweeps
faster
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/happyhaiku/message/933


sweeping the leaves
with a broom like old Jittoku -
again and again

Here you also find the story of the Broom and Jittoku.
Kanzan and Jittoku 寒山拾得

Gabi Greve


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- - - - - Matsuo Basho - - - - -

留主のまに あれたる神の 落葉哉
rusu no ma ni aretaru kami no ochiba kana

The god is absent;
dead leaves are piling
and all is deserted.


Matsuo Basho
Tr. R.H.Blyth

The Gods are Absent (kami no rusu)
kigo for winter



文ならぬいろはもかきて火中哉
fumi naranu iroha mo kakite kachuu kana

not enough for a letter
raking colored leaves
into the fire . . .


or

not enough for a letter
writing the IROHA
and into the fire . . .


A very early one by Basho, when still in Iga Ueno, Basho age 18 - 29. A typicle sample of the Teimon school 貞門風 of haikai.

This is a double pun
iroha 色葉 colored leaves and iroha いろは, the Japanese alphabet.
kakite 掻きて can mean to rake leaves or 書きて to write.

The cut marker KANA is at the end of line 3.


. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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- - - - - Kobayashi Issa


おち葉して憎い烏はなかりけり
ochiba shite nikui karasu wa nakari keri

fallen leaves--
not a single crow
is irksome



おち葉してけろりと立し土蔵哉
ochiba shite kerori to tateshi dozô kana

among fallen leaves
the storehouse
unconcerned

Tr. David Lanoue

- - - - -

猫の子がちょいと押へるおち葉哉
neko no ko ga choi to osaeru ochiba kana

effortlessly
the kitten steps on
a blowing leaf

Tr. Chris Drake


This winter hokku is from the lunar 10th month (November) of 1815, when Issa had temporarily left his hometown to make a three-month trip back to the city of Edo and the area around it to see and reconnect with various haijin and students in the area. Most deciduous trees in lowland areas of Japan don't begin dropping their leaves until the tenth lunar month (November), and lunar winter begins with the tenth month, so "fallen leaf/leaves" is a winter image. Brightly colored leaves immediately after they fall, especially colored leaves floating on a pond or river, are often considered autumn images, depending on the exact season of the composition of the hokku and the kind of tree involved. In Issa's hokku, the limbs of most trees are probably already bare or have only a few leaves left on them, and faded leaves lie here and there on the ground. The kitten, however, is apparently interested in one leaf which seems to be skittering along the ground in a breeze or wind.

The verb osaeru implies that the kitten has a paw on the leaf and is holding it in place, enjoying its ability to keep the leaf from being blown somewhere else. Since it's a kitten, it may have been playing with the leaf a bit, allowing it to move here and there for a while, but when it decides to pounce its movements are deft and sure, with no wasted effort or hesitation. Issa is impressed by how lightly and naturally the kitten moves, with free and easy motions that make humans look clumsy, slow, and overly burdened by mental calculations. In the Edo language of Issa's day the adverbs choi to and, in many contexts, choi-choi meant: a bit, a little; lightly; easily, freely, effortlessly, simply, without difficulty, fluently, offhandedly, naturally, spontaneously, artlessly.
Issa wrote a similar hokku about an adult cat at about the same time.

Chris Drake

. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .

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落葉踏む きょうの明るさ あすもあれ  
ochiba fumu kyō no akarusa asu mo are

I tread on
fallen leaves in today's light--
let there be tomorrow, too

Mizuhara Shūōshi

There are a lot more haiku in this saijiki.
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/haiku/saijiki/index.html


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lautlos
fallende Blätter
decken sich zu


Rainer Wolf
Germany, January 2010

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red and yellow -
autumn spreads a carpet
weaving with leaves


Alex Serban
Romania, September 2010


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falling leaves ...
news that an old flame
has passed away

first fallen leaves ...
my window panes clean
after a downpour

fallen oak leaf ...
one by one my friends
reach half a century

our son
and his wedding plans ...
first fallen leaves


Ella Wagemakers
Netherlands, August 2010


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fallen leaves ...
a lizard running through
scares me


fallen leaves-
autumn wind chasing them
on the pavement


Sunil Uniyal
New Delhi, August 2010


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fallen leaves ...
a lizard running through
my "Allah-ulakbar"


Heike Gewi
Still is Ramadan and 10 days to go...
Yemen, August 2010

Read this :
THE DESIRABILITY OF KILLING A GECKO
(HOUSE LIZARD)(SAHIH HADITH MUSLIM)



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no unread
emails in your box...
first fallen leaves


Chen-ou Liu
Canada, September 2010


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Shiki Kukai September 2010

silent night -
the crackling of footsteps
on fallen leaves


~ Rhoda Mutheu, Kenya

. Results from the Kenya Haiku Poets



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Related words

*****fallen leaves of bamboo (take ochiba 竹落ち葉)

kigo for summer


***** bonfire (takibi 焚き火)

kigo for all winter

asa takibi 朝焚火(あさたきび)bonfire in the morning
yuutakibi 夕焚火(ゆうたきび)bonfire in the evening
yotakibi 夜焚火(よたきび)bonfire at night, nighttime bonfire
takibi ato 焚火跡(たきびあと)remains of a bonfire

A bonfire is lit outside to keep warm in winter. I remember our carpenters starting the day with a bonfire and before leaving, again, warming their hands at one. Farmers also burn a lot of trash with these bonfires, although it is not so common nowadays. Others put potatoes and sweet potatoes in the hot ashes to prepare for dinner.



***** burning fallen leaves (ochiba taki 落葉焚)
kigo for early winter


This kigo brings out the image of a remote temple or rural hamlet, where a priest in his long robes, equipped with a bamboo broom, is sweeping the temple grounds. In our valley, the smoke lingeres in the valley to bring a fragrance too, sometime of some sweet potatoes roasted in the ambers. It is also a kind of communicative "smoke sign", since we know: "Ah, Morita-san is burning his leaves!" when we look at the neighbour on the distand site of the valley.

ochiba taku imo ga kuro-gami tsutsumu kana

burning leaves--
sweet potatoes wrapped
in black paper


Issa / Tr. David Lanoue

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


The famous Zen priest, Ryokan san (Ryookan 良寛), also enjoyed to sweep his temple grounds, as you could see in the picture above.

The leaves are falling
Just enough to make a fire―
A gift of the wind!


http://www.amie.or.jp/daruma/Ryokan.html


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西吹けば 東にたまる 落葉かな
nishi fukeba higashi ni tamaru ochiba kana

blowing from the west
fallen leaves gather
in the east

- - - - - Further Discussion :
. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .


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***** . matsu ochiba 松落ち葉 pine needles falling down

kigo for summer


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Reference

Autumn Leaves (momiji, Japan) yellow leaves, colored leaves
and many related kigo

Gingko biloba tree (gingkoo)

Larch tree, Tamarack Tree, Larix kaempferi (karamatsu)

Magnolia, big magnolia flowers(hoo no hana)

Paulownia flowers (kiri no hana)  P. tomentosa

Persimmon (kaki)


Paper mulberry leaf (kaji no ha 梶の葉)
and writing poetry on leaves


. Trees in all seasons .

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Leafy hair (ko no ha gami)

kigo for early winter

leaves on the hair, ko-no-ha-gami, konohagami, 木の葉髪

reflects leaves falling and lodging in one's hair, but also the elderly who are loosing their own hair.


kowai hodo ima shiawase ya ko no ha gami

my hair thinning –
I've never been happier, so much
so, that I feel frightened


Tomita Tomie (1912-2001)
http://www.worldhaikureview.org/2-1/requiem_ttomie.shtml

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釧路より根室へ流れ木の葉髪
Kushiro yori Nemuro e nagare konohagami

from Kushiro
they flow to Nemuro -
my thinning hair

Yamamoto Dadashi 山本駄々子 (やまもとだだし)


Kushiro and Nemuro are towns in Hokkaido.

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Some Japanese Haiku with this kigo.
original is here
http://www.haisi.com/saijiki/konohagami.htm


木の葉髪高くまとめて祝ぎの座へ

稲畑汀子 Inahata Teiko


木の葉髪   ko no ha gami    
93句 haiku 作品

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. Hinoki cypress ヒノキ、檜、桧.
Chamaecyparis obtusa
ーーーーー and
asunaro hinoki アスナロ / 翌檜 Asunaro Hinoki
Thujopsis dolabrata


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