September 19, 2025
Introducing Haiku by Everyday People #02
Haiku is not just the art of masters like Basho — it is also a vibrant expression of everyday life. In this second series, Hiromichi Yokoyama continues to share scenes from his castle hikes, where moments of nature and human presence quietly connect.Castle Hike (Haiku) Selection 4
座る人有りて夏草そっと踏み
Coming across people in Zazen
Walked silently on the grass
Summer morning
| 座る/人 | 有りて/夏草 | そっと/踏み |
| Suwaru/Hito | Arite/Natu-kusa | Sotto/Fumi |
| Sitting/Men | Exist/Summer-Grass | Silently/Step-on |
Suwaru Hito (座る人): It simply means the “Sitting man" — Suwaru (Sit), Hito (Man) — while, in this haiku, it refers to the man in Zazen.
Zazen (座禅): A practice method in Zen Buddhism. Sitting on the floor with legs crossed, meditating for 30 to 60 minutes or more.
Natsu-Kusa (夏草): It means grass that grows in summer. However, it is quite rare to see terms like Harukusa (Spring grass) or Akikusa (Autumn grass), even during winter.
The third sentence of Summer Morning in English is not in the Japanese original, as “Natsukusa” functions as a Kigo (seasonal word) for summer.
Castle Hike (Haiku) Selection 5
戻り梅 雨らしき雲間に お日様ふわり
Return of rainy season?
Sun floats behind the cloud
Humid
| 戻り/梅雨 | らしき/雲間/に | お日様/ふわり |
| Modori/Tsuyu | Rashiki/Kumo-ma/Ni | Ohisama/Fuwari |
| Return/Rainy season | Seems/Cloud-between/At | Sunshine/Floats |
Rainy season: Usually, it starts from mid to late June and lasts until early to mid-July – approximately one month. Every day, it rains or is cloudy, and it is also very humid. The temperature gradually rises as summer approaches. This is the most inconvenient season of the year in Japan.
Castle Hike (Haiku) Selection 6
七夕の城は短冊に飾られつ
On Tanabata festival day
Castle tower is dressing-up
With Tanzaku-strips
| 七夕/の | 城/は/短冊/に | 飾られ/つ |
| Tanabata/No | Shiro/Wa/Tannzaku/Ni | Kazarare/Tsu |
| Tanabata-day/Of | Castle/Is/Tanzaku-strips/By | Dress-up/Did |
Tanabata Festival Day: Every July 7th. As one of Japan's fairy tales, a young girl named Orihime and her boyfriend Hikoboshi enjoy romantic days throughout the year without worrying about daily chores. Seeing them, the Emperor of Heaven became upset. He separated them to opposite shores of the Milky Way, allowing them to meet only once a year, on July 7th—only to look at each other from opposite shores. According to the story, children write down their hope or dream on a Tanzaku strip (colorful paper) and hang it on a willow tree to make their wish come true.
