haiku of the month

Japanese Haiku Masters

This page features a haiku each month by one of the haiku masters.

O snail

climb Mount Fuji,

but slowly, slowly

Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827)

since it turns out

I am all by myself

I make friends

with the harvest moon

Yosa Buson (1716-1784)

even in Kyoto

hearing the cuckoo’s cry,

I long for Kyoto

Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828)

one by one
everyone has left—
autumn wind

Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828)

行春や　鳥啼き魚の　目は泪

Yuku haru ya/ Tori naki uwo no/ Me ha namida

spring´s end—

birds cry and fish eyes

fill with tears

Matsuo Bashō (松尾芭蕉, 1644–1694) (translation by Corine Timmer)

perfuming the man who broke its branch—plum blossoms

—Chiyo-Ni (1701-1775) (translation by Jim Kacian)