Saijiki
Encyclopedia
A is a list of kigo
(seasonal terms) used in haiku
and related forms of poetry. An entry in a saijiki usually includes a description of the kigo itself, as well as a list of similar or related words, and some examples of haiku that include that kigo. A kiyose is similar, but does not contain sample poems. Modern saijiki and kiyose are divided into the four seasons and New Year, with some containing a further section for seasonless (muki) topics. Each seasonal section is further divided into a standard set of categories, each containing a list of relevant kigo. The most common categories are:
, seasons traditionally followed the lunisolar calendar
with the solstice
s and equinox
es at the middle of a season. The traditional Japanese seasons are:
In categorising kigo, a saijiki or kiyose divides each season into early, middle, and late periods, as follows:
Kigo
is a word or phrase associated with a particular season, used in Japanese poetry. Kigo are used in the collaborative linked-verse forms renga and renku, as well as in haiku, to indicate the season referred to in the stanza...
(seasonal terms) used in haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
and related forms of poetry. An entry in a saijiki usually includes a description of the kigo itself, as well as a list of similar or related words, and some examples of haiku that include that kigo. A kiyose is similar, but does not contain sample poems. Modern saijiki and kiyose are divided into the four seasons and New Year, with some containing a further section for seasonless (muki) topics. Each seasonal section is further divided into a standard set of categories, each containing a list of relevant kigo. The most common categories are:
- The Season
- The Heavens
- The Earth
- Humanity
- Observances
- Animals
- Plants
Japanese seasons
In the Japanese calendarJapanese calendar
On January 1, 1873, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar. Before 1873, the Chinese style lunisolar calendar had been in use since 7th century. Japanese eras are still in use.-System:...
, seasons traditionally followed the lunisolar calendar
Lunisolar calendar
A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. If the solar year is defined as a tropical year then a lunisolar calendar will give an indication of the season; if it is taken as a sidereal year then the calendar will...
with the solstice
Solstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
s and equinox
Equinox
An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator...
es at the middle of a season. The traditional Japanese seasons are:
- Spring: 4 February–5 May
- Summer: 6 May–7 August
- Autumn: 8 August–6 November
- Winter: 7 November–3 February
In categorising kigo, a saijiki or kiyose divides each season into early, middle, and late periods, as follows:
- Early spring: 4 February–5 March
- Mid-spring: 6 March–4 April
- Late spring: 5 April–5 May
- Early summer: 6 May–5 June
- Mid-summer: 6 June–6 July
- Late summer: 7 July–7 August
- Early autumn: 8 August–7 September
- Mid-autumn: 8 September–7 October
- Late autumn: 8 October–6 November
- Early winter: 7 November–6 December
- Mid-winter: 7 December–4 January
- Late winter: 5 January–3 February
English
- The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words, selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto, on Renku Home
- William J. HigginsonWilliam J. HigginsonWilliam J. Higginson was an American poet, translator and author most notable for his work with haiku and renku, born in New York City...
, ed. Haiku world: an international poetry almanac. Kodansha, 1996. ISBN 9784770020901 - The Japanese Haiku Topical Dictionary at the University of Virginia Japanese Text Initiative
- World Kigo Database, worldwide saijiki
Japanese
- Masaoka ShikiMasaoka Shiki, pen-name of Masaoka Noboru , was a Japanese poet, author, and literary critic in Meiji period Japan. Shiki is regarded as a major figure in the development of modern haiku poetry...
, ed. Kiyose. 1930 - Kyoshi TakahamaKyoshi Takahamawas a Japanese poet active during the Shōwa period of Japan. His real name was ; Kyoshi was a pen name. He was one of the closest disciples of Masaoka Shiki.-Early life:...
, ed. A New Saijiki, 1934 - Teiko Inahata, ed. The New Hototogisu Saijiki, 1996
External links
- Le Saijiki en français by Seegan Mabesoone (in French)
See also
- Haiku in EnglishHaiku in EnglishHaiku in English is a development of the Japanese haiku poetic form in the English language.Contemporary haiku are written in many languages, but most poets outside of Japan are concentrated in the English-speaking countries....
- List of Kigo
- RengaRenga' is a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry. A renga consists of at least two or stanzas, usually many more. The opening stanza of the renga, called the , became the basis for the modern haiku form of poetry....
, an older form of poetry employing kigo - Renku, the poetic form from which haiku derived, also using kigo