Haiku by Kyoshi Takahama

Kyoshi's haikus are not limited to a fixed style. In 1898, Kyoshi Takahama 高浜 虚子 (1874 ~ 1959) assumed the direction of the haiku magazine "Hototogisu" (the Cuckoo) that Kyokudo Yanagihara (1867 ~ 1957) and Shiki Masaoka 正岡 子規 (1867 ~ 1902) had co-founded the previous year.

Kyoshi Takahama  wrote mainly novelettes since 1907 up to 1912, but from 1913 he devoted himself to the creation of haikus and bringing up of disciples. Many haikuists supported his view of haiku, and Hototogisu became an important magazine to which a great number of poets contributed their haikus.

A butterfly's
noises while eating something
such quietness

A dead chrysanthemum
and yet - isn't there still something
remaining in it ?

A dog is sleeping
Holding its head between the legs.
House of chrysanthemums

A gold bug -
I hurl into the darkness
and feel the depth of night

An autumn sky, and
under it wild camomile flowers
with some petals gone

A snake slipped away.
Only his eyes having looked at me
Remain in grass

Comes the first butterfly of the year.
'Which color?'
'Yellow'

Evening shades are thick
Also in the floating algae

Autumn wind:
Everything I see
Is haiku

Flowing on by,
the leaves of radishes.
What swiftness

Girls take sprouts of rice.
reflection of water flickers
on backs of sedge hats

He says a word
and I say a word - autumn
is deepening

I look at the river.
A banana skin
Falls from my hand

The winds that blows -
ask them, which leaf on the tree
will be next to go

They call this flower white peony.
Yes, but
A little red

On the surface of the spring beach
A circle is largely drawn

Roots of a large summer tree
On a rock
Extend in all directions

When a thing is placed
A shadow of autumn
Appears there

Among his haikus, several are splendid and virile, whereas others are subtle and delicate; several give free rein to his imagination, others describe simply daily facts. The world of Kyoshi is a true chaos, varied like a field full of wild flowers and grasses. Defining briefly the ideas of Kyoshi,

I can say that he did not like microcosms built artificially by the intelligence; he wanted to leave in his poems obscure nuances impossible to be analyzed intellectually. He recognized Basho's great achievements, but he did not have a high opinion of his theatrical gestures. He rather preferred Boncho Nozawa, pupil of Basho, who excelled in laconic descriptions.

101 translated haiku with the original text