morning glory!
the well bucket-entangled,
I ask for water
© Chiyo-Ni (1703-1775)
freed from the tangles
chanoyu at last*
© G.s.k. ’16
*Cha no yu (茶の湯, literally “hot water for tea”
Tan Renga – Number 4 – May 5, 2016
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Tag Archives: Chiyo-ni
Heeding Haiku – Chiyo-Ni Rewrite – December 10, 2015
taoraruru hito ni kaoru ya ume no hana
the flowering branch of the plum
gives its scent
to him who broke it off
© Chiyo-Ni
now broken
this plum branch remains
her memory of spring
© G.s.k. ‘15
Heeding Haiku With Chèvrefeuille December 9th 2015 “(rewrite) Chiyo-Ni”
Harvest Moon Games – Haiku – September 12, 2015
along the pathway
trees cast their eerie shadows
harvest moon games
© G.s.k. ‘15
inspired by:
meigetsu ya yuki fumiwakete ishi no oto
this harvest moon –
as I part the snow by stepping on it
the sound of stones
© Chiyo-Ni
Carpe Diem Special #166 “Autumn” this harvest moon by Chiyo-Ni
Chiyo-Ni’s “Morning glory” – Tan Renga – July 4, 2015
Chiyo-ni standing beside a well. This woodcut by Utagawa Kuniyoshi illustrates her most famous haiku: finding a bucket entangled in the vines of a morning-glory, she will go ask for water rather than disturb the flower.
asano eikou yoku baketto entanguru watashiha mizuwo motomeru
morning-glory!
the well bucket-entangled,
I ask for water
© Chiyo-Ni
all life is precious
even the morning-glory
old farmer
disentangles the bucket
each petal intact
warm tea in the morning
from morning-glory well
© G.s.k. ‘15
Written for:
Carpe Diem Tan Renga Challenge #92, Chiyo-Ni’s “Morning glory”
The print was uploaded onto Wikipedia by Petrusbarbygere
Little Creatures with Chiyo-ni (spiders) – haiku – April 26, 2015
draped across the door
a single spider’s web
floats on the wind
walking in the woods
a spider’s web caress
crosses my cheek
storm winds blow
– skittering across the plant
tiny red spiders
summer evening
hiding in the bathtub
daddy-long-legs
© G.s.k. ‘15
One of my favourite haiku poets is Chiyo-ni (1703-1775). She lived and wrote in the same period of Basho and was very influenced by his vision of haiku, though she has her own distinctive voice, as we can see in the haiku chosen by Chèvrefeuille for this morning’s Little Creature’s episode:
a single spider’s thread
ties the duckweed
to the shore
© Chiyo-ni
Chiyo-ni (1703-1775)
... she stood not only in nature, but was part of nature and that makes her haiku so strong in their images.
“Oneness with nature” seems especially resonant in Chiyo-ni’s haiku. Basho’s theory of oneness with nature was that the poet should make a faithful or honest sketch of nature. In the Sanzohi (1702), Basho’s disciple, Doho, explains his teacher’s theory: “Learn about the pine from the pine and the bamboo from the bamboo–the poet should detach his mind from self . . . and enter into the object . . . so the poem forms itself when poet and object become one.” This experience is analogous to the Buddhist idea of satori, or enlightenment, what Kenneth Yasuda called the “haiku moment.” When writing haiku, Chiyo-ni immersed herself in nature, honestly observing what she saw …”
“Chiyo-ni’s style is pure, like white jade, without ornament, without carving, natural. Both her life and writing style are clear/pure. She lives simply, as if with a stone for a pillow, and spring water to brush her teeth. She is like a small pine, embodying a female style that is subtle, fresh, and beautiful. Chiyo-ni knows the Way, is in harmony with Nature. One can better know the universe, through each thing in the Phenomena, as in Chiyo-ni’s haiku, than through her books.”
Quote by Shoin
here are the essential points of Basho’s haiku theory:
“Basho’s style of haiku was formulated by others over the years. His well-known fundamentals usually include: sabi (detached loneliness), wabi (poverty of spirit), hosomi (slenderness, sparseness), shiori (tenderness), sokkyo (spontaneity), makoto (sincerity), fuga (elegance), karumi (simplicity), kyakkan byosha (objectivity), and shiZen to hitotsu ni naru (oneness with nature).”
Written for Carpe Diem Haiku Kai – Spiders please drop by and take a look at the full post!
Haiku – Basho and Chiyo-Ni – July 3, 2014
This is a particulary interesting prompt posted on Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. Here Chèvrefuelle tells us about the various meanings behind the words used in the haiku written by Basho in his conclusion of the haibun ‘Oku no Hosomichi’ ‘The Narrow Road to the Far North’.and how the varous single Japanese words used can be interpreted in so many ways!
| Credits: Woodblock-print Futamigaura (”The Wedded Rocks”) |
hamaguri no futami ni wakare yuku aki zo
a clam
torn from its shell
departing autumn
© Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)
§
peach skies of summer
following a flash of lightning
a thunder-clap
© G.s.k. ’14
I had problems with my computer and was late submitting the homage to Basho … So I’m adding a second Carpe Diem prompt … dedicated to Chiyo-Ni:
“The Rouge flower (a kind of daylily) is a reddish-yellow flower it is cup-shaped and holds rain or dew in the same way as the Camellia. There is great ”virtue” in the expression tada no. If we translate it ”only” water, we got the feeling of disillusionment without the insight into the nature of things.
This haiku by Chiyo-Ni is one of my favorite haiku written by her and I think it will inspire you all to write new haiku. Maybe … in the same spirit as Chiyo-Ni … we will see. ” Chèvrefeulle
koborete wa tada no mizunari beni no tsuyu
the dew of the rouge-flower,
when it is spilled
is simply water
© Chiyo-Ni
§
honeysuckle flower
child sucking sweet nectar
like a bee
calla lily
perfumed golden goblet
empty of wine
©G.s.k. ’14
Written for Carpe Diem Haiku Kai dedicated to Chiyo-Ni
Carpe Diem – Ghost Writer #13 – June 18, 2014
Today Kuheli’s Ghost Writer post is written about a haiku poetess, Chiyo-Ni or Fukuda Chiyo-ni (1703 – 1775). Here’s some of what Kuheli has to say about Chiuo-Ni:
She showed a childhood gift for poetry and had already gained fame for her haiku while she was still a teenager. Her early haiku were influenced by Basho and his students, though as a haikai poet in later period she developed her own unique style but her verses were mostly dealing with nature. In later period of her life, around 1755 Chiyo-ni became a Buddhist nun.
On the post there are two examples of Chiyou-ni’s haiku, one given by Chèvrefeulle in his introduction and the other by Kuheli:
taoraruru hito ni kaoru ya ume no hana
the flowering branch of the plum
gives its scent
to him who broke it off© Chiyo-Ni
suzushisa ya / suso karamo fuku / yabu tatami
the coolness
on the bottom of her kimono
in the bamboo grove© Chiyo-ni
Now I will try to write in the style of this great poetess:
sweet wet grass
cooling sore feet
of the weary pilgrim
soft silk robes
whispering as she walks
among the roses
jasmin perfumed air
after the rainstorm
petals on the ground
For more information on the post please click Carpe Diem Haiku Kai – Ghost Writer # 13 Kuheli
For a selection of poems written by Chiyo-ni pleas click HERE
