aki no yo ya inu kara morattari neko ni ataetari
got it from a dog
and gave it to a cat
—Santoka
(Print by Hasegawa Sadanobu)
One from our old friend, the begging haiku monk, Santoka. The story of this haiku is that Santoka was sitting down for another evening without food, as happened often, when a dog suddenly showed up in his shack with a rice ball in his mouth. Thankful for the food, Santoka took it and split it with the dog. The dog took his half and left. But then before Santoka could eat the present, a hungry stray cat showed up. So Santoka did the only thing a zen monk might do in that situation, he split it again and gave the cat half of it.
Don't miss other great haiku in the Haiku of Japan series!
#1–10 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #1
#11–20 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #2
#21–30 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #3
#31 — Am I a Butterfly or a Man?
#32 — Hidden Grey Hair
#33 — Sleeping Butterfly
#34 — Never To Grow Old
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I post one photo everyday, as well as a haiku and as time allows, videos, more Japanese history, and so on. Let me know if there is anything about Japan you would like to know more about or would like to see.
 | David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time. |