Haiku of Japan 1-10 // or, ten awesome, amazing, fantastic haiku from Japan!

Here is a collection of the first 10 haiku from my Haiku of Japan series. I'm collecting them all in one post to give new readers a review of poems they may have missed and also to make a convenient collection to link to.

I am giving the haiku themselves, along with a photo, usually a woodblock print. If you want commentary on the poem, click the poem title to visit my post on that specific haiku.

Without further ado, here we go....


  1. Traveling to the Inn


    月ぞしるべこなたへ入らせ旅の宿




    tsuki zo shirube
    konata e irase
    tabi no yado

    —Basho


    the moon’s guidance:
    please come this way
    a traveler’s inn







  2. Childless Woman


    うまず女の雛かしづくぞ哀なる




    umazume no hina
    kashizuku zo
    aware naru

    —Ransetsu


    a childless woman
    tenderly she touches
    the little dolls for sale







  3. Old Dancing Butterfly


    蝶老てたましひ菊にあそぶ哉




    chou oite
    tamashii kiku ni
    asobu kana

    —Enomoto Seifu


    The butterfly grown old
    its spirit plays
    among chrysanthemums






  4. Seeing the Moon


    詠むるや江戸には稀な山の月




    nagamuru ya
    Edo niha marena
    yama no tsuki

    —Basho


    I stare at,
    Rarely seen in Edo,
    The moon in the mountain.






  5. Checking the Scarecrow


    畠主の案山子見舞小て戻りけり




    hatakenushi
    kagashi ni oute
    modorikeri

    —Buson


    The field owner
    goes to check his scarecrow
    then returns






  6. Skill of Insects


    世の中や鳴虫にさへ上づ下手




    yo no naka ya
    naku mushi ni sa e
    jouzu heta

    —Issa


    In this world
    even among the insects...
    some sing well, some don't






  7. The Spider Lilies


    歩き続ける彼岸花咲き続ける




    aruki tsuzukeru
    higanbana
    saki tsuzukeru

    —Taneda Santoka


    I keep walking
    the spider lilies
    keep blooming
    (Tr. Gabi Greve)






  8. A Thousand Green Mountains


    薫風や千山のみどり寺一つ




    kunpuu ya
    senzan no midori
    tera hitotsu

    —Shiki


    cool summer breeze
    a thousand green mountains
    a lone temple






  9. Falling Leaf Enlightenment


    一葉散る咄ひとはちる風の上




    hito ha chiru
    totsu hito ha chiru
    kaze no ue

    —Ransetsu


    one leaf falls
    alas! another
    with the wind






  10. Lonely Night


    小言いふ相手もあらばけふの月




    kogoto iu
    aite mo araba
    kyou no tsuki

    —Issa


    if only she were here
    my nagging wife...
    ah, tonight's moon




And there we go. Hope you enjoyed. Remember, you can click on the title of each haiku to go to the original post on that haiku where I give some commentary on the poem and perhaps some insight.

Also note, all of these were translated by me, except for number 7. Feel free to use any of these translations anywhere you want, but if you do, please credit me (or Gabi for #7). I ask that not so much because of my ego, but as a haiku reader myself I always want to know who did the translation so I can find more from them if I like it, so I'm always slightly annoyed when a web site or book doesn't provide that info.

Needless to say, if you enjoyed any of these, follow me for more. I try to post one a day. Sometimes I miss a day if work or family gets in the way, but I do try to keep up.

Hi there! David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org.
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