Haiku of Japan 41–50 :: Collection #5

These collection posts just keep coming. We are up to the 5th collection of Haiku posts! This one features our usually suspects—Basho, Issa, Shiki—but also several others for your enjoyment.

If any of the haiku catch your fancy, click the title to visit a page specifically about that haiku, providing some info, hints for understanding it, or background.


  1. Falling Camellia


    つばき落ち鶏鳴き椿また落ちる




    tsubaki ochi tori naki tsubaki mata ochiru
    —Baishitsu


    a camellia falls
    a rooster crows
    another camellia falls







  2. Snow Falling


    雪ふるよ障子の穴を見てあれば




    yuki furu yo shōji no ana o mite areba
    —Shiki


    it's snowing!
    I can see it
    through a hole in the shoji







  3. Morning Glory Shack


    朝顔の花で葺たる庵哉




    asagao no hana de fukitaru iori kana
    —Issa


    covered with
    morning glories...
    my small shack







  4. My Father's Face


    今朝秋や見入る鏡に親の顔




    kesa akiya miiru kagamini oyano kao
    —Murakami


    autumn morning
    in the mirror I see
    my father's face







  5. Dragonfly Hunter


    蜻蛉釣り今日はどこまで行ったやら




    tombo tsuri kyou wa doko made itta yara
    —Chiyo-ni


    my little dragonfly hunter
    I wonder how far
    he has gone today...







  6. Fallen Butterfly


    落花枝にかへると見れば胡蝶哉




    rakka eda ni kaeru to mireba kochoo kana
    —Moritake


    fallen blossom
    returning to the branch?
    ah, no—a butterfly







  7. Fading Dreams of Warriors


    夏草や兵どもが夢の跡




    Natsukusa ya tsuwamono-domo ga yume no ato
    —Basho


    summer grass...
    the only remains
    of the soldiers' dreams







  8. Battleground Pear Tree


    梨さくや戦のあとの崩れ家




    nashi saku ya ikusa no ato no kuzure ie
    —Shiki


    a pear tree in bloom
    by the ruins of a house
    on an old battleground







  9. Showing My Hidden Side


    裏を見せ表を見せて散る紅葉




    ura wo mise omote wo misete chiru
    —Ryōkan


    it shows its back
    then, its front
    falling autumn leaf







  10. Ambitious Snail


    蝸牛そろそろ登れ富士の山




    Katatsumuri sorosoro nobore Fuji no yama
    —Issa


    O snail
    little by little climb
    Mount Fuji








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 where otherwise noted. Feel free to use any of these translations anywhere you want, but if you do, please credit me (or the proper translator). 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 glad when books or websites provide this 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. Also, I copy and paste these collection posts and probably don't proofread as carefully as I should. If you catch any mistakes, please point them out so I can fix them.


If you liked these, there are more! Here are the other collections in the Haiku of Japan series.

  1. Collection 1, haiku 1–10
  2. Collection 2, haiku 11–20
  3. Collection 3, haiku 21–30
  4. Collection 4, haiku 31–40

If you enjoyed this post, please like and resteem. Also be sure to follow me to see more from Japan everyday.

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.


Hi thereDavid LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time.
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