年とらぬつもりなりしが鐘の鳴る
toshi toranu tsumori narishi ga kane no naru
never never to grow old
was my intention...
the temple bell tolls
—Jokun
(Tr. David LaSpina)
(Print by Ogata Gekko)
Blyth put it best when he wrote about this haiku:
What a universal emotion is expressed in the first two lines! Making our peace with age is part of our acceptance of death.
The bell Jokun refers to is the New Years bell. On New Years in Japan, temple bells ring 108 times, one time for each of our desires. It is a purifying ritual.
In pre-modern Japan, your age didn't go up on your birthday, it went up at the beginning of the year. So yes, basically everyone's birthday was the same day. But they didn't celebrate it as we do today. It was just a fact... oh, I'm older now.
Jokun hears the temple bells toll for the New Year and he is reminded that he has now gotten old, something he—like everyone—never really thought would happen.
Again, Blyth:
The bell speeding the old year comes sounding across the fields. We are a year older whether we will it or not.
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 — The Thief and the Moon
#22 — My Frozen Balls
#23 — Saké Waves
#24 — Friends with the Moon
#25 — Falling Flower
#26 — Winter Rain and No Hat
#27 — Sleeping Boy
#28 — Reward of Persimmons
#29 - Chestnut Worm
#30 - Drunken Leaf Watching
#31 — Am I a Butterfly or a Man?
#32 — Hidden Grey Hair
#33 — Sleeping Butterfly
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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. |