急須の茶しぼりたらすよ夕朧
kyuusu no cha shibori tarasu yo yuu oboro
from the teapot
getting the last drop out
hazy spring eve
—Sekitei
(Tr. David LaSpina)
(Print by Toshikata Mizuno)
As anyone who has ever steeped tea in a teapot knows, getting that last bit of tea out can be tricky. Tip the teapot too much and you are likely to have the tea leaves themselves spill out. It becomes a balancing act.
I didn't include it in my translation, but Sekitei specifically mentions that this is a kyuusu teapot. These are teapots with pointed handles, a design that lets you keep your knuckles from the hot pot itself and also hold the lid easier with your thumb. Here is a picture of one.
Hara Sekitei was one of the "Taisho Hototogisu poets", a wave of haiku poets in the Taisho era (1912 – 1926) who came to fame as the result of the famous haiku magazine Hototogisu.
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—40 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #4
#41–50 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #5
#51 — Dewdrop World
#52 — A Fleeting Life
#53 — The Only Sound
#54 — Autumn Clouds
#55 — Playing Dewdrops
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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. |