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| Ban’ya Natsuishi Japan |
هايكو العالم: 17 اكتوبر 2026
World
Haiku and the Four Directions
Introduction: Origins and Current Status of the
Four Directions
The four
directions―east, west, south, and north―are concepts valid on a two-dimensional
plane. The earth is not a flat plane; it is an irregular, three-dimensional
sphere, so neither absolute east nor absolute west exists. In principle, if one
continues traveling east across the globe, one will return to the starting
point, and if one keeps moving west, one will likewise return to where one
began. The concepts of east and west cannot escape relativity. However, human
beings, as small animals living on a vast planet, require directional
coordinates, and east and west are defined by the apparent movement of the sun.
The Latin word oriēns, meaning east, signifies sunrise and derives from the
verb orior, which means "to rise" or "to stand up." The
Japanese word for east (higashi) stems from himugashi, a noun denoting the
direction facing the rising sun. As for west, the Latin occidēns originates
from sunset, deriving from occīdō, meaning "to fall" or "to
sink." Etymological considerations in other languages will be omitted here
to avoid verbosity, but in most languages, east and west are likely tied to the
sun’s trajectory as seen from the earth, particularly sunrise and sunset.
Regarding
south and north, their connection to the sun's motion and light is somewhat
more indirect and fragmentary compared to east and west. The French word for
south, sud, derives from the English south, which traces back to the Old Norse
suðr, originally meaning "toward the sun, upward." North, conversely,
originates from the Proto-Indo-European nrtro- or ner-, meaning
"downward." In Japanese, the etymologies of minami (south) and kita
(north) remain unclear. Although the words and concepts for south and north are
more indirect and ambiguous than those for east and west, they still appear, at
times, to relate to sunlight.
Exploring
the etymology of terms for the four directions across several languages reveals
a paradox: east and west, which closely relate to the sun's movement as viewed
from the ground, feel more immediate and intimate to human beings. Yet, when
viewed from space, west and east form a continuum, rendering them entirely
relative concepts.
In
contrast, south and north have a weaker association with the sun compared to
east and west. When viewed from a modern perspective informed by scientific
knowledge, south and north present a vastly different aspect. They possess
absolute quality, defining the two extreme points of the rotating axis of the
spherical Earth. Furthermore, when looking out from the vastness of space and
extending lines beyond these poles, one cannot help but realize that north and
south represent an endless, terrifyingly absolute distance.
Concluding
these basic observations, when north, south, east, and west are discussed in
practical contexts on the earth, rather than viewing all four directions
simultaneously, they are often examined in pairs: east-west and north-south.
Discussions of east and west almost always address fundamental cultural
differences between East and West. Discussions of north and south evoke the
"North-South problem"―the cultural disparities between developed and
developing nations, a rift fraught with crisis due to extreme differences in
social conditions.
Between
East and West lie differences in cultural essence, not a hierarchy or
disparity. Between North and South lie disparities in the advancement of
culture―or, to exaggerate, a fissure. These East-West differences and
North-South disparities might be described as another facet of the diversity
wherein the people and groups of the Earth never become uniform, though their
implications may extend beyond that.
Meanwhile,
a quarter of a century has already passed since I began promoting World Haiku
at the start of the twenty-first century. Embracing the world's diversity as
flexibly as possible―sometimes through hardship―I have engaged in haiku
creation and translation. The core philosophy of World Haiku can be concisely
summarized as: "The enlightenment and encouragement of haiku creation as
the essence of poetry across all languages." As a result, twenty-two
volumes have been published, from “World Haiku 2005 No. 1”(Nishida Shoten,
Japan, 2004) to “World Haiku 2026 No. 22” (Ginyu Press, Japan, 2026). From my
experience editing these multilingual haiku anthologies, I can confidently
affirm that the included haiku reflect the diversity of the earth's four
directions. Approaching the reality and essence of this diversity will
certainly be a worthwhile endeavor. Let us first extract from haiku works the
realities of east, west, south, and north―not merely as compass directions, but
as coordinate axes of global diversity.
The Intense Heterogeneity of the South
Speaking
of the Earth's South, Africa immediately comes to mind. “World Haiku 2006 No. 2”
(Shichigatsudo, Japan, 2005) published haiku from Africa for the first time.
Ten
seasons
ten
desperate seasons
first
born moon
Jerry
S. Adesewo (Nigeria)
This
single poem is intense. For people who assume there are only four seasons, ten
seasons are beyond imagination, and the idea that all of them are desperate is
shocking. Yet, a faint glimmer of hope buds in the "first born moon."
It powerfully and concisely expresses the environmental heterogeneity of the
southern world, its social chaos, and human endurance and hope.
Indeed,
Adesewo, a Nigerian prince, later founded the Haiku Society of Nigeria,
enthusiastically creating haiku and publishing anthologies while actively
participating in the Nigerian theatrical world. However, no matter what
remarkable achievements this prince of southern haiku accomplishes, mail from
Nigeria never reaches Japan, nor does mail from Japan arrive undamaged. The
South that is Nigeria is desperately distant.
As
another example of southern haiku, consider this poem from West Bengal, India,
published in “World Haiku 2022 No. 18” (Ginyu Press, Japan, 2022).
তারা ড্রাগ নেয় They take drugs – before
ঘৃণা করার আগে Hating them, we shall know
তাদের নরকটা বোঝ । Their
hell
Partha
Sarkar (India)
Here,
the poverty and spiritual devastation of the southern world are depicted
without being bathed in the light of salvation.
Yet, a
haiku showing that the South can be both wild and a paradise appears in “World
Haiku 2024 No. 20” (Ginyu Press, 2024).
Poets
gather Pemuisi berkumpul
Forest
ferns whisper Pakis
hutan berbisik
through
wind melalui
angin
Angelina
Bong (Malaysia)
How
wonderful it is that poets and ferns can communicate with each other through
the mediation of the wind.
The Scarcity of Northern Haiku
In
contrast to these typical southern haiku, haiku of the North―not from cold
northern regions, but stable, temperate haiku from developed nations―are
surprisingly rare. If forced to pick one from “World Haiku 2026 No. 22”:
as
darkness descends
differences
disappear
autumn
equinox
Priscilla
Lignori (USA)
This
fine, gentle poem depicts a happy moment at twilight between summer and autumn,
when the sun sets due west and all things appear equal in value. It is not
restricted to developed nations, and even the differences between humans and
other beings fade away. It could perhaps be said that if a haiku were to
placidly boast of the wealth of developed nations, it would be a poor poem
violating the aesthetics of haiku.
Haiku of Eastern Europe
Having
edited twenty-two volumes of the World Haiku anthology, one striking feature is
the deep-rooted passion for haiku in Eastern Europe, along with a firm, thick
sense of affinity with nature. Examples are abundant, but here is one from “World
Haiku 2013 No. 9” (Shichigatsudo, 2013).
Trandafir
purpuriu A purple rose
:în mâna
ei tremurândă: in her trembling hand
însăşi
inima lui his heart itself
Vasile
Moldovan (Romania)
This
sweet haiku depicts the exchange of romantic affection between humans and the
dual resonance of distinct existences―the lover's heart equated with a rose.
This is a form of poetry no longer written in the Western world of Europe and North
America. It is not that Eastern Europe is behind and the West is advanced;
rather, feelings still alive in the East have withered in the West, abandoned
as outdated.
Haiku of East Asia
Starting with “World Haiku 2006 No. 2” (Shichigatsudo,
2005), haiku from Inner Mongolia began to appear. Inner Mongolian and Mongolian
haiku share similarities with Eastern European haiku, but are particularly
characterized by sympathy toward animals and vast nature. Below is a verse from
World Haiku 2026 No. 22.
Stepping firmly on the plains
my soul
sprouts and rises
N.
Munkhbat (Inner Mongolia * Japan)
The generous, direct expression captures the
unity between the vast earth and the author.
Japan, the birthplace of haiku, is situated in
the Far East, where many haiku depict an affinity with nature gentler than that
of Eastern Europe or Mongolia. A verse from “World Haiku 2023 No. 19” (Ginyu
Press, 2023) expresses a subtle resonance and coexistence where nature and
humans remain neither too close nor too distant.
空は雲を見せる私は沈黙を見せよう
―A sky reveals clouds
I shall reveal
silence
Sayumi Kamakura (Japan)
Haiku from the West
The characteristic of haiku from the West (Western
Europe and North America) lies not in sympathy among various existences, but in
isolation, fragmentation, and a sharpened self-consciousness. A verse from “World
Haiku 2022 No. 18” (Ginyu Press, 2022):
despair of the dog that bit me
Tim
Gardiner (UK)
:And a verse from “World Haiku 2024 No. 20”
with her glorious hips the sweaty moon breaks
every plate
David
Boyer (USA)
These haiku from developed Western nations do
not boast of material abundance. Due to the sharpening of self-consciousness
that accompanies social progress, empty isolation―rather than a happy communion
between existences―becomes the central theme of the poem.
Haiku from the Arabic-Speaking East and South
The Arabic-speaking world extends more
horizontally from east to west than north to south, belonging to the South
rather than the developed North. Naturally, it belongs to the East rather than
the Western world. Bilingual intellectuals fluent in Arabic alongside English
or French add color to our multilingual haiku anthologies. In “World Haiku 2017
No. 13” (Shichigatsudo, 2017), a haiku appeared depicting the light-filled
South:
لوهلة
الطاووس
وظله
معا
بالألوان
,For a moment
both the peacock and his shadow
bright coloured
Sameh
Derouich (Morocco)
There are also haiku that view Western figures
with irony while absorbing the Western culture that once dominated the
Arabic-speaking world. Here is a verse from a leading Iraqi poet in “World
Haiku 2026 No. 22”:
يا
لنباهة رولان بارت
يتحاشى
حتى النملة في الشارع:
مات وقد
صدمتْهُ شاحنة
,Oh, the attentiveness of Roland Barthes
:He avoided even the ant on the street
Yet he died, struck by a truck
Abdulkareem
Kasid (Iraq * UK)
Haiku Beyond the Four Directions
We have analyzed typical examples of haiku from
the East, West, and South, excluding the North. These demonstrate how regional
characteristics crystallize uniquely in the short poetic form of haiku. In the
South, devastation and paradise exist side by side; in the North, haiku
boasting of developed wealth are non-existent. Haiku of the East are grounded
in the harmony of humanity and nature, whereas haiku of the West often feature
individual isolation and sharpened self-consciousness.
There are also haiku that transcend these
frameworks of East, West, South, and North. “World Haiku 2005 No. 1” featured
this poem, expressing universal humanity with concise sharpness:
.Pain
In it
the infinity
Alexandra
Ivoylova (Bulgaria)
Furthermore, here is a verse from “World Haiku
2015 No. 11” (Shichigatsudo, 2015) that seeks the essence of the entire world
beyond reality:
Sento-me na areia. Sitting
on the sand
Fecho os olhos e contemplo I close
my eyes and look
o mundo, a sua música at the
world, its music
Casimiro
de Brito (Portugal)
The entire world is the subject of this haiku.
Here, philosophical meditation quietly links with the five senses―touch, sight,
and hearing.
Finally, allow me to touch upon my own haiku. I
have visited thirty countries to participate in international poetry and haiku
events. My personal task has been to skillfully express the essence of these
diverse locations through short haiku. As my latest effort, I contributed the
following short poem to “World Haiku 2026 No. 22”. Visiting India―the
birthplace of the Buddha―for the first time, my reflections on the countless
existences crowding India's vast space and time became this haiku:
無数は無限に到達できない砂岩の断崖
The countless cannot reach
―
Sandstone cliffs
In this real world exist countless living and
non-living entities. Yet those countless existences are finite, separated from
eternity, destined to fade away. A short haiku can condense this thought of
reaching toward infinity from a finite world.
I shall conclude these reflections on applying
the directional coordinates of north, south, east, and west to World Haiku.
Reconfirming part of the rich diversity of haiku and the precious nature of
each poet's poetic endeavors has been a deep and immense joy.