Looking up
how still
the tree I cut
Ippekiro Nakatsuka was one of the first to introduce the colloquial style into haiku poetry. His poems didn’t follow the 17-syllable structure, and most of the time also didn’t include the kigo word (seasonal reference). For Nakatsuka, what mattered the most was the ability to reduce a poem into a single picture or thought, with as few words as possible.
This more modern, free style haiku is called Kaiko, and was (at least officially) invented by Nakatsuka and Kawahigashi Hekigodo in 1915.
The most famous collection of verses by Nakatsuka is Cape Jasmine and Pomegranates.
Poem by Nakatsuka Ippekiro
Picture by Bryan Minear
This haiku poem is part of the Naviar haiku music challenge, where artists are invited to make music in response to a weekly assigned haiku poem. Participation is free and there are no limitations in the songs’ length or genre.
You have seven days from the posting of this haiku to submit your track. For information on how to make a submission, visit the Naviar Haiku Music Challenge page.
Submission deadline: 28th February 2018