The gate shuts
with a loud groan
the temple sleeps
(Tr. Alex Fyffe)
Hōsai graduated from the Tokyo Imperial University, where he studied law. He got off to a good start but decided to give up his home, family, and business to jump from one militant religion of Japan to the other.
Just like Taneda Santoka, Hōsai abandoned the traditional verse form of his time and mostly looked at the austere confines of his life for inspiration.
Haiku by Hosai Ozaki
Picture by Julia Karl
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: 19th July 2023