A white ship moves
to the heart of a lake -
an autumn breeze
by Sawaki Kinichi
Sawaki Kinichi (1919–2001) was a Japanese poet and essayist from Toyama. He founded the haiku journal Kaze 風 in 1946 and later was president of the Haijin Kyōkai. Sawaki was among the leading proponents of shakaisei haiku (“social haiku”), a postwar movement that aimed to connect haiku with contemporary social and cultural change. He was married to famous poet Hosomi Ayako.
Join The Naviar Haiku Music Challenge
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: 27th May 2026