chipped sand dollar

Hi Mimi,

Haiku definitely “came” from Japan but the journalist and poet Masaoka Shiki (正岡 子規, October 14, 1867 – September 19, 1902) actually reformed haikai verses, particularly hokku, and founded a new approach he called ‘haiku’.

Haiku is part Japanese, and part Western due to the fact he brought in what was once the defining characteristic of haiku, which was shasei, taken from the West’s painting technique of “en plein air” aka sketching directly from life. Before the 1890s painters mostly painted everything while remaining indoors until the new approach, and the invention of the ‘mobile’ tube of paint, since refined over the decades where you could put half a dozen tubes of paint in each pocket!

Of course in Japan, haiku is mostly written in Japanese, in mora type sound units using the “on” counting system. An “on” sound unit is more of a unified short syllable unlike our widely swinging syllables were “a” takes longer to say “at” and “field” is two phonemes but one syllable! 🙂

In fact the word “haiku” if we go by the Romanised version created by the Japanese for us, not for them, the word ‘haiku’ made up of a prefix (hai) and a word (ku) is probably 4-on, as each vowel is counted. And of course punctuation in Japanese is also words, not symbols, so that they count their punctuation as part of their “on” counting system, so many ‘haiku’ we assume is 575 in Japanese might in actual fact be 573 or 375 depending where the “kireji” punctuation word/phrase is situated, for example.

Also the letter “n” is counted as a separate sound unit (“on”) in Japanese, so if we look at “haibun” it might be five “on” as we’d have to include the “n” as a separate unit and not be counted with “bun”. “Bun” in English, a savorary or sweet confection is one English syllable but possibly 3-on in Japanese, but equally delicious!

Traditionally in Japan, where haiku and senryu are written as one vertical line but might be written as three vertical lines (for haiga etc…) each verse is often 5-on 7-on and 5-on respectively. The same would go for zappai verses.

“sand dollar” isn’t a kigo but is redolent of Summer perhaps?

Although the symbolism of sand dollars might suggest otherwise?

“Dead sand dollars are sometimes said to represent coins lost by mermaids or the people of Atlantis. Some Christian missionaries found symbolism in the fivefold radial pattern and dove-shaped internal structures, comparing the holes with the crucifixion wounds of Christ, and other features with the Star of Bethlehem, an Easter lily, a poinsettia, and doves.”
Lassalette, Hilda (December 1976). “The Legend of the Sand Dollar”.

The verse is definitely a haikai verse, and whether haiku or senryu or hybrid, it’s still a startling verse in the tradition of haiku poets from both Japan and elsewhere.

Aren’t some of us both scarred, and scared, at some time?

Alan Summers
founder, Call of the Page
President, United Haiku and Tanka Society