Archive for the ‘Food Haiku’ Category

A festival for departed souls
night falls
the scent of melon

tamamatsuri yo fukute uri no nioi kana

玉祭夜更けて瓜の匂ひかな

Tamamatsuri is the term for a festival held to pray for the souls of the dead; specifically Obon, which is held at various times from the middle of July to the middle of August, according to local traditions.

Melons are readily available in the summer in Japan, and they are an established kigo, or seasonal word, which must feature in every haiku. Come summer, plump, delicious, and very expensive “gift melons” line the shelves of department stores, ready to be shipped off to a dear colleague or friend as an ochugen, or summer gift (which is itself a kigo in modern haiku - although apparently rising oil prices are threatening the melon industry in Japan. And who could forget the infamous square melons….

Anyway, the point is, that melon means summer, which are hot and humid in Japan, and this lovely little verse paints the scene of someone, maybe a family, cutting up a ripe melon that has been offered up onto their family altar to plase the souls of their relatives. So you can imagine the heat, and the sweet scent of melon cutting through the heat and the darkness, floating on a summer breeze through the night. It’s sensual and evocative and lovely.

Autumnal colours appearing / a pale red leaf falls on my tofu

Irozuku ya tofu ni ochite usumomiji

色づくや豆腐に落ちて薄紅葉

Enjoying the changes in colour as leaves turn from green to red, orange, pink and yellow is one of the highlights of the nature lover’s calendar in Japan. Certain places are particularly famous for their stunning views, such as Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture, a day trip from Tokyo, or Towada Lake and its surroundings in Aomori Prefecture. These are the kind of places to head for if you want spectucular, panoramic views of golden and red trees, but Basho’s haiku here brings the scale down to its smallest possible dimension - a single leaf, landing delicately on a bed of pure white tofu. The tofu has clearly been chosen to emphasise the beauty of the colour of the leaf.

It’s a delicate verse that brings the grandeur of nature into everyday miniature…and makes me want to eat tofu.