Are all haiku better if they have a kigo?

[josie hibbing]

Hi all! I have another question. I read that a haiku is better if it has  a kigo than one without a kigo. But if it's about people or about a thing, should they have a kigo?

I have an example here:

shooting star
another wish
not said

The story of this haiku: I was driving on the highway when I saw a shooting star. It happened so fast so I did not have time to make a wish. I have another version of this:

shooting star...
I wish I have enough time
to make a wish

Have a wonderful day!

Josie

[Gabi Greve]

Dear Josie
if you check the World Kigo Database, you find two categories for Japanese kigo which are concerned with us humans during the seasons.

Humanity (kigo about our daily life as seasons change)
Observances (rituals, celebrations etc.)
(look at the links on the right side of the page)


They might give you a hint as how to make use of seasonal changes in your region and your life when writing haiku.

Japanese kigo (season words) are not only about nature ...

as for your shooting star, check here
http://wkdkigodatabase03.blogspot.com/2007/09/stars-hoshi.html


A Japanese haiku with a kigo can be placed in a saijiki, so many Japanese haiku poets (even the gendai ones) tend to use kigo.

Gabi

http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/

[AlanSummers]

Hi Josie,

First thing, I really like, and prefer your first shorter version:

shooting star
another wish
not said

Which could also be a good one line haiku:

shooting star another wish not said

Secondly, and Gabi has touched on this massive subject, kigo are often used for a very good reason.

This reason, in Japanese kigo, isn't just to place the haiku in a specific time of year (harking back to renga when the hokku timestamped the start of the session) but carries a lot of emotion and connectiveness, allusive layers, and much much more, because of the nature of the Japanese people then, and even now.

This emotion isn't being emotional in the Western sense, it's far more subtle and deep in meaning.

Kigo is often called the soul of the haiku, so it's a really big decision to leave a kigo out, and carefully considered by Japanese gendai haijin.

Kigo is like the cosmos on a pinhead with you able to zoom in and see it all, and then zoom out to appreciate the whole haiku, and its context.

Non-Japanese people are at the start of a 1000 year journey to create their own kigo, and then we might not achieve it because the Japanese developed a unique sensitivity, kickstarted by Chinese art, literature and aesthetics, with influences from India as well.

I think saijiki do have a special section for non-kigo haiku, almost separate, for obvious reasons, from the rest of the saijiki?

I would seriously consider buying this year's Haiku Calendar:http://www.snapshotpress.co.uk/calendars.htm

You'll what some of the best haiku writers around the world are doing with Western takes on kigo! ;-)

Alan

[josie hibbing]

Hi Gabi! I checked the links you gave. There's a ton of information about kigo-- very helpful for me. And your shooting star haiku are stunning. I didn't know that a shooting star can be used as kigo. ;)

Thanks again Gabi for all the help.

Josie

[Don Baird]

A fabulous thread, already!

Don

[josie hibbing]

Hello Alan! Thank you for the lesson about kigo in haiku. I will try to always consider what you said every time I write a haiku.

A wonderful day to you!

Josie

[cat]

Hello, Josie,

I'm not sure "better" is the correct question.  Better than what?  There are effective haiku that use formal kigo, and effective haiku that don't. 

For me, how well a haiku reaches the reader is the test, and there are plenty of fine examples on both sides of the kigo fence.

Well, that was helpful!   8)   :D

cat

[josie hibbing]

Thank you Cat for the response. Yes, indeed it was very helpful :) It answered my doubts.

A wonderful day to you!

Josie

[Don Baird]

Hi Josie,

Kigo are very particular in that they are not simply words but rather, resonances.  A Japanese kigo, while a season word, is much more than a word or season in itself ... it's bigger than life, as they say in English.  Kigo represent a philosophy, a culture and more.  Kigo provide layers and layers of rich, cultural meaning, and as a result, retains meaningful, lasting resonance.

There are other very powerful words often referred to as keywords.  Certain keywords seem to carry equal weight as their counterparts, kigo.  Choosing and including these words wisely result in much more resonant haiku than without them.  There are some fantastic haiku that use keywords and can be found at the World Kigo Database, Dr. Gabi Greve. There is a section there called Urban Haiku.  I think you will find those very interesting.

Again, a fabulous thread at hand here.

Don

[josie hibbing]

Hello Don! Thank you for your response. I checked World Kigo Database. I've read some and I'm going to read some more. Yes, they are interesting!

Josie

[AlanSummers]

Hi Josie,

Don's post (above your post) is worth putting in your notebook. ;-)

Most, if not all haiku, have either keywords or kigo, you can tell because they usually resonate the most.

Kigo isn't a flat bunging in Summer, Autumn etc... but is a multi-layered word that evokes emotions and associations beyond its dictionary definition.

re Urban haiku, here's two weblinks to work from myself and Don Baird:

http://haikutopics.blogspot.com/2011/01/alan-summers-urban.html
http://haikutopics.blogspot.com/2011/01/don-baird-urban.html

Gabi also says something highly pertinent, and something I often state regarding Victorianesque writing:

Gabi Greve said...

    "These urban sections are important as too many people think haiku are nature poems rather than short form poetry with a season keyword or phrase.

    When people think "nature" they often mean sentimental Victorian era type greeting card nature statements, rather from a wildlife or Natural History perspective, or from a historic hokku and haiku aspect.

    Kigo can be as effectively incorporated into some urban haiku (though not all) as it can from a solely urban perspective. "

    Gabi