kigo?

[Grace]

Further to Josie's question

Are all haiku better if they have a kigo?   I am still in a little fog about this one. Could guttering candle be considered a kigo because it indicates night time?


guttering candle
nearby a  moth
is dying too

[Gabi Greve]

Could guttering candle be considered a kigo because it indicates night time?

Dear Grace,
kigo is short for kisetsu no kotoba, season word.

The Haiku Seasons are spring, summer, autumn, winter and the New Year.

night ...  just like that it is not a season word.
But there are compounds that are kigo
http://worldkigo2005.blogspot.com/2010/03/night-yoru.html


Check the World Kigo Database also for moth ...  that is a another  canditate for a kigo.
http://worldkigo2005.blogspot.com/2006/01/moth-ga.html

Gabi
.

[Grace]

Thank you, Gabi for your very helpful reply. So much to learn!!  :D

I just can't quite grasp what is meant by a compound?

[Don Baird]

Hi Grace,

I think she means that when "night" is used with other words ...  ie:  Spring night ... summer night ... night in summer ... Autumnal night ... and so on.

Gabi will probably come on to respond.  But, I was thinking out loud and thought I'd share.

:)

[Grace]

Hi Grace,

I think she means that when "night" is used with other words ...  ie:  Spring night ... summer night ... night in summer ... Autumnal night ... and so on.

Gabi will probably come on to respond.  But, I was thinking out loud and thought I'd share.

:)

Many thanks, Don. Got it now!  ;D

[Gabi Greve]

Don is quite right.
My English is sometimes not up to date ... I am a native speaker of German.  ::)

Good night from Japan.
Gabi

[Grace]

Thank you, Gabi,

And Good Night from England. ;)

[Lorin]

Hi Grace,
             'guttering candle' in itself doesn't give a sense of any particular time of the year or season, though specifying such a thing as an Easter candle would give a kigo of the cultural kind, ( 'Easter candle ' just off the top of my head, since they're selling here in all the Italian and Greek shops right now in the lead up to Easter) Or a Christmas candle etc.

However, Easter candle would not give a seasonal reference, not in a world which includes both hemispheres,  anyway. It gives a calendar reference, a reference to the widely shared Christian Church calendar and Easter is celebrated in Brazil, Australia etc. at the same time as it is in Europe of North America. Therefore, as far as world EL haiku use goes, 'Easter candle' is better defined as a keyword or a reference to Christian culture than as a kigo.

You do have a kigo (Japanese seasonal word) in your haiku though : moth.  :)

You'll find it in most EL 'kigo' lists and at Gabi's data base here:

http://worldkigo2005.blogspot.com/2006/01/moth-ga.html

I think what Gabi means by "a compound" is that a word can become a kigo by being qualified or modified by another word or words, for example 'liquidamber leaf' can be any season apart from Winter (because liquidambers are deciduous) but 'red liquidamber leaf' implies Autumn', 'new liquidamber leaf' implies Spring etc. 'Moth', specified as "All Summer" in Japanese saijiki, can be placed in another season by modifying it: autumn moth. (the implications then are that it hasn't got much time left!)

- Lorin

[Gabi Greve]

Thanks for bringing up the problem of calendar reference kigo.

In the World Kigo Database, we (the many regional haiku poets who contribute and myself) have come to the conclusion that we need to be adaptable and flexible to worldwide situations.

For the worldwide approach to kigo, we must differentiate between the "Haiku Season" and the natural phenomenon and human activites occuring at a certain season at a certain place.

Months will not be used to define a SEASON, because of the differences in the Northern and Southern hemisphere.

Calendar reference kigo
are for example the names of each month and then the many festivals of a specific date and the memorial days of people or things.

Northern and Southern Hemisphere
If there is not specific mention in the WKD, a calendar reference kigo refers to the Northern Hemisphere as its place of origin, since haiku and the saijiki concept originates in Japan.
For the Southern Hemisphere, add six months.
For a calendar reference kigo used in the Southern Hemisphere, add six months to get to its Northern counterpart.

Example: Christmas
a typical calendar time reference kigo
Kigo for Mid-Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. (Will be mentioned)
Kigo for Summer in the Southern Hemisphere. (Will not be mentioned)
Kigo for "Hot and Dry Season" in the Tropics. (Will not be mentioned)

. . . . . the above is quoted from here
http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/2006/12/seasons-and-categories.html


For various regions we could also establish new seasons

six seasons for India
http://indiasaijikiworlkhaiku.blogspot.com/

four seasons for tropical regions
http://kenyasaijiki.blogspot.com/


With more people writing haiku worldwide, we will have to adapt the concept of worldwide use of season words, but I try to encourage haiku poets whereever they are to incorporate season words of their region in their haiku.
Some regional haiku clubs in America have established their own saijiki already.

Many times have I encouraged the THF to encourage work on regional saijiki for North America and possibly other parts of the world.

The WKD is only about 7 years old by now, not much in terms of establishing new concepts. Your advise and co-operation is always welcome.

Contributions to the WKD are always welcome.

Gabi

.

[Grace]

Hi.Lorin and Gabi,

Thank you so much for your very informative and comprehensive replies.  So much to learn! I'm loving it.
Off to visit the links you have kindly provided. :)