I've taken one haiku class/workshop in Japan a few years ago,
and I can’t remember exactly, but it was like this. The format of the meeting was that we all wrote
on a few strips of paper one haiku each, and the instructor gathered and
mixed them up. I don't remember how many, but we also wrote at
home and brought them in. Anyway, the instructor also did the same and
mixed all up and gave five or six strips to each student. We had more
than 20 people in the class. Then we wrote those haikus we
received on a sheet of paper. If we saw our own, we just returned it to
the instructor. Anyway, I don't remember how many we received and
wrote on a sheet of paper, but we did that a few times.
The rest I don't remember, but it was quite democratic
process to select good ones. We don't know which ku belong to the
instructor or senior students until the end. A few times, mine was
selected out of blue. The
instructor asked who wrote it, and I just raised my hand. I was so glad needless to say.
Anyway, I'll go back to Japan and take the same haiku class, and
this time, I'll pay attention and learn and write about what I learned in
English and take photos if I need to and report it on my blog and FB. I've read Basho's books and a few other books
by Takahama Kyoshi, but I'll reread them again. Oh, just one I recently reread was Kyoshi's
books "The road to Haiku."
Kathabela asked me if that book was available a few times, and I always answered I don't know, so I just checked Amazon. I searched Takahama Kyoshi and found only Japanese books. Because the language and culture are different, it must be hard to translate, and as soon as Japanese talk of the tradition, non-Japanese would not accept it as saying "why cannot be done in other ways?" Anyway, Japanese haiku is based on the tradition, and without the tradition, haiku was not created. So I feel in the middle. I nods to Americans here, and I go to Japan, and I nod there, too. But I’m sure I’ll learn and discover something interesting, not just conflicts.
Kathabela asked me if that book was available a few times, and I always answered I don't know, so I just checked Amazon. I searched Takahama Kyoshi and found only Japanese books. Because the language and culture are different, it must be hard to translate, and as soon as Japanese talk of the tradition, non-Japanese would not accept it as saying "why cannot be done in other ways?" Anyway, Japanese haiku is based on the tradition, and without the tradition, haiku was not created. So I feel in the middle. I nods to Americans here, and I go to Japan, and I nod there, too. But I’m sure I’ll learn and discover something interesting, not just conflicts.
Also, there are always exceptions, but exceptions are
exceptions. Mostly we don't strive to
write those kinds. They just happen sometimes. That’s my opinion.
