(Hori-bata ni shishoku wo tomoshi Yakumo no ki)
    ((Yoshioka Fusayo))

the anniversary of Yakumo--
the paper lanterns are lit up
near the castle's moat

*Yakumo: Lafcadio Hearn(1850-1904) was born in Greece and emigrated to the U.S.A. After he came to Japan; he became a Japanese citizen, married a Japanese, taking the name: Koizumi Yakumo, and contributed to introduce Haikus and Japanese folk tales, rendering into English.

(Oboe naki ude no ao-aza yo no nagashi)
      ((Satou Shouko))

I found an unaware bruise
on my hand--
a silent autumn night

(Ho-susuki ya mizuba ni tsudzuku maki no michi)
      ((Satou Isao))

the ears of pampas grasses...
a path to the spring
in my pasture

(Yabukka nado kamatte ore nu take wo kiru)
    ((Kanai Shuusui))

cutting bamboo grove...
I do not afford to care about
the bites of striped-mosquitoes

(Tsurusa re te chikara nuki taru hoshi-daiko)
      ((Hagiwara Mineko))

being hung in the chilly wind...
radishes for Japanese pickles
look relaxing

Japanese radishes to make Japanese pickles: Takuan, We call this process " Hoshi-daikon" or " Hoshi-daiko": to make dried radishes by hanging in chilly wind. .

(Biwa-uchi no omo honokanaru tsuki no en)
     ((Takamizawa Tsudzuko))

the Biwa-player's mystic looks
vaguely seen--
a moon-watching party

*Biwa: four-stringed Japanese lute, of which sound matches Japanese ancient tragic stories.

(Yoshitsune no kiku-ningyou ni horenaosu)
     ((Fujita fumiko))

a mum figure of Yoshitsune
is handsome and cool...
I'm charmed with him again

Yoshitsune: Minamoto-no Yoshitsune, a general of Japanese medieval(the end of Heian era) Samurai, whose fate was very tragic; and Japanese love him very much since then.  A fancy legend has it says that Yoshitsune became Genghis Khan in Mongolia, after he was defeated by his brother Yoritomo who founded the Kamakura shogunate, and disappeared.

(Yuzu-no-ki ni juuichi-gatsu no hizashi kana)
    ((Matuzawa Katsura))

the fruits on a citron tree
are brightening...
in the November's sunlight

(Totsugi-dori mizu-uranai no kichi to deru)
    ((Hayashi Yasushi))

a wagtail has flown away...
fortunetelling from water-ripple
predicts my good luck

(Sen-watashi too-Daisen no kagayake ru)
      ((Kuroda Kunie))

first snow--
Mt. Daisen is shining
of a distant view

(Kon-shijyuugo-nen no tsukihi kibukure te)
      ((Kotou Hiroe))

close to golden wedding--
we wear too many clothes,
unfashionably together

(Nan to naku sugi te sotsujyu no kugatu-jin)
     ((Yamaguchi Kichijyoushi))

peacefully and somehow
I have turned ninety,
late September

(Ochiba-taki yori senkou no hi wo morau)
      ((Yokota Junnko))

having a light from
fallen leaves' bonfire,
I lit incense sticks

* Senkou: Incense stick is made from ground aromatic tree or Japanese cedar leaf. They put them on Buddhist grave and Buddhism altar lighted
* Ochiba-taki: Fallen leaves' bonfire had often been seen everywhere in Japan in beautiful weather in late fall or early winter, which people swept fallen leaves together at driveway and yard with rake or broom; then fire them to dispose. Sometimes sweet potatoes are put into the fire to bake. The neighbors gathered to get warm and chat friendly.
That now became a kind of old and nostalgic scenery, because fire department strictly rules open air fire in urban area.

(Shishigaki wo hedate te sakugara hanashi ori)
     ((Okada Boen))

over a boar-protective fence,
old farmers're talking
of their crop prospects

* Recently farmers are bothered with the damage of produce by wild boars in the mountain area; therefore they build boar-protective fences, which are usually made of steel wires that are electrified.

(Rittou ya keitai-denwa pachi to toji)
      (( Suzuki Takumi))

I snapped my cell-phone
to shut--
early winter

(Nikki kau aoki banana no fusa wo sage) ((Sawayanagi Masaru))

I bought a diary
with a bunch of unripe banana
in a plastic bag

* In Japan, people buy a diary for the coming year at the end of the year.


(Jidanda wo fumi te otosu ya kutsu no yuki)
      ((Hagiwara Mineko))

I stamp feet
to remove snow
from my soles

* "Jidanda" means "stamp one's feet with chagrin".

(Te-watashi ni orosu iei ya susu-harai)
     ((Nakagumi Mikie))

taking ancestor's pictures down
to pass one after another...
year-end cleaning

* In Japan, we do general house cleaning at the end of the year, like spring- cleaning in the U.S.A.

(Wa-ga ryou wa youkan nari ki yamiyo-jiru)
      ((Yoda Teruyo))

a Yami-yo-jiru party...
I put Youkan
into the soup pot

*Yami-yo-jiru: A kind of surprise -soup that each participant brings special ingredient and secretly put it into the soup pot, then they taste the cooked strange soup with blindfold or in the dark conditions.
*Youkan: Japanese sweet bean jelly.

(Ishi-kamado shi te oo-tera no imoni-kai)
      ((Ikeda Tsurujyo))

built a temporary stone oven...
outdoor cooking party
was held at a Buddhist temple

(Tetsudai to iu jyama no ki shi shouj- hari)
      ((Kubota Hisayo))


I papered up Shoji screens...
being disturbed by
a cute kid to help me

(Donguri ga uzu no me to naru sentakuki)
      ((Hyoudou Fumie))

an acorn is
in the eye of whirlpool,
in washing machine

(Kiku-biyori sen-kai kinen no kukai kana)
      ((Yamazaki Teruko))

fine autumn day--
thousandth Haiku gathering
was held

(Ono ga kage san-toushin ya kan no tsuki)
     ((Takebuchi Shuusei))

my moonlit shade
looks poorly-proportioned
on the chilly ground

(Osagari ni hanao nurashi te ki tari keri)
     ((Oishi Hirojo))

rain on new year's day...
my clog thong
got wet a little

(Kake-daiko mimei no tsuki wo kasa sase ru )
     ((Moriyama Nobuko))

hanging radishes to dry--
morning moon
is in a halo

(Fuyu-hanabi ten ni butsukari teha hiraku)
      ((Igarashi Toujyuu)

winter fireworks sparkle
as if they triggered
by the ceiling in the sky

(Warazuka mo tou mo Bicchuu kokubun-ji)
      ((Okuda Tsumoru))

a heap of rice straws
and a five-storied pagoda...
near Bicchuu Kokubun-ji temple


*Bicchuu is the old name of Okayama Prefecture.
*Kokubun-ji is the temple to study and research Budhism ordered by Shoumu Emperor in 8th century: Nara ara, and 60 were built all over Japan then.

(Fudan-gi no kurashi in najimi toshi kururu)
     ((Mitsumoto Mitsuko))

even in the holiday season
I used to wearing casuals,
not my best

(Te-kubi made ire te toukan hats-aware)
      ((Furuta Kinue))

I shove my hand
into a mailbox to mail--
hailing

Traditional mail-box in Japan. (5 feet tall)

(Don to yosu Nami wo sake teha nori wo tsumu)
      ((Hino Youko))

dodging billows...
I gather seaweed
intermittently

(Fuyu-giku ya butsudan migaku tame no nuno)
      (( Yoshikawa Noriko))

winter mums--
a cloth to polish
for Buddhism altar

Butsudan: Butsu means Buddhism and "dan" means altar. Buddhism alter to worship ancestors is placed in each Buddhist's house. Pious Buddhist family offers food and says prayer to it every morning.

(Yuki-zuri no nawa ni yurumi no yurusa re zu)
      ((Sone Suzuwe))

straw ropes for Yuki-zuri...
unevenness of their tensions
never be overlooked

Yuki-zuri is a way not to be broken pine branches by the weight of heavy and wet snow, with many straw-ropes and a wooden pole.( The picture is at Kenroku-en park, Kanazawa city.)

(Satsuma- hayato chuubou ni tatsu me-shougatsu)
     ((Amano Kazuyuki))

a Satsuma-hayato cooks
for his wife...
New-Year women's day

* Satsuma-hayato is the ancient men who were very brave and mighty as warriors lived in Satsuma where now is called Kagoshima Prefecrure. Still people call the men who lives or grew up in Kagoshima "Satsuma Hayato" as a kind of male-chauvinist, but the dignity is going away with the passage of time.
*Me-shougatu: January 15, is a specal holiday for the women to thank for their work to entertain many new year's gests to their home.


(Tsuma no utsu toshi no owari no dojyou-soba)
    ((Takai Hiroko))

husband makes
loach-like buckwheat noodle...
New-Year's Eve

(Shimai-kai hadena seetaa okuse zu ni)
      ((Harazawa Hatsu))

to our sister's gathering,
I dared to wear
a showy sweater


(Asu tanomu kan-yuuyake no biwa-iro ni)
      ((Wada Itsumi))
I pray to the sunset
in snow clouds
for our good luck

the padded picture of Soga Gorou on *battledore keeps him young forever

Soga Gorou's padded picture on *battledore: wooden racket for Hane-tsuki that is a similar game to badminton.

(Shio no ka no norikae-eki ya hizashi nobu)
      ((Deguchi Satsue))

a transfer station
close to the sea...
after the winter solstice

(Yama-kai no no-buro wo osou fubuki kana)
     ((Yoshizawa Ouushi))

snowstorm attacks
an outdoor hot spring
in a valley

(Jiga Jisan shitaku naru hodo yuki kaki nu)
      (( Okuno Tsuyako))

I pride myself
on having shoveled
lots of snow

(Hachikin no nomippuri yoki keito-bou)
((Kawabata Satomi))

a plucky guy,
wore knit cap,
drank saki in one gulp

*Hachikin is a regional dialect of Kouchi Prefecture that means "plucky guy".


(Kan-nebutsu kita e kita e to susumi keri)
      ((Kobayashi Hajime))

a cluster of
Kan-nebutsu* party
proceeded toward the north

*Kan-nebutu is a kind of training for Buddist monks. They walk around fields and villages for 30days in the coldest season ; saying sutra, night and day .


(Hinata-boko kioku no naka no haha to i te)
     ((Asano Chisako))

bask in the sun...
I cherish the memory
of my late mom

(Harai-goto oe te Dondo no hitsuke-yaku)
      ((Yamashita Katsuyasu))

after purified body and soul,
the man ignited
Dondo* heap

*Dondo or Dondo-yaki is the fire ceremony to thank for sacred New Year's decorations like Shime-nawa, Kado-matsu and so on, by incinerating at the Shrine yard on January 15th.

(Tatsu kemu ni homura tobi-tsuku Dondo kana)
      ((Tsukamoto Michiko))

Dondo flame
catches its smoke,
repeatedly

(Deikea ni kamishimo kise rare toshi-onna)
      ((Hirokawa Hatsuko))

dressed Kamishimo
by day care service women,
I filled the role of Toshi-onna

*Kamishimo is a ceremonial dress worn by the samurai.
*Toshi-onna is a woman who was born in year with the same sign of the Chinese zodiac as the current year and it comes every twelve years. And some of them fill a leading role of Mame-maki ceremony with Kamishimo at shrine, by means of scattering parched soy beans in order to pray good health for the year.
*The author turned 96 years old now.


(Toshi-youi suingu-jazu wo kiki nagara)
      ((Masuoka Emiko))

listening to Swing I cook New-Year dishes

New Year dishes called "Osechi"

(Haru-tatsu-hi oyori no seki no nigiwai nu)
      ((Ohishi Koyo))

a joyful Buddhism party
was held,
on an early spring day

(Matsu-sugi no Nakamise ni kau tougarashi)
     ((Bandou Noriko))

after the New-Years Days,
I bought red peppers
at Nakamise mall

* Nakamise is a folksy mall in Asakusa, Tokyo.


(Kono hanashi kimari tsuke mu to kan no beni)
     ((Aoki Ikuyo))

I put on red lipstick
to settle the dispute...
In a cold day


(Shun-setsu no mamire tsui taru michi-shirube)
     ((Tanaka Kurio))
a guidepost--
been smeared
with spring snow


(Shiawase wa wa ga te de tsukuru azuki-gayu)
     ((Yamada Shigeru))

I feel happy
to cook Azuki gruel
for myself

*Azuki gruel is made of Azuki beans and rice; and eaten on January 15th to pray for the happiness of their families. Old people rarely tell fortune with it.

(Cha-zashiki no ichi-rin no shiro-tsubaki kana)
      ((Yasuzawa Keiko))

in a tea-ceremony room...
a white flower
of camellia

(Sugu ni sumu seri no mizu nari nigoshi keri)
     ((Uetake Mineyuki))

I rudely made a spring muddy
where parsley grows,
as it settles in no time

(Jetto-ki ga kumo oiteyuku neko-yanagi)
      ((Kobayashi Fusako))

pussy willows--
a jet plane
leaves contrail

(Hi-kiri mote kiri shi tondo no imu-bi kana)
((Kawabata Satomi))

light the Tondo*
with the sacred fire,
made by Hikiri*

*Hikiri is a primitive way to make up a fire, by rubbing cypress drill and plate for sacred ceremony.
* Tondo is the same as Dondo that is the fire ceremony to thank for sacred New Year's decorations like Shime-nawa, Kado-matsu and so on, by incinerating at the Shrine yard on January 15th. This ceremony is to pray for rich rice-harvest, as well.

Tondo is set up. Tondo is mainly made of rice straws, with bamboos atop. New years decorations are in.	Tondo is fired at night.
Provided by Mr. Takayuki Takahashi. http://homepage3.nifty.com/yachoo/minnzoku.htm#

(Shiroki me no hochimu tane-imo morai keri)
      ((Sakamoto Kiyomi))

seed taro
with white swelling buds,
I received


(An-pan no an made nukushi yamawarau)
     ((Taniyama Mizue))

an An-pan* is hot,
and the An*, too...
spring has come


*"An" is very sweet bean paste for Japanese cake to be stuffed into or to cover it.
* An-pan is bun, which is stuffed An into.

(Ukare-neko soprano de esa nedari keri)
      ((Fujie Ryouko))

a cat in heat
pesters for food
with soprano mew

(Yori-modoshi mansaku no hana saki-dase ri)
      ((Nagai Shoujirou))

untwisting buds...
Mansaku* has
begun to blossom


* Mansaku is Japanese witch hazel

(Uto-uto to neko-ka no tsuma no haru-gotatsu)
      ((Inoue Shiinako))

husband is dozing
in *Kotatsu...
like a cat

*Kotatsu is a heater with a thick quilt that fits for Japanese tatami mat room.


(Kui-zome no sahachi ni den to sakura-dai)
      ((Kawasaki Hisako))

* Kui-zome is the ceremony for baby who turns 100 to 120 days old, by having him/her eat food first. However this is very minor ceremony in Japan now.

(Kasu-zuke no taru no fuu toku hatu-ne kana)
      ((Fujii Keiko))

I unseal the cask
of Kasu-zuke*,
listening to Hatsu-ne*

* Kasu-zuke means to pickle vegetables in saki lees or the pickles itself.
* Hatsu-ne means the first song of a bush warbler in spring. Japanese feel that spring has come, when they hear it.

(Seimei no gyo-dou ni mizu no kioi ari)
    ((Hayakawa Michiko))

early April--
water in fish ladder
is powerful

(Hi-busuma wo to-e ni hata-e ni ashi wo yaku)
      ((Ogawa Keiko))

ten to twenty fire rows
are burning off
a reed field

(Umi nose te sakyuu wa haru no iro to naru)
      ((Nishimura Matsuko))

the sea looks like
above sand dune--
in spring mood

(Shun-shuu no o-hori ni sou te aruki keri)
    ((Kimura Chikuu))

being in Spring-depression...
I walked
along castle moats

(Sakura saku tsuma no daishou-ki wo shuu-su)
      ((Esumi Masako))

cherry trees blossom--
ceremony for second anniversary
of my husband's death

(Keichitsu no esukareetaa tou-kankaku)
     ((Mabuchi Ume))

on *Keichitsu Day--
steps of escalator
appear at regular intervals

*Keichitsu is the day when insects' hibernation generally end in Japan, they say. It is March 6.

(Kasago ka to toe ba me wo muku aka-mebaru)
     ((Fujita fumiko))

a caught fish looks at me
with anger...
"not Kasago* but red-Mebaru*."

*Both Kasago and Mebaru are called scorpion fish or rock fish in English. They are alike.
       *Kasago: Sebastiscus Marmoratus
       *Mebaru: Sebastes Inermis

(Haru-matsuri home-chigira ruru muko no fue)
    ((Oosawa Noriko))

spring festival--
flute playing by son-in-law
has got applauded

(Yu-kemuri no niou-dachi shi te kaze hikaru)
    ((Asanuma Seiho))

hot spring steam
stood up like giants--
spring breeze

(Tskushi-n-bo ni-hon san-bon go-roppon)
      ((Kuroda Kazuo))

in dry rice field,
I count Tsukushi*
"two, three, five and six"

 *Tsukushi: a reproductive shoot of the field horsetail.

(Pin-pon kansen shi te ie-jyuu no haru no kaze)
      ((Odagawa Michiko))

whole family's been infected
with spring cold,
like ping-pong game

(Oo-zora ni sei-bou tobashi sotsugyou su)
     ((Shinkai Sachiko))

throwing school caps
to the sky--
the graduation day




(Hana-mori no kuruma ni nanatsu-dougu kana)
     ((Aoyama Toumei))

cherry-tree-care person
carries the paraphernalia,
in his car

(Funa-bata no migi ni katamuku shijimi-bune)
     ((Kageyam Kaori))

the gunwale leans right...
as fisherman digs
shijimi clams

(Odori-ko-sou saku on-na-zaka otoko-zaka )
      ((Ikeda Toki))

Odoriko-sou blooms...
both steep and gradual paths
to the temple

*On-na means women, Otoko does men, and saka means slope, in Japanese.
On-na-zaka is gradual and easy slope to the temple or shrine, and Otoko-zaka is steep and hard one

"odoriko-sou":lamium album: Odori-ko means the girl who is doing Japanese traditional dance. And Sou means plant or flower.

(Hana-dokei pansy uete yori shidou)
((Uchiyama Michiyo))

a floral clock
works again,
after pansies are planted



(Mugi-kogashi ufufu ufufu to korae keri)
      ((Akiho Akie))

I stifle laughter ...
not to blow out sweet wheat powder
from my mouth


(Yuri no ka ya oi zaru tsuma no ki wo shuusu)
     ((Kuniya Mitsue))

lilies smell sweet--
thirty-third memorial mass
for my late husband has finished

Buddhism memorial services ( mass) for the dead are held first, second, seventh, 13rd, 17th, 23rd, 27th, 33rd and 50eth of the year. In this haiku in Japanese says the late husband is still young in the photograph, so I guessed that the memorial mass may be for thirty-third one.

(Hagakure ya furusato wa ima Kusu-waka-ba)
      ((Inagawa Ryuujyo))

*Hagakure code--
my home town is
full of camphor tree shoots

* "Hagakure" is the very strict samura- moral-code written by a samurai in Saga Prefecture in early 18th century.

(Oto tate te umi ni isogu wa haru no mizu)
      ((Yamashita Kyouko))

A mad torrent
flows into the ocean noisily...
in spring

(Rengyou no kakoi nawa toku senobi shite)
      ((Segawa Toki))

snow fence for forsythia--
I reached up
and untied the ropes



(Shun-in ya mukashi-chouba no oo-suzuri)
      ((Takano Fusako))

(Seifuku wa navy blue kaze hikaru)
      ((Sayama Yoshiko))

navy blue
school uniform --
spring breeze and sunshine

(Geta-baki no shoujyo chikazuku yuu-hakusho)
      ((Arita Kikuko))

wearing Japanese clogs,
a girl approaches me
in the sweaty evening

(Ni-sen-me no gyokuro yudachi no agari keri)
    ((Atsumi Kinuyo))

second infusion
of Gyokuro green tea...
the shower stopped

* Gyokuro is the richest green tea.


(Hatsu-natsu ya jiten-sha no ko no helmet)
      ((Ninomiya Tetsurou))

early summer--
a child rides bicycle
with helmet

*In Japan, few people wear helmet while they ride bicycle.

(Tou-isu ya taiheiyou no kaze no oto)
      ((Yasuda Aoba))

a cane chair--
the sound of wind
from the Pacific

(Fun-en no asa yori takashi fukuro kake)
    ((Moriyama Nobuko))

the volcano smokes higher...
I farm for fruits
in the morning

* Her farmwork is putting paper bags on each fruits on the tree to protect them from bags

(Hiki-to mina Ama-no-iwato ya tsuyu no iri)
      ((Yamataka Etsuko))

all slidedoors got stuck
like Ama-no-iwato in my house...
the rainy season began

*Ama-no-iwato is a large rock's door of the cave where Amaterasu-oomikami hid in; who is the god of light, in a Japanese myth.

(Jiipan no kawaku takasa ni natsu-tsubame)
     ((Emi Sakufuu))

near the clothesline
jeans on ...
swallows fly

(Aruru hi no kyuu sue te iru awabi ama)
     ((Abe Hironori))

the sea raves...
a woman diver for abalones
burns moxa on her back at home

(Go-jisan no shin-cha itadaku tabi no yado)
    ((Tamura Nuiko))

at the hotel staying...
I drink this year's tea,
brought with

(Veranda no hana chirashi taru hisame kana)
    ((Sawamoto Chiyoko))

flowers on the veranda
were fallen down
by the freezing rain

(Ichigo-jam niagaru koro ni denwa naru)
      ((Inoue Shun-en))

home-made strawberry jam
is to be completed...
the phone rings


(Sugi-bashi no masame utsukushi konome-ae)
      ((Sano Chie))

fine straight grain of
cida chopsticks--
*konome-ae dish

*konome-ae: a plain dish of chopped boiled octopus and green onion; with sauce made of miso, vinegar, sugar and leaves of Japanese pepper tree.

(Fubo ari te taue-jimai no utage nado)
     ((Hasegawa Chiyoko))

with my parents,
a feast for rice planting completion
had been held

* Noren are short cloth curtains hung on the entrance to Japanese restaurants and typical Japanese stores.

(Mizu kae te iro yomigaeru suichuu-ka)
     ((Tsuji Sumiyo))

being changed water...
the color of the Suichuu-ka*
looks refreshed

* Suichuu-ka is an artifical flower which opens out when immersed in water.

(Kun-puu ya Inuit-go no kissa-ten )
      ((Okuno Tsuyako))

wind of verdure--
a tearoom that the name
is in Eskimo

(Wakaki shi no koe nobiraka ni Hakama-Noh)
      ((Umeda Saga))

the young player
chants sonorously...
Hakama-noh

*Hakama-noh is one of Noh play styles that is performed without Noh-mask in summer, due to the humid and hot weather.

(Akai hashi terebi ni utsuru hisho no yado)
((Seki Takajyo))

the red bridge
appears on TV...
at a summer resort inn



(Reibou no kiki shi ningyou tenji-shitsu)
      ((Kawasaki Yukari))

*Joruri doll exhibition...
the aircondetioner
worked well

*Ningyou:doll,  jyoruri is now represented by Bunraku that started 500 years ago.


(Enten ya niwatori ni aru tsuchi-fumazu)
      ((Asano Kazue))

flaming sun--
chikens have arches
in their feet



(Sekkei wo Kappa-bashi kara aogu kana)
     ((Suzuki Keiko))

I look up
a snow vally
from Kappa-bridge

*Kappa is a water sprite in Japan who is a good swimmer in river or moat.
* Kappa-bridge is across the Azusa-river at Kami-kochi in Nagano.

(Matsuri-yado Ke-iwai-zaka wa yome no sato)
      ((Okumura Aya))

the festival center...
at Ke-iwai-zaka,
daughter-in-law grew up

* In Japan, each community has its own shrine and holds an anual festival for it, by towing festival float; and each home there holds feast that the relatives are invited to .
* Festival center is the base of the festival where is in the community hall or the shrine.
*Ke-iwai-zaka is an odd name of a local place:community by its meaning and tone, and located at myoko-kogen in Niigata Prefecture. Ke means hair or crop, iwai means cerabration, and zaka or saka means sloping road.

(Shima chikaki ika-bi wa tsuma no taku hi kana)
      ((Fujii Keiko))

near a small island...
squad-fishing fires are lit
on husband's boat

(Harabai te eshaku wo kawasu *nunawa-bune)
      ((Satou Mitsuo))

bow each other...
lying on stomach
on Junsai-boats

*Nunawa is an aquaplant: water shield, Brasenia schreberi; also called Junsai in Japanese.

(Iwanu-opuri natsu-uguisu ga yokogiri nu)
    ((Uchiyama Michiyo)

Mt. Iwanu-opuri in summer...
a bush warbler go across
before me

* "Iwanu-opuri" means "sulfur mountain" in Ainu language , who are native in Hokkaido. It is located in west Hokkaido and is 1,116 meters above sea level.

(Utsu-semi no yaki no iri taru tetsu no tsume)
      ((Shibata Yousaku))

a cast shell of cicada...
the claws look like
heated steel

(Yo no aki no sarasara otsuru suna-dokei)
    ((Okuda Tsumori))

in a cool summer night...
a sand glass
is rustling

(Ko ni amaru tsuma-tansei no ichigo kana)
      ((Takamizawa Tsuzuko))

a bamboo-farming-basket
of srtawberries...
my spouse elaborately produced

* bamboo-firming-basket's capacity is about one gallons.

(Ryou-teki ga atsusa wo nuu te kikoe kuru)
     ((Watanabe Michiko))

the sound of
a Japanese flute
drifts in the heat

(Shoki-barai tsuma to yu-doufu toube keri)
     ((Tanaka Ishi))

to forget the heat,
my husband and I
ate boiled tofu

(Matsuri-gami manajiri ni sasu beni sukoshi)
    ((Takahashi Shizuka))

festive hairdo...
I rouge a little
at the tail of my eyes

(Hekigyo-ki ya miyako-wasure wo fuzukue ni)
    ((Takimi Miyoko))

tenth anniversary of Hekigyo's* death...
I decorate Miyako-wasure*
on my low desk

*Miyako- wasure is a flower that means "to forget the capital" in Japanese, and that is so pretty that Jyuntoku-jyoko could have swept away the homesick for Kyoto by appreciating it in 13th century. Jyuntoku-jyoko was a retired emperor who had been exiled to Sado-ga-shima Island.

(Yuuyake wo me-shougatu to shi tsuma to kana)
      ((Makizawa Sumie))

seeing evening glow...
I am very relaxing
with my husband

(Shio kise te omoshi wo kituku uri tsukuru)
      ((Nakanishi Akiko))

putting enough salt
and stone's weights...
I make cucumber pickles

(Geta-baki no kurikuri tsumuri yukata kite)
     ((Suzuki Keiko))

a butch haircut boy
is wearing yukata*
and clogs

*yukata is an informal cotton kimono for summer wear.



(Kenshin no asa asagao no hitotsu saku)
     ((Hieda Shuumi))

the medecal check-up day...
one morning glory
comes out.


(Sanukite-sei no fuurin yoku sumi te)
     ((Matsubara Masatoshi))


a wind bell,
made of Sanukite,
sounds clear

*Sanukite is a kind of andestic stone produced in Shikoku Island area, of which
some percussion instruments are made.

*a kind of alga: "Baikamo"

(Han-eri wo kake-kaete iru chichiro kana)
     ((Ooishi Hirojyo))

replacing the collar
of kimono--
crickets sing

(Tetsuro kie mura ichibou no soba no hana )
      ((Hirama Jyun-ichi))

a discontinued railroad...
buckwheat's flowers blossom,
looking down a village

(Unkai no hate myoujyou no shizumi yuku)
      ((Hoshida Issou))

at the end of clouds' field...
the evening star
is setting

(Umi mie te dai-nenbutsu no fue taiko)
((Atsumi Shousaku))

near the lake--
a *Bon ceremony 
with flutes and drums is held

*Bon festival is a Buddhist event, occurring in summer, to hold a memorial service to the spirits of ancestors.



(Hateshi naki morokoshi-batake hateshi nashi)
      ((Oosawa Noriko))

the vast Indian millet field
expands
without end



(Natsu-yase no hoho fukuramase hige wo soru)
      ((Watanabe Harumine))

I shave...
by plumping thin cheeks
worn out in hot summer...



(E no gotoki sho mo ari aki no *shodo-ten)
     ((Nakayama Tsutae))

there are
painting-like works
in a calligraphy exhibition

*Shodo is the art of drawing Chinese characters with a brush and India ink on Japanese paper.

(Hatsu-*samma mada hi no takai sake to naru)
      ((Ooi Yasuo)

eating early *Pacific saury...
I have a drink
before sunset

*The Japanese like to eat broiled samm: Pacific saury very much in fall after the hot summer, becasue it tastes good and is inexpensive. People feels that fall actually has come when they have it, then.

(Atarashiki tomo tsure te ki shi kisei no ko)
      ((Ushio Sumijyo))

a son went back
to home town,
bringing a new friend

(Suwara re nu mi wo wabi narasu bon no kane)
      ((Tsuchie Hiroko))

apologizing for
being unable to sit upright...
I ring a *Bon gong

(Tada nemuru chichi no tsume kiru hazuki kana)
    ((Nishida Mikiko)

my father is in a coma
I clip his nails...
in August

(Odoshi-zutsu suzume ga ite mo i naku te mo)
      ((Ogawa Keiko))

an odoshi-zutsu sounds
regularly,
either sparrows are or not

* Odoshi-zutsu is an equipment to disperse birds away in rice fields by sounding gunshot.

(Kami owasu kai wo ooi shi asa no kiri))
      ((Abe Hironori))

the morning fog covers
the canyon
where the God may live

(Medama dake sadaka ni nokosu mozu no nie)
      ((Yokota Jyunko))


a butcher-bird's game
is on a twig...
its eyeball is only distinct

* "Mozu no (haya) nie" means "shrike's ( or butcher-bird's) first offering in the season". Those are the games that are skewered to sharp dead-branches of tree to preserve the foods by shrikes. The games are usually frogs, lizards and so on. But, the birds are too forgetful to remember the place they left, and eventually they never eat them.

(Shiori-do no shizukani modoru hagi no ame)
     ((Iizuka Hiroko))

a made-of-twig door
closes quietly by itself...
bush clovers in the rain

(Keetai de ayama tte ori yuu-zuku-yo)
     ((Fujimoto Motoko))

I am apologizing,
with a cell phone...
the evening moon

(Horo-basha de jyuugo fun naru hanano kana)
    ((Hayasaka Aijyo))


it takes a quarter hour
by the covered wagon
to be the wild flower field

(Nijyuu nen kayoi tsume taru kaze no bon)
    ((Tsuchiya Mitsuru))

I have paid frequent visits
to the Kaze-no-Bon
for twenty years

(Inabikari kanata wa koshi ka jyoushuu ka)
      ((Rikukawa Naonori))

the flashes of lightning...
I wonder if they are
in Nigata or Gumma Prefecture


(Yabusame no mato chuu ni mau aki-matsuri)
      ((Modai Shouzou))

the Yabusame archery event...
the target is shot and in the air
at the harvest festival


*Yabusame is a ceremony held in shinto shrines and is originated in 14th century in Japan as a demonstration of Samurai power. The archer consecutively shoots three targets by riding on a horse.



(Hana-soba ya han-nichi muraha tou ni kie)
     ((Suganuma Kouzou))

buckwheat flowers--
a sunless mountain-village
had gone long ago

*Han-nichi mura is the village that is surrounded by mountains; therefore the sunlight brightens only a half of daytime, there.