Western poetry is rich and has various styles. Some poems are very short, but others are very long, several hundred lines in length. Furthermore, their forms could not be clearly defined because of their huge diversity.Haiku, on the other hand, is a complete and independent poem with just 17 syllables. This was shocking to Western readers. Haiku is not the kind of poetry where logical conclusion is expected to offer the reader a definite poetical answer. In other words, haiku transcends logic. For example, even if Matsuo Basho's
aki chikaki
kokoro no yoru ya
yojoo hanautumn is approaching
hearts nestle close in the four
and a half tatami mat room
fuyugomori
mata yorisowan
kono hashirawintering over...
I'll sit close
by this pillar again
hiyahiya to
kabe o fumaete
hirune kanathe wall is cool
against my feet
an afternoon napwere translated into English as above, and attempts were made to explain them logically, they could not be fully explained. Each translation is totally different. In haiku, a thing of wonder is expressed as it is.Haiku is grasped with all 5 senses, not by logic. Things which logic could not explain might be expressed in haiku. In order to jump over the gap between logic and the senses, unique Japanese rhetorical techniques such as "kireji" and "kigo" were invented.Haiku is thought of as a "gift from nature." This is based on the Japanese view that "nature is not something that people should confront,but rather something that people should merge with." Also, the Japanese view of life is to "project human life into nature." As the tanka of today breaks away from the tradition of nature and the sensitivity to seasons that had been embraced in ancient waka, haiku has inherited that tradition, and has made it become even more pronounced. From the waka of ancient Japan to the tanka of today, the tradition of nature and the sensitivity to seasons have continued and become even more pronounced in haiku.
In other words, haiku reminds its readers that men as living beings exist in nature, hence it suggests to them that they should live a symbiotic and sympathetic life together with other creatures in nature. When people come to feel that way, they will be endowed not with a heart that is enclosed within itself, but with a heart that is open to all others.
Furthermore, haiku is poetry of the common people. Haiku was born among the common people, was perfected by the common people and has returned to the common people. In addition, it allows the writer to write about any subject in daily life. Thus, it is not strange that haiku has continued to greatly increase the number of its followers and gain popularity, a very rare phenomenon in modern times.
First of all, haiku is easy to compose. When we write haiku in Japanese,if we line up 5, 7 and 5 syllables and insert a kigo (season word) the result is haiku-like. And haiku fills every haiku poet with rapture.
Secondly, haiku originates from haikai, which is a group-oriented literary art; structurally, it requires other people. Groups who have shared interests in evaluating and creating haikai are called "Renju." Thus a haiku poet takes a creative method different from the typical modern poet, who writes poetry in isolation.
In short, this democratic nature of haiku made a fresh impact on the poets of the world and came to be accepted by them as something they could make use of.
