Travel and Encounter in Early Modern Japan Main Menu Course Description Edo Period Ihara Saikaku Matsuo Bashō

Unit 3.2

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These poems are short, but they follow a strict set of rules, including:
 
  1. syllable count: usually haiku consist of three lines, divided up into a 5-7-5 syllable structure
  2. the presence of a “season word” (kigo): a word that indicates when the poem takes place, and in doing so, provides some clue to the emotional, affective, and geographic associations of the topic
  3. an interesting, unusual, or unprecedented choice of image or diction: haiku emphasize the presence of new topics, new associations, and new places being described. The unfamiliar or unprecedented is an important element of haiku: moving away from clichéd topics, emotions, or images found in more canonical forms of classical poetry