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History of Haiku
(Part 2)
“That’s not a haiku, a haiku has 17 syllables!”
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I said in my first post on the #HistoryOfHaiku that the way that many English language haiku writers have of writing haiku – in 17 syllables arranged over three lines in a 5-7-5 pattern – is based on something of a misunderstanding of Japanese haiku.
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Japanese haiku are usually, but not always, 17 “onji” long (an “onji” is a sound symbol in Japanese language).
The problem is that “onji” are shorter than English syllables, so in writing a haiku in 17 English syllables, we are writing poems that are quite a bit longer than a Japanese haiku (I’ve heard it said 12 English syllables may be closer in length to 17 Japanese “onji”).
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If you’d like to read more about this aspect of haiku, it is discussed in The #HaikuHandbook by #WilliamJHigginson & #PennyHarter, and by #MichaelDylanWelsh on the #NaHaiWriMo website, here: https://www.nahaiwrimo.com/why-no-5-7-5.
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Japanese haiku writers don’t all stick to the 17 “onji” length anyway.
The #NewTrendHaikuMovement in Japanese haiku in the early 20th century moved away from strictly adhering to a 17 onji pattern. These poets include #Hekigotō, #Seiensui, and a personal favourite, #Santōka.
And centuries before that Matsuo #Bashō himself (one of the earliest and most famous writers of what we now recognise as haiku) sometimes wrote haiku with extra onji.
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