大漁旗靡く小磯の帰り花 (2019.12.7 読売入選）
The banner of great catch
Flutters in the wind, while
Homeward bound, flowers bloom
(2019.12.7 Selected for Yomiuri)
This phrase belongs to my family. My wife’s parents’ house is close to a fishing port where the Oyashio Current and the Kuroshio Current collide. Coincidentally, I encountered many fishing boats raising big catch flags and demonstrating in the bay. This is a poem that recalls those memories. Coincidentally, this haiku won the Yomiuri Prize at the same time as my autumn haiku about Joruriji Temple. I am deeply moved by the fact that something like this could happen.
通し矢の空を切り裂く寒九かな （2018.4.7 読売入選）
Cutting through the sky
The arrow flies straight ahead –
Winter’s ninth cold day.
(2018.4.7 Yomiuri selection)
At Kyoto Sanjusangendo, on the day of the coming-of-age ceremony, a toshiya ceremony is held by women who have reached adulthood that year. This time of year is often the ninth day after entering the cold, so I made this haiku. When I submitted it to a haiku gathering in Chigasaki, my master explained the sky of this haiku using the sky and colors of the Heart Sutra. The author took advantage of it, brought up Einstein’s E = mcc formula, and talked about the accumulation of the relationship between energy and matter. This phrase has such a history.
腑に落つる氷柱のオンザロックかな （2016.2.28 神奈川新聞入選）
On the rocks, a chill –
The icicle pierces my gut
A shiver within
(February 28, 2016 Kanagawa Shimbun selected)
In cold regions, the snow on the roofs melts at night with the heat of the indoor heating, and in the morning, gigantic ghostly icicles hang from the eaves without gaps. The phrase is to break the icicle and enjoy it with whiskey on the rocks.
砲弾のごと白菜の並びをり （2020.2.1 読売入選）
Like cannon shells,
Aligned rows of cabbage heads –
Winter’s artillery.
(2020.2.1 Selected for Yomiuri)
The author runs a kitchen garden of about 15 tsubo. The classic winter vegetables in Chigasaki are daikon radish, spring onion, and Chinese cabbage. When Chinese cabbage reaches a certain size, it is tied with straw to keep it from falling apart.
風花や牛の鼻面濡らしをり （2020.3.7 読売入選）
Cherry blossoms dance
In the wind, while the cattle’s
Nose gets wet with dew.
(2020.3.7 Yomiuri selection)
Kazahana refers to the snow that piled up on a mountain that was blown by a strong wind and flew down to the foot of the mountain. It is about getting the cow’s nose wet, but now we don’t see cows in town, so it’s an Edo period imaginary phrase. In haiku, such season words still exist, and it can be said that this is one of the charms of haiku.
億年の寒空を切る火球かな （2021.1.16 読売佳作入選）
Cutting through the cold sky,
A fireball that traveled
Billions of years.
(2021.1.16 Yomiuri Honorable Mention)
(Review) Last year, reports of fireball sightings were received from various places. A fireball is a phenomenon that shines particularly brightly among shooting stars that shine when fragments of asteroids enter the atmosphere. It is said that the rocks that did not become planets when the solar system was formed 4.6 billion years ago. (Kenzo Nomura)
月天心素振る竹刀の切先に （2021.2.13 読売佳作入選）
In the moonlit sky,
The tip of a bamboo sword
Moves with pure intent.
(2021.2.13 Yomiuri Honorable Mention)
(Review) It was late at night, and we continued practicing kendo swings under the light of the moon above the heavens. Swinging is an important practice in kendo, and sometimes the tip of the bamboo sword felt like it was touching the glittering moon. (Kenzo Nomura)
This haiku was created by reminiscing about studying at night in high school. My daily routine was to study for four hours every night, with the first two hours being devoted to science subjects and the last two hours to humanities subjects. At the time of the change, I was swinging a shinai in the backyard for a change of pace.
野うさぎの足跡果てず雪の原 （2021.2.20 読売入選）
The wild rabbit’s tracks
Endless on the snowy plain –
A boundless expanse.
(2021.2.20 Selected by Yomiuri)
I now have bad legs and need a cane to walk, but I used to enjoy trekking. In winter, he climbs mountains by ropeway and treks in snowshoes, but on the fresh snow, the footprints of the hare seem to go on forever, making the finite world feel infinite. .
シクラメンまとふ光も春隣 （2021.4.3 読売入選）
The light embracing
Cyclamen – a neighbor of
Spring’s arrival.
(2021.4.3 Selected for Yomiuri)
In the author’s house, the living room has double-glazed windows, and in the winter, cyclamen pots are placed between the glass windows. In February, the cyclamen is so bright that it seems to be covered with light.
蒼天が好き大鷹の舞ふ大樹 （2022.1.29 読売入選）
Loving the blue sky,
The large eagle dances around
The tall tree’s branches.
(2022.1.29 Yomiuri selection)
As in Haiku Life (143), this haiku is from when I went to Shigitatean in Oiso to see the stone tablet of the 18th Hounyo. The kite was actually flying in the sky, but I replaced it with the hawk, which is the season word for winter. It was a fine day, and the kites dancing leisurely seemed to be enjoying the blue sky.
溜め置きし言葉を贈る聖夜かな （2022.2.5 読売秀逸入選）
On this holy night,
I offer words long kept in,
A gift from my heart.
(February 5, 2022 Yomiuri Excellent Award)
(Review) I am accumulating my gratitude and feelings for the past year. Although it cannot be expressed in one word, it will be summarized in the word “thank you”. Who will be the person to whom you will send words of gratitude for the year on Christmas Eve? (Hisako Ueda)
畠の棹にひとつ干さるる手套かな （2022.2.6 神奈川新聞入選)
On the field’s pole hangs
A lone, drying glove – left there
All by itself.
(February 6, 2022 Kanagawa Shimbun selected)
I rent a field of about 15 tsubo and cultivate it. There is a person who comes here almost every day, and he has his rubber boots and plastic gloves upside down on the ends of the poles stuck in the field. Gloves that make you feel like you are there even if the owner is not there, just by wearing them.
木道に風が風呼ぶ枯野かな （2023.1.28 読売新聞佳作入選）
The wooden pathway
Echoes with the wind’s calling –
A barren, withered land.
(2023.1.28 Yomiuri Shimbun Honorable Mention)
(Evaluation) When we think of wooden paths, we think of the wetlands of Oze. A cold wind blew in from the barren fields all around. (Kenzo Nomura)
冬木の芽供へる水の柔らかき （2023.2.4 読売新聞入選）
Winter trees offer
Buds, softened by the water –
Nature’s gift of spring.
(2023.2.4 Yomiuri Shimbun selected)
More than three years have passed since my wife passed away. The temporary altar is still in the living room. As the buds of the winter tree swell, the water offered to the altar seems to soften.
神木に礼し一人の寒稽古 （2024.2.3 読売新聞入選）
Bowing to a sacred tree,
Alone in the cold practice,
A solitary ritual.
牡蠣の浦育てる山を守り継ぎ （2024.3.2 読売新聞入選）
Nurturing oyster bay,
Guarding the mountain’s embrace,
Passing on the legacy.