Kigo

Kigo

A Lesson by Dinesh Sairam
"

The Seasonal Word

"

                 Kigo (The seasonal word) is considered the very essence of classic Japanese Haikus. A seasonal word might be anything (Flowers, Animals, Temperature) than denotes the existence of a specific season.

     However, since Seasons and the whole surrounding changes from place to place, Kigo also varies widely (Two great links for Kigo in different regions are given below). A Kigo should be as subtle as possible or it will become a mere cliche. And to avoid redundancy, there should be only one Kigo in a Haiku.

       For example, a water lily might evoke the feel of summer in a Japanese/Japan-related Haiku, but in Hot places like India, lilies are very common so that they may not point to a specific season at all. So it is with utter care that the Kigo should be chosen.



                 


Next Lesson
Previous Lesson

Comments

[send message]

Posted 11 Years Ago


Thanks I've been on a Haiku Kick and working on staying true even though I tend to push boundaries!
Share This
Print
Subscribe Subscribe
Flag Flag Course

Haiku for Amateurs


Stats

1679 Views
19 Subscribers
Added on November 22, 2011
Last Updated on March 6, 2013
Average
My Rating

Login to rate this


Author

Dinesh Sairam
Dinesh Sairam

Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu, India



About
Follow @DineshThePoet An aspiring poet from the shady regions of Southern India. Inspired by the capital-G Great poets like William Shakespeare, Matuso Basho, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Willia..
more..