HAIKU POETRY TERMS

renga or renku - Japanese linked poem

hokku - opening stanza of a renga, typically composed by a single poet in 3 phrases of 5/7/5 syllables, indicating season and mood

haiku - standalone hokku

kigo - a word to clarify the season

kireji - ‘cutting words’ that indicate a pause, shift, juxtaposition

kasen - length of 36 links

KIGO EXAMPLES

FALL

aki no kure - autumn dusk

hiyayaka - chilly

tsuki - moon

matsu yoi - waiting evening

shuushi - autumn contemplation

kari - goose

koorogi - cricket

ringo - apple

kiku - chrysanthemum

WINTER

yuku toshi - the passing year

toshi no kure - close of the year

sayuru - clear and cold

kogarashi - withering wind, lit. tree-witherer

toshi wasure - New Year’s Eve party, lit. forgetting the year

bashōki - Basho’s Memorial Day, 28 November 1694

POEMS

夏草や 兵どもが 夢の跡

natsugusa ya | tsuwamonodomo ga | yume no ato

Summer grasses:

all that’s left of all

the warrior’s dreams

稲妻に さとらぬ人の 貴さよ

inazuma ni | satoranu hito no | tattosa yo

How admirable!

to see lightning

and not think life is fleeting

風流の 初めや奥の 田植歌

fūryū no | hajime ya oku no | taue uta

Renement rose up from

the rice-planting songs

of these country folk

古池や 蛙飛込 水の音

furuike ya | kawazu tobikomu | mizu no oto

Old pond

frog jumps in—

sound of water

1 Sōgi

Yuki nagara yamamoto kasumu yube kana

Despite some snow the hill-base is hazy this evening

2 Shōhaku

yuku mizu toku ume niou sato

the water flows distant from a plum-scented village

3 Sōchō

kawakaze ni hitomura yanagi haru miete

a river wind, and a stand of willows shows it’s spring

4 Sōgi

fune sasu oto mo shiruki akegata

the sound of a boat being poled, distinct at dawn

5 Shōhaku

tsuki ya nao kiriwataru yo ni nokoru ran

the moon may still linger in the misted-over night

6 Sōchō

shimo oku nohara aki wa kurekeri

over the fields where frost has formed, autumn ends

7 Sōgi

naku mushi no kokoro to mo naku kusa karete

against the chirping insects’ hopes the grasses wither

8 Shōhaku

kakine o toaeba arawanaru michi

I come to the fence to visit, the path is exposed

9 Sōchō

yama fukaki sato ya arashi ni okuru ran

till it grows late in the village deep in the mountains

10 Sōgi

narenu sumai zo sabishisa mo uki

a place one cannot get used to turns even loneliness to grief

11 Shōhaku

ima sara ni hitori aru mi o omou na yo

more than ever now, for one who lives in solitude such thoughts are vain

12 Sōchō

utsurowan to wa kanete shirazu ya

that all life is vicissitude surely you knew that long ago

13 Sōgi

okiwaburu tsuyu koso hana ni aware nare

disliking its own fall, the dew on the flowers it withers suffers for their loss

14 Shōhaku

mada nokoru hi no uchikasumu kage

the yet remaining rays of light in a scene just taken on by haze

15 Sōchō

kurenu to ya nakisutsu tori no kaeru ran

“has not dusk come” the birds crying out in flight seem homeward bound

16 Sōgi

miyama o yukeba waku sora mo nashi

entered in the mountain fastness no light distinguishes the sky

MAPS & OKU NO HOSOMICHI

SAKE TASTING

Sake #1: Niizawa Shuzo Hakurakusei, “The Connoisseur” Junmai Ginjo

• Region: Miyagi Prefecture, Tohoku Region

• Rice: Kura no Hana (developed in the 1980s, recognized officially in 1997)

• Milling Rate: 55%

• Brewery Story: After rescuing the family brewery from financial crisis, Iwao Niizawa pioneered the Hakurakusei series, crafting sake as a food-friendly libation. The brewery is renowned for its cutting-edge milling techniques, producing sake with grains polished down to as little as 7% of their original size. Under the leadership of Nanami Watanabe, Japan’s youngest female Toji brewmaster, Hakurakusei continues to garner acclaim for its innovation and precision.

Sake #2: Moriki Tae no Hana Arabashiri Kimoto Muroka Nama Junmai Genshu

• Region: Mie Prefecture

• Rice: Yamadanishiki

• Milling Rate: 90%

• Brewery Story: Moriki Shuzo, a family-operated brewery, is led by Rumiko Moriki, Japan's first female Toji brewmaster. The brewery grows its rice organically and employs labor-intensive methods, reflecting an artisanal commitment to elegance and boldness. The sake’s deep ties to Mie’s ancient, forested lands make it a profound expression of place.

Sake #3: Kurosawa Shuzo Junmai Nigorizake

• Region: Nagano Prefecture

• Rice: Locally sourced Nagano “rice”

• Milling Rate: 70%

• Brewery Story: Founded in 1858, Kurosawa Shuzo has been family-run for over 150 years. It specializes in the kimoto method, a traditional brewing process that delivers robust flavors with sharp acidity. Popularized in the U.S. through Jun Tanaka’s vision, Kurosawa sake remains a staple for its authenticity, quality, and accessible pricing.

ABOUT TONIGHT’S INSTRUCTORS

Haden Riles is a Brooklyn-based poet and sommelier. Born in Orlando, he spent twelve years in Minneapolis after earning a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of Minnesota. His poetry navigates the uncertain spaces between personal identity and the turbulent external world. He has been published by The Merrimack Review and The Tower. You can find him searching for a shared understanding of what it simply means to be, or on Instagram at @hadenjamesr