＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
Umezawa Tomio, who became a “permanent haiku master” on the TV program “Pre-Bato,” is currently working on a project to publish “A Collection of Model Haiku by Permanent Master Umezawa Tomio.”
However, it has been difficult to come up with a good haiku that would be published, and it seems like every week a haiku is harshly criticized by Professor Natsui Itsuki and rejected.
The sight of the rejected haiku, arranged as hanging scrolls, being put through the shredder is reminiscent of the extremely shocking and unusual incident in which the bottom half of a painting by the masked artist Banksy, “Girl with Balloon,” was cut off by a shredder device hidden in the frame immediately after it was sold at auction, and I think it’s a very interesting idea to watch.
He has now even been given the dishonorable and humiliating nickname of “Shredder Tomio.”
There seems to be mixed opinions online about this “shredding of rejected haiku and confetti production,” but I enjoy it.
1. Why not publish a book featuring Umezawa Tomio’s rejected haiku and those corrected by Natsui Sensei?
I think it would be interesting to create a collection of haiku that juxtaposes Umezawa Tomio’s “rejected haiku before correction” (shredded haiku) with Natsui Itsuki’s “corrected haiku.”
I think this would also be useful for studying haiku.
There is a book on haiku theory called “Kyoraisho” written by Mukai Kyorai (1651-1704), a senior disciple of Matsuo Basho and one of the “Ten Philosophers of the Basho School.” This is a kind of textbook for newcomers to the Basho school, and in addition to collecting a variety of haiku, it also teaches how to select the first five syllables as a model for composing haiku.
There is an interesting anecdote in this book. The poem “Fireflies passing by on the beans on the edge of the rice field,” listed as a haiku by Iga Manno (? – 1724), is apparently a revision by Basho of a poem by Nozawa Boncho (? – 1714). It is a descriptive poem about fireflies gently flying and landing on beans.
We don’t know what the original poem was like, but Boncho apparently didn’t like Basho’s revisions (edits), and refused to include the poem, saying it was “nothing to look at” and “I don’t want to include it as one of my own.” However, Basho said, “If Boncho is going to throw this poem away, I’ll pick it up myself. Fortunately, there is a haiku by Iga Manno that is similar to this,” and added it to Manno’s collection.
There is another interesting anecdote related to Boncho. Boncho was only able to come up with the second verse, “A night’s rain on a snow-weaving stool,” but could not think of a suitable first verse (the upper five verses). As he pondered what words to use for the first five verses, Basho added “Shimogyo ya.”
Shimogyo is a town for commoners south of Sanjo in Kyoto, and is therefore the birthplace of haiku poetry. North of Sanjo is the region of the upper class, centered around the Imperial Palace, and is home to waka poetry. Thus, the verse became “Shimogyo ya yukitsumuue no ame,” but Boncho merely said “ah,” seemingly unable to accept it.
Basho then made a bold statement, saying, “Boncho, put down this title and take credit for it (your own creation). If there is a title beyond this upper five verses, I will never again interfere with haiku poetry.”
Basho thought his own first five syllables were the best, and while one would think Boncho would be impressed, he seemed dissatisfied, which made him become a little emotional. Incidentally, Boncho was a man with a strong sense of self, and was often critical of his teacher Basho. He later rebelled against Basho and left the Basho school.
In other words, composing haiku involves a collaborative process in which the author’s original haiku is discussed and revised. The above is an example of this.
In that sense, I believe that publishing a collection of haiku juxtaposed with Umezawa Tomio’s “rejected haiku (original haiku) before corrections” and Natsui Itsuki’s “corrected haiku” with the following affiliation clearly stated: “Original haiku by Umezawa Tomio, corrections by Natsui Itsuki” would be extremely helpful for haiku beginners.
2. About Umezawa Tomio
Umezawa Tomio (1950-) is the third leader of the popular theater company “Umezawa Theater Company.” He is now a TV personality and commentator who appears on many television programs and commercials, including “Pre-Bato,” and is also a singer who sang “Yume Shibai,” a song written and composed by Ogura Kei. As a star female impersonator in popular theater, he is also known as “Shitamachi no Tamasaburo.”
3. About Itsuki Natsui
Itsuki Natsui (1957- ) is a haiku poet and essayist originally from Ehime Prefecture and currently residing in Matsuyama City. After graduating from the Faculty of Letters at Kyoto Women’s University, she became a Japanese language teacher at a junior high school in Ehime Prefecture. While juggling work and family, she self-taught herself in haiku poetry as her only hobby.
In 1988, she left teaching to become a haiku poet, studying under Kuroda Momoko and beginning to seriously pursue haiku from her home in Matsuyama.
In 1997, she formed the haiku group “Itsuki-gumi” (not a haiku society) and became its leader. She holds haiku classes called “Kukai Live” as part of a nationwide curriculum for elementary, junior high, and high school students.
Since 2013, she has been in charge of judging the haiku submissions on the TV show “Pre-Bato,” gaining popularity for her ruthless, caustic evaluations and corrections.
In 2018, she received the 44th (2017) Broadcasting Culture Foundation Award in the Individual/Group category for “driving a nationwide haiku boom through her regular appearances on Pre-Bato.”