＜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
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・「相撲」「帰省」「海苔」「鯛焼」「鯨」「鮪」などの面白い季語
1. Sumo (sumo/sumafu)
“Sumo” is a seasonal word for “autumn.” It can also be written as “角力.” Sub-seasonal words include “宮相撲” (Miya-sumo) and “草相撲” (Kusa-sumo).
Currently, there are six Grand Sumo tournaments held: January (Hatsu-basho), March (Osaka-basho), May (Natsu-basho), July (Nagoya-basho), September (Aki-basho), and November (Kyushu-basho). However, in terms of seasonal words, it refers to the “Aki-basho” (Autumn Tournament).
Sumo was originally a martial art and considered a national sport, but later became a commercial sport. Because it was traditionally held in the imperial court in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, it was designated as an autumn seasonal word in haiku.
“Miya-sumo” and “Kusa-sumo” refer to sumo matches held by young people in the grounds of shrines or other locations, and these are also mostly held in September.
As a child, I was captivated by the thrilling matches between (the first) Wakanohana and Tochinishiki, which I listened to on the radio, and I was thrilled by the powerful sumo matches between Taiho and Kashiwado, which I watched on television. Unlike the current Hakuho and Kakuryu, they possessed dignity and style, and were humble, without the arrogant and presumptuous behavior unbecoming of a Yokozuna. I believe they rarely used uncharacteristic sumo techniques for a Yokozuna, such as uppercuts or evasive maneuvers.
Examples of haiku include the following:
* Autumn tournament, the fruits of training are on display – Kubota Mantaro
* The innkeeper’s child is favored in grassroots sumo – Kubo Yoriko
* The old sumo wrestler loses and returns home to keep a small bird – Okamoto Matsuhama
* A sudden strongman enters the sumo match, what a strange sight – Yosa Buson
・秋場所や稽古の甲斐をかくは見せ 久保田万太郎
・宿の子をかりのひいきや草相撲 久保より江
・老角力負けて戻って小鳥飼ふ 岡本松濱
・飛入りの力者あやしき角力かな 与謝蕪村
2. Kisei（Returning Home）
“Kisei” (帰省) is a seasonal word for summer. A related seasonal word is “kisei-shi” (帰省子).
“Kisei” refers to “students or office workers who have left their parents’ homes to live in the city returning to their beloved hometown during their vacation.” Since this often takes place during summer vacation, it is considered a summer seasonal word in haiku.
As a side note, while “kisei” is now used almost interchangeably with “kikyo” (帰郷), its original meaning was “to return to one’s hometown to inquire about the well-being of one’s parents (to visit one’s parents).” The character “sho” (省) means “to look back,” indicating concern and care for others.
Example haiku are as follows:
* The mulberry leaves endure the sunlight as I return home. – Mizuhara Shūōshi
* The fruit tree trunks are thick with moss as I return home. – Nakamura Kusatao
* The flowers in my hometown garden are faint that night as I return home. – Iida Dakotsu
* I sprinkle water and return home to the town as dusk falls. – Takano Sujū
・桑の葉の照るに堪へゆく帰省かな 水原秋櫻子
・果樹の幹苔厚かりし帰省かな 中村草田男
・帰省子にその夜の故園花幽き 飯田蛇笏
・水打って暮れゐる街に帰省かな 高野素十
3. Nori (seaweed)
“Nori” (seaweed) is a seasonal word for “spring.”
“Nori” is a general term for edible algae that grow on rocks and other surfaces in water, but it generally refers to “Asakusa nori,” which is cultivated throughout Japan.
Nori is harvested around September by placing bamboo nori baskets (hibi) or nori brushwood (soda) made from oak or chestnut branches into brackish water where fresh and seawater mix, and waiting for the nori to attach.
“Sub-seasonal words” include “Asakusa nori,” “Amanori,” “Kasai nori,” “Susabi nori,” “Uppurui nori,” “Aonori,” “Kawa nori,” “Kan nori,” and “Yaki nori.”
Incidentally, “Uppurui nori,” which many people may not be familiar with, is a type of “rock nori” that is a specialty of Uppurui, Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture.
Example haiku are as follows:
* A single layer of water scooping up seaweed, the evening rain – Yosa Buson
* Spring breeze, the sea is filled with seaweed and abalone gatherers – Masaoka Shiki
* The waves sway, carrying the sun, on the seaweed sea – Takahama Kyoshi
* A single person emerges from the twilight direction of the seaweed brushwood – Yamaguchi Seishi
・海苔掬ふ水の一重や宵の雨 与謝蕪村
・春風や海は海苔取蚫（あわび）取 正岡子規
・日をのせて波たゆたへり海苔の海 高浜虚子
・海苔粗朶の暮るゝ方よりひとひとり 山口誓子
4. Taiyaki (fish-shaped cake)
“Taiyaki” is a seasonal word for “winter.” A related seasonal word is “taiyaki shop.”
Taiyaki is a sweet made by pouring batter into a fish-shaped iron plate, filling it with sweet red bean paste, and baking it. While it’s sold year-round these days, taiyaki tastes especially delicious when eaten in the cold.
Example haiku include:
* Three taiyaki lined up, eyes moving forward – Nakamura Kusatao
* Taiyaki, though lifeless, warm – Hasegawa Kai
* Buying taiyaki with change at the year-end market – Shimomura Hiroshi
* I secretly love taiyaki – Tomiyasu Fusei
・前へすすむ眼して鯛焼三尾並ぶ 中村草田男
・鯛焼や命なけれど温かく 長谷川櫂
・釣銭で鯛焼買ふも年の市 下村ひろし
・鯛焼を人には告げず好みけり 富安風生
5. Kujira（Whale）
“Whale” is a seasonal word associated with winter.
Whales migrate through Japanese waters in search of food. They have been hunted and consumed for centuries. Their activity is particularly high during winter, when they are mating, and it’s also the season for “harihari nabe,” a hot pot dish made with whale meat and mizuna greens.
When I was a child, whaling was thriving in Japan, and whale meat was inexpensive, so fried whale meat was often served in school lunches. However, due to the IWC’s interference, commercial whaling was halted for many years, and I haven’t eaten whale dishes since elementary school.
“Seasonal words” include “whale seller,” “semi-whale,” “sperm whale,” “humpback whale,” “sardine whale,” “gray whale,” “bunt whale,” “blue bunt whale,” and “breeding fish.”
Examples of haiku include:
* The two places where the whale’s tide is bathed in the sun – Nomura Gosho
* The sword is beaten like a drum at the whale seller’s market – Yosa Buson
* Whales spouting water in Hirado in the winter wind – Natsume Soseki
* The beach where whales come ashore is unusual – Ozaki Koyo
・日をうけて鯨の汐の二たところ 野村五松
・鯨売市に刀を皷（なら）しけり 与謝蕪村
・凩（こがらし）に鯨潮吹く平戸かな 夏目漱石
・鯨よる浜とよ人もただならず 尾崎紅葉
6. Maguro（Tuna）
“Tuna” is a seasonal word associated with winter. Related seasonal words include “tuna boat,” “tuna fishing,” “tuna net,” “shibi,” “albacore,” “black tuna,” and “bluefin tuna.”
Tuna, belonging to the mackerel family, include various species such as bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna, albacore tuna, and bigeye tuna, each with different names depending on the region and stage of growth.
The largest is the bluefin tuna, reaching 3 meters in length and 400 kg in weight, and is an extremely fast swimmer, reaching speeds of 160 km/h. The flesh from the belly is rich in fat and has a melt-in-your-mouth texture, hence it is called chutoro (medium fatty tuna) and otoro (fatty tuna).
Example haiku are as follows:
* Tuna being hauled out from sea, crimson clouds over a mandala-like landscape – Mizumi Yuyuko
* Tuna sushi for school lunch on Respect for the Aged Day – Iwaya Sazanami
* A giant tuna rolls over, spitting out chunks of ice – Shiraishi Saburo
* Tuna boat thrusts upwards above the horizon – Yamaguchi Seishi
・鮪揚ぐ沖曼荼羅に茜雲 水見悠々子
・敬老の日の給食の鮪鮨 巌谷小波
・転がされ氷塊吐きぬ大鮪 白石三郎
・鮪の船水平線を突き上ぐる 山口誓子