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The Art of Japanese Haiku
by Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase

Whether you are a graphic artist looking for a specific design to illustrate a book or an individual looking for an authentic and meaningful tattoo, we offer thousands of designs. These Japanese Calligraphy designs of Haiku represents just a few of the designs available in our catalog. For more designs, and other topics, see our entire catalog at StockKanji.com - Japanese Calligraphy Designs.

This is a collection of classic poems written by master poets and rendered as visual art by Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase. The actual designs can be ordered as Japanese Haiku Calligraphy Designs for Personal and Professional Use and can also be ordered as hand-brushed artwork by Master Takase as Custom Artwork and Custom Japanese Scrolls.

For personal use, such as for a tattoo or in a craft, the designs are delivered digitally in Adobe PDF format. These may not be edited but can easily be resized. For professional use, the commercial use format are subject to our licensing agreement and come in 72 dpi, 300 dpi and 600 dpi JPG. The higher resolutions are suitable for all print applications including magazine articles, advertising, book illustrations, and so on.

We also offer completely custom designs for commercial use. For non-exclusive custom design prices start at $135 and may be ordered at Custom Japanese Calligraphy for Limited Distribution. Or if you need exclusivity and/or want to copyright the calligraphy as part of a logo design (for example) then Custom Japanese Calligraphy for Exclusive Use starting at $350 would be appropriate.

If you have questions or suggestions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Haiku List - Order of Inclusion

H3018 Haiku by Ryota - They spoke no words, The visitor the host, And the white chrysanthemum. ^[0]
H3019 Haiku by Buson - From far and near, Hearing the sounds of waterfalls, Young leaves. ^[0]
H3020 Haiku by Chiyojo - To the person breaking off the branch, Giving its fragrance, The plum blossom. ^[0]
H3021 Haiku by Shiko - How enviable, Turning beautiful then falling, Maple leaves. ^[0]
H3022 Haiku by Basho - Shake even the grave! My wailing is the autumn wind. ^[0]
H3023 Haiku by Shiki - A pear tree is blooming. By a collapsed house on an old battlefield. ^[0]
H3024 Haiku by Issa - Were my father here, At dawn we would gaze, Over the green fields. (Translation by Blyth)
H3025 Haiku by Buson - An evening orchid, Hidden in its scent, The flower's whiteness. ^[0]
H3026 Haiku by Buson - To white plum blossoms, Each night just dawning, Evermore. ^[0]
H3027 Haiku by Chiyojo - My little dragonfly hunter. I wonder where he is off to today. ^[0]
H3028 Haiku by Issa - Snail, ever so slowly climb, Mt. Fuji! ^[0]

Haiku Translations in Progress - This is our bull pen of designs we are thinking about doing ...

Haiku List - Alphabetical by Poet

Basho - furu ike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto
Basho - hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume
Basho - inazuma ni satoranu hito no tattosa yo
Basho - shiratsuyu wo kobusanu hagi no uneri kana
Basho - tabi ni yande yume wa kareno wo kake meguru
Basho - tsuka mo ugoke waga naku koe wa aki no kaze
Basho - ume ga ka ni notto hi no deru yamaji kana
Buson - haru no umi hinemosu notari notari kana
Buson - ike to kawa hitotsu ni narinu haru no ame
Buson - inazuma ni koboruru ota ya take no tsuyu
Buson - ochikochi ni taki no oto kiku wakaba kana
Buson - osoki hi no tsumorite tooki mukashi kana
Buson - shiraume ni akuru yo bakari to nari ni keri
Buson - tsuki ni tooku oboyuru fuji no iroka kana
Buson - ume ochikochi minami subeku kita subeku
Buson - yoru no ran ka ni kakurete ya hana shiroshi
Chiyojo - taoraruru hito ni kaoru ya ume no hana
Chiyojo - tombo tsuri kyou wa doko made itta yara
Issa - chichi arite akebono mitashi aotabara
Issa - katatsuburi sorosoro nobore fuji no yama
Issa - ku no shaba ya sakura ga sakeba saita tote
Issa - shibui toko haha ga kui keri yama no kaki
Issa - tsuyu no yo wa tsuyu no yo nagara sari nagara
Issa - yo no naka wa jigoku no ue no hanami kana
Ryota - mono iwazu kyaku to teishu to shiragiku to
Shiki - nashi saku ya ikusa no ato no kuzure ie
Shiki - nata agete kiran to sureba konome kana
Shiki - sanzen no haiku wo kemishi kaki futatsu
Shiko - urayamashi utsukushuu natte chiru momiji

For help viewing the Japanese text see Displaying Japanese Characters

Haiku Design	Haiku Design Description
(8 designs in catalog)	H3000 - Haiku by Basho - On the back of the mirror ... On the back of the mirror, A spring unseen, A flowering plum-tree hito mo minu haru ya kagami no ura no ume 人も見ぬ 春や鏡の うらの梅 Basho bashou 芭蕉 Personal Use Starting from $13.95 Commercial Use from $33.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220 R. H. Blyth suggests the translation: A spring unseen of men, - On the back of the mirror, A flowering plum-tree.  [10] Nelson and Saito suggest the translation: A spring no one sees - On a mirror's back Apricot Blossoms.  [5]
(6 designs in catalog)	H3001 - Haiku by Buson - A flash of lightening ... A flash of lightening! The sound of drops Falling among the bamboos inazuma ni koboruru oto ya take no tsuyu Buson buson Personal Use Starting from $14.95 Commercial Use from $34.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220
(7 designs in catalog)	H3002 - Haiku by Buson - In the spring rain ... In the spring rain The pond and the river Have become one.  [11] ike to kawa hitotsu ni narinu haru no ame Buson buson Personal Use Starting from $11.95 Commercial Use from $31.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $200
(8 designs in catalog)	H3003 - Haiku by Basho - In the plum blossom scent ... In the plum blossom scent, the sun pops out, a mountain path ume ga ka ni notto hi no deru yamaji kana 梅が香に のっと日の出る 山路かな Basho bashou 芭蕉 Personal Use Starting from $13.95 Commercial Use from $33.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220 The modern use of the "small tsu" predates this poem. At the time the poem was written, the word and the context determined the pronunciation so today we write "のっと" (read notto)but the original poem wrote "のつと" (also read notto but written as notsuto). In the designs here we use the modern form. R. H. Blyth suggests the translation: Suddenly the sun rose, To the scent of the plum-blossoms Along the mountain path.  [6] Daniel C. Buchanan suggests the translation: On sweet plum blossoms The sun rises suddenly. Look, a mountain path! [32] Buchanan writes, "The combination of the beauty and fragrance of plum blossoms lining the mountain path as the sun appears over the horizon, excites the wonder and admiration of the poet." [32]
(6 designs in catalog)	H3004 - Haiku by Buson - The long slow days of sprint ... The long slow days of spring, piling up, so far away the past osoki hi no tsumorite tooki mukashi kana 遅き日の つもりて遠き 昔かな Buson buson Personal Use Starting from $14.95 Commercial Use from $34.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220 R. H. Blyth suggests the following translation: Slow days passing, accumulating, - How distant they are, The things of the past.  R. H. Blyth writes, "The sense of the passage of time, bound up with the feeling of the evanescence of things is inborn to the Japanese, but intensified by the Indian thought that remained in the Buddhism introduced to Japan." [21]
(8 designs in catalog)	H3005 - Haiku by Buson - Plum-blossoms everywhere ... Plum-blossoms everywhere, I should go south, I should go north. ume ochikochi minami subeku kita subeku Buson buson Personal Use Starting from $13.95 Commercial Use from $33.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220 R. H. Blyth suggests the following translation: Plum-blossoms here and there, It is good to go north. Good to go south.  [8] One also sees the pronunciation minnami which would make the second line seven syllables.
(8 designs in catalog)	H3006 - Haiku by Buson - In the moonlight ... In the moonlight, The color and scent of the wisteria Seems far away. tsuki ni tooku oboyuru fuji no iroka kana 月に遠く おぼゆる藤の 色香かな Buson buson Personal Use Starting from $14.95 Commercial Use from $34.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220
(8 designs in catalog)	H3007 - Haiku by Basho - How admirable ... How admirable, He who thinks not, "Life is fleeting," When he sees the lightning! inazuma ni satoranu hito no tattosa yo 稲妻に さとらぬ人の 貴さよ Basho bashou 芭蕉 Personal Use Starting from $14.95 Commercial Use from $34.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220
(6 designs in catalog)	H3008 - Haiku by Issa - A world of grief and pain ... A world of grief and pain, Flowers bloom, Even then. ku no shaba ya sakura ga sakeba saita tote 苦の娑婆や 桜が咲けば 咲いたとて Issa issa Personal Use Starting from $14.95 Commercial Use from $34.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220

Partial Samples of H3008 Haiku by Issa
A world of grief and pain, flowers bloom, even then.

Haiku Design	Haiku Design Description
(6 designs in catalog)	H3009 - Haiku by Basho - The old pond ... The old pond; A frog jumps in - The sound of water * furu ike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto 古池や 蛙飛込 水の音 Basho bashou 芭蕉 Personal Use Starting from $14.95 Commercial Use from $34.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220 * Translation by R. H. Blyth See "Haiku by the Numbers, Seriously" by William J. Higginson. This is an amazing collection of translations of this one poem. Also see Can the Spirit of Haiku be Translated? by Susumu Takiguchi
(6 designs in catalog)	H3010 - Haiku by Issa - This dewdrop world ... This dewdrop world, is a dewdrop world, and yet ... [0] tsuyu no yo wa tsuyu no yo nagara sari nagara 露の世は 露の世ながら さりながら Issa issa Personal Use Starting from $14.95 Commercial Use from $34.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220   Nelson and Saito suggest the translation: The world of dew is indeed The fleeting world of dew - And yet, and yet. [4] This Dewdrop World ... a dewdrop world it is, and still, although it is ... Henderson writes, "The first line is taken from the scripture comparing the evanescence of life in the world with that of dew. But Issa is not thinking in generalities; he is suffering from the loss of his child. ... A 'Dew-World' though it is, it is no world for dewdrops. They will not stay in it - and, much as he tries to, he can find no solace in the scripture." An Introduction to Haiku page 131 Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan Vol. 1 1925 p. 123 article by Basil Hall Chamberlain Granted this dewdrop world is but A dewdrop worlds, - this granted, yet ... Chamberlain explains the poem as "'Granted that all phenomenon are transitory and valueless, like the dew that forthwith dries up and vanishes, still, when all is said and done, we can not quite afford to throw lie and its joys away. There is some element of permanence in it yet, though it were hard to define this element precisely.' The words in the original are as pretty as the thought itself is graceful and true."
(5 designs in catalog)	H3011 - Haiku by Basho - Taken ill on my travels ... Taken ill on my travels, My dreams roam over the withered moors. * tabi ni yande yume wa kareno wo kake meguru 旅に病んで 夢は枯野を かけ廻る Basho bashou 芭蕉 Personal Use Starting from $14.95 Commercial Use from $34.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220 Of this poem Basho wrote "This is not my death-verse, nor is it not my death-verse. At any rate it is a verse suggested by my illness. But to think of such a matter now that I face the great question of life and death, although it is an art to which I have devoted all my life - it may well be called a delusion." [1] A week after writing this poem Basho would know the answer to the great question.   * This translation really is Miyamori's I'm taken ill while travelling; And my dreams roam o'er withered moors. Taken ill on my travels, My dreams roam over withered moors. [7] R. H. Blyth suggests the translation: Ill on a journey; My dreams wander Over a withered moor.  [6] A year of Japanese epigrams p 89 Near my journey's end, In dreams I trudge the wild, waste moor, And seek a kindly friend. "In this, his last verse, he pictures himself as still wandering on a solitary pilgramage, and, falling ill while crossing a desolate moor, he seeks the house of some charitable friend who will take him in". p 130 Porter, William N. A Year of Japanese Epigrams. London: Oxford University Press, 1911.
(5 designs in catalog)	H3012 - Haiku by Shiki - Lifting up the hatchet ... Lifting up the hatchet To cut it down, It was budding. [9] nata agete kiran to sureba konome kana 鉈あげて きらんとすれば 木の芽かな Shiki shiki 子規 Personal Use Starting from $14.95 Commercial Use from $34.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220
(5 designs in catalog)	H3013 - Haiku by Issa - In this world ... In this world, We walk above hell, Gazing at flowers. [0] yo no naka wa jigoku no ue no hanami kana 世の中は 地獄の上の 花見哉 Issa issa 一茶 Personal Use Starting from $14.95 Commercial Use from $34.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220 David G. Lanoue writes in his excellent website Haiku of Kobayashi Issa, "In it, Issa offers a striking juxtaposition: above, people enjoy a pleasant day of viewing spring blossoms--drinking sake, eating, joking, laughing; while deep below, poor souls suffer the torments of hell. The contrast suggests that, for Issa, the opposite of hell isn't heaven; it's being in this world on a day when the blossoms bloom." [2] R. H. Blyth notes, "Happiness is impossible without forgetting." [3] R. H. Blyth suggests the translation: In this world of ours, We walk on the roof of Hell, Gazing at the flowers. [3] David G. Lanoue suggests the translation: in this world over hell, viewing spring blossoms [2]
(4 designs in catalog)	H3104 - Haiku by Shiki - Three Thousand Haiku ... Three thousand Haiku to examine Two persimmons. [0] sanzen no haiku wo kemishi kaki futatsu 三千の 俳句を閲し 柿二つ Shiki shiki 子規 R. H. Blyth suggests the translation: Examining Three thousand haiku: Two persimmons. R. H. Blyth writes, "In this verse then, Shiki has promised himself two persimmons when he has finished perusing what looks like about three thousand haiku. They are a kind of reward, which spurs him on to finish his labour. The feverish poet lies in bed poring over the verses of nincompoops and poetasters, and ever and anon glances at the two persimmons which wait there to be eaten or not." [15] Writes Timothy L. Jackowski, Takase Studio translator, "This is the only art that I have at work. Eri created this for me as a gift - which makes it even more special. While I do love persimmons, in my case, my persimmon is a five mile run ... or ten. Each person is motivated differently - what gets you through the day? What is your persimmon?
(5 designs in catalog)	H3105 - Haiku by Issa - The bitter part ... The bitter part eaten by the mother, mountain persimmon. [0] shibui toko haha ga kui keri yama no kaki 澁いとこ 母が喰ひけり 山の柿 Issa issa 一茶 R. H. Blyth suggests the two translation: Wild Persimmons, The mother eating The bitter parts. [16] Mountain persimmons; The mother is eating The astringent parts.[19] One end of the persimmon is sweet, the other bitter. The mother gives the sweet end to the child and herself consumes the astringent remains. The self-sacrifice of mothers. This poem always reminds me of a story in Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin where a mother gave the entire chocolate bar, the rarest of treats, to her child. As always seems to happen, a little chocolate ended up on the child's face and she wiped it off with her finger ... and then took a small taste of the sweet for herself.
(4 designs in catalog)	H3016 - Haiku by Buson - The spring sea ... The spring sea, all day ebb and flow, ebb and flow. [0] haru no umi hinemosu notari notari kana 春の海 ひねもすのたり のたりかな Buson buson 蕪村 Personal Use Starting from $14.95 Commercial Use from $34.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220 Daniel C. Buchanan suggests the translation: The sea at springtime. All day it rises and falls, Yes, rises and falls.  Daniel C. Buchanan writes, "The sea at spring, though generally undisturbed by storms, nonetheless moves continuously. So, too, in the life of a person or nation there are always ups and downs and a certain amount of monotony." [20] Asataro Miyamori suggests the translation: Behold! the spring sea undulates And undulates the whole day long. Miyamori goes on to write, "A delightful picture of the halcyon spring sea rises to the mind's eye at once. As far as the eye can travel, the ocean swells and sinks gently and regularly all day long. This original description of the peaceful spring sea, making use of an onomatopoeic adverb notari-notari, is highly successful. The chief merit of this verse consists in the extremely please rhythm of notari-notari which cannot adequately be represented in English." [22] Mason and Caiger suggest the translation: The spring sea - All day long it rose and fell, Rose and fell. [23]
(4 designs in catalog)	H3017 Haiku by Basho - Not spilling the glistening dew ... Not spilling the glistening dew, the bush clover, undulating.[0] shiratsuyu wo kobusanu hagi no uneri kana 白露を こぼさぬ萩の うねりかな Basho bashou 芭蕉 Personal Use Starting from $14.95 Commercial Use from $34.95 Custom Artwork from $135 Custom Scroll Starting from $220 Asataro Miyamori suggests the translation: The lespedeza flowers sway and sway, But not enough to shake down their white dews. Miyamori goes on to write, "The hagi or lespedeza is an autumn herb with graceful pliant stems and little lovely flowers, either red or white. A beautiful verse quite worthy of the graceful flower."  [24]

^[0] Translation by Timothy L. Jackowski, Takase Studios, LLC

^[1] Miyamori, Asataro (1932). An Anthology of Haiku Ancient and Modern. Tokyo: Maruzen Company, Ltd. 60-61.

^[2] Lanoue, David G (1991-2009). Haiku of Kobayashi Issa

^[3] Blyth, R. H. (1963) A History of Haiku Volume One. Tokyo. The Hokuseido Press. 367.

^[4] Nelson, William. Saito, Takafumi (2006) 1020 Haiku in Translation: The Heart of Basho, Buson and Issa. South Carolina. BookSurge Publishing. 197.

^[5] Nelson. 1020 Haiku in Translation. 19.

^[6] Blyth. A History of Haiku Volume One. 107.

^[7] Miyamori. An Anthology of Haiku Ancient and Modern. 218.

^[8] Blyth, R. H. (1982) Haiku, Volume Four: Autumn-Winter. Tokyo. The Hokuseido Press. 984.
^[9] Blyth. Haiku, Volume Four. 985.
^[10] Blyth. Haiku, Volume Four. 992.
^[11] Blyth. Haiku, Volume Four. 992.
^[12] Blyth. Haiku, Volume Four. 1001.
^[13] Blyth. Haiku, Volume Four. 1101.
^[14] Blyth. Haiku, Volume Four. 1103.
^[15] Blyth. Haiku, Volume Four. 1110.
^[16] Blyth. Haiku, Volume Four. 1111.
^[17] Blyth. Haiku, Volume Four. 1120.
^[18] Blyth. Haiku, Volume Four. 1129.

^[19] Blyth, R. H. (1981) Haiku, Volume One: Easter Culture. Tokyo, The Hokuseido Press. 231.

^[20] Buchanan, Daniel C. (1973) One Hundred Famous Haiku. Tokyo, Kenkyusha Printing Co. 23.

^[21] Blyth, R. H. (1982) Haiku, Volume Four: Autumn-Winter. Tokyo. The Hokuseido Press. 984.

^[22] Miyamori. An Anthology of Haiku Ancient and Modern. 460.

^[23] Mason, R. H. P. Caiger, J. G. (1997) A History of Japan: Revised Edition. Tokyo, Tuttle Publishing. 238.

^[24] Miyamori. An Anthology of Haiku Ancient and Modern. 209.

^[25] Miyamori. An Anthology of Haiku Ancient and Modern. 502.

^[26] Byth. A History of Haiku Volume One. 245.

^[27] Miyamori. An Anthology of Haiku Ancient and Modern. 496.

^[28] Blyth. A History of Haiku Volume One. 218.

^[29] Donegan, Patricia. Ishibashi, Yoshie. (1998) Chiyo-ni: Woman Haiku Master. Singapore. Tuttle Publishing. 26.

^[30] Miyamori. An Anthology of Haiku Ancient and Modern. 431.

^[31] Donegan. Chiyo-ni: Woman Haiku Master. 108.

^[32] Buchanan, Daniel C. (1973) One Hundred Famous Haiku. Tokyo, Kenkyusha Printing Co. 13.

Gill, Robin D. (2006) Cherry Blossom Epiphany. Paraverse Press.

Related Sites:

Haiku of Kobayashi Issa - An archive of over 9000 Kobayashi Issa haiku and translations and insightful commentaries.

Jeffrey's Japanese <-> English Dictionary - This is an independent dictionary based on the Edict data maintained by Dr. Jim Breen of Monash University.

Haiku Source - A Selected Collection of Japanese Haiku - Includes a few English translations

Wikipedia - Haiku - Overview of Haiku including brief biographies of Japan's most influential poets

Moonset Literary Newspaper - Dedicated to the Poetic and Visual Studies of Japanese Art Forms

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