Haiku about Autumn (12)

The other day I happened to see such strange sights at the bank of the Omono River （雄物川） in Akita.

I took some pictures of the autumn local scenes before sunset there, about which I wrote haiku.

Purple

mountains floating

autumn colour

秋色の紫の山浮かびけり

Shushoku no murasaki no yama ukabi　keri

Black flocks

resting in the river

autumn birds

黒群の川面に憩う秋の鳥

Kokugun no kawamo ni ikou aki no tori

―　Hidenori Hiruta

Haiku about Autumn (11)

Soba, like udon and somen, is a typical kind of Japanese noodles. It is made of buckwheat flour. We can eat it hot or cold.

Yesterday I visited redflower buckwheat fields near Lake Tazawa　（田沢湖） at the foot of Mt. Komagadake （駒ヶ岳）in Akita （秋田）.

Red buckwheat

bloom in heights

high spirits

赤い蕎麦気は高揚と岡に咲く

Akai soba ki wa kouyou to oka ni saku

Shop flag sign

fluttering in high tone

fresh soba

新蕎麦や高くひらめく店の旗

Shin soba ya takaku hirameku mise no hata

―　Hidenori Hiruta

Haiku about Autumn (10)

According to Angelica Kolompar, my haiku friend in Canada, they celebrated Thanksgiving Day recently. I wrote haiku about that day after I visited the apple orchard in Akita.

Young apples

approaching their prime

harvest moon

名月や頂近き青りんご

Meigetsu ya itadaki chikaki ao ringo

Divine brush

coloring apples red

Thanksgiving Day

天の刷毛赤いりんごの感謝祭

Ten no hake akai ringo no kanshasai

― Hidenori Hiruta

Haiku about Autumn (9)

At the end of September, I drove up to Mt. Takao （高尾山）, where I took some pictures of the countryside in Akita.　I also wrote haiku after that.

Autumn hue

spreading over the land

the Omono River

秋色や田園深し雄物川

Shuushoku ya denen fukashi Omonogawa

Bear cubs

hunting for chestnuts

harvest moon

名月に熊の子栗を探しけり

Meigetsu ni kuma no ko kuri o sagashi keri

―　Hidenori Hiruta

Haiku about Autumn (8)

I happened to see cosmoses blooming along the river bank in Akita and wrote haiku that day.

Let cosmos

bloom in their own ways

the wind blowing

風そよぐ咲けよコスモス爛漫と

Kaze soyogu sake yo kosumosu ranman to

The cosmos

expressing themselves ―

symphony

コスモスの表す世界調和かな

Kosumosu no arawasu sekai chowa kana

―　Hidenori Hiruta

Haiku about Autumn (7)

We have good harvest time all over Akita. This is one of the most beautiful periods here, just as the name of Akita （秋田） means 'Rice field in autumn'. ' 秋 (Aki)' means 'autumn', and ' 田 (ta)' means 'paddy field'.

Autumn hue

rising clear to eyes

paddy fields

秋色の目にさやかなる稲田かな

Shushoku no me ni sayaka naru inada kana

Abundant ―

waves of rice ears turned

clear golden

豊かさや黄金に染まる稲穂波

Yutakasa ya kogane ni somaru inaho nami

―　Hidenori Hiruta

Haiku about Autumn (6)

Chiyo-ni (Kaga no Chiyo)(千代尼 1703-1775) was a Japanese poet of the Edo period, widely regarded as one of the greatest female haiku poets.

She is perhaps best known for this haiku:

朝顔に釣瓶とられてもらい水

Asagao ni tsurube torare te morai mizu

morning glory!

the well bucket-entangled,

I ask for water

(trans. Donegan and Ishibashi)

My haiku are as follows:

With the sun

do morning glories rise

another day

日と共に朝顔立てる新たなり

Hi to tomoni asagao tateru arata nari

The storm gone

morning glories turn

deeper blue

嵐止む濃き朝顔の青さかな

Arashi yamu koki asagao no aosa kana

― Hidenori Hiruta