A is a list of '' kigo'' (seasonal terms) used in haiku and related forms of poetry. An entry in a saijiki usually includes a description of the kigo itself, as well as a list of similar or related words, and some examples of haiku that include that kigo. A is similar, but does not contain sample poems. Modern ''saijiki'' and ''kiyose'' are divided into the four seasons and New Year, with some containing a further section for topics. Each seasonal section is further divided into a standard set of categories, each containing a list of relevant ''kigo''. The most common categories are: * The season * The heavens * The earth * Humanity * Observances * Animals * Plants

Japanese seasons

In the Japanese calendar, seasons traditionally followed the

lunisolar calendar A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, combining lunar calendars and solar calendars. The date of Lunisolar calendars therefore indicates both the Moon phase and the time of the solar year, that is the position of the Sun in the Ea ...

with the solstices and equinoxes at the middle of a season. The traditional Japanese seasons are: * Spring: 4 February–5 May * Summer: 6 May–7 August * Autumn: 8 August–6 November * Winter: 7 November–3 February In categorising kigo, a saijiki or kiyose divides each season into early, middle, and late periods, as follows:Higginson, William J. ''Kiyose (Seasonword Guide)'', From Here Press, 2005, p.24 * Early spring: 4 February–5 March * Mid-spring: 6 March–4 April * Late spring: 5 April–5 May * Early summer: 6 May–5 June * Mid-summer: 6 June–6 July * Late summer: 7 July–7 August * Early autumn: 8 August–7 September * Mid-autumn: 8 September–7 October * Late autumn: 8 October–6 November * Early winter: 7 November–6 December * Mid-winter: 7 December–4 January * Late winter: 5 January–3 February

Examples of saijiki and kiyose

English

The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words
selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto, on Renku Home *

William J. Higginson William J. Higginson (December 17, 1938 – October 11, 2008) was an American poet, translator and author most notable for his work with haiku and renku, born in New York City. He was one of the charter members of the Haiku Society of America, a ...

, ed. ''Haiku world: an international poetry almanac''. Kodansha, 1996.
The Japanese Haiku Topical Dictionary
at the University of Virginia Japanese Text Initiative
World Kigo Database
worldwide saijiki

Japanese

* Masaoka Shiki, ed. ''Kiyose''. 1930 () * Kyoshi Takahama, ed. ''A New Saijiki'', 1934 () * Teiko Inahata, ed. ''The New Hototogisu Saijiki'', 1996 ()

References

External links