This is a list of kigo, which are words or phrases that are associated with a particular season in Japanese poetry. They provide an economy of expression that is especially valuable in the very short haiku, as well as the longer linked-verse forms renku and renga, to indicate the season referenced in the poem or stanza.
Cherry trees from Japan around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.Cherry blossoms (sakura), often simply called blossoms (hana) are a common spring kigo.
Japanese seasons
Until 1872, in the Japanese calendar, seasons traditionally followed the lunisolar calendar with the solstices and equinoxes at the middle of a season. The traditional and contemporary months are approximately one month apart from each other, with the traditional New Year falling between late January and early February. 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
For kigo, each season is then divided into early (初), mid- (仲), and late (晩) periods. For spring, these would be:
Early spring: 4 February – 5 March (February・First lunar month)
Mid-spring: 6 March – 4 April (March・Second lunar month)
Late spring: 5 April – 5 May (April・Third lunar month)
People have lots of special occasions and these are usually one of the most important.
Saijiki and kiyose
Japanese haiku poets often use a saijiki, a book like a dictionary or almanac for kigo. An entry in a saijiki usually includes a description of the kigo itself, as well as a list of similar or related words, and a few examples of haiku that include that kigo. A kiyose is similar, but contains only lists of kigo. Modern saijiki and kiyose are divided into the four seasons and New Year, with some containing a further section for seasonless (muki) topics. Each section is divided into a standard set of categories, each containing the relevant kigo. The most common categories are:
The season (時候 jikō)
The sky and heavens (天文 tenmon)
The earth (地理 chiri)
Humanity (生活 seikatsu)
Observances (行事 gyōji)
Animals (動物 dōbutsu)
Plants (植物 shokubutsu)
This is a list of both Japanese and non-Japanese kigo. If the kigo is a Japanese word, or if there is a Japanese translation in parentheses next to the English kigo, then the kigo can be found in most major Japanese saijiki.
[note: An asterisk (*) after the Japanese name for the kigo denotes an external link to a saijiki entry for the kigo with example haiku that is part of the "Japanese haiku: a topical dictionary" website.]
usui (雨水 lit. "rain water") – Second solar term; approx. 19 February
signs of spring (春めく haru meku)
shunkan (春寒) – cold weather in early spring
mid-spring (March・Second lunar month)
Kisaragi (如月 lit. "like the moon" or 衣更着 lit. "wearing more clothes") – Second lunar month (present-day February)
March (三月 sangatsu) – when using the solar calendar
keichitsu (啓蟄) – Third solar term; approx 6 March. Literally translated "awakening hibernating insects", when insects come out of the ground, believed to occur on the first day of the lunar month.
twittering (囀り saezuri) – all spring – the chirping of songbirds
Japanese bush warbler (鶯 uguisu (sometimes translated as Japanese nightingale), Cettia diphone) – early spring – the bird is used as an example of sweet sounds. Uguisu were mentioned in the preface to the Kokin Wakashū. It is often associated with ume blossoms and new growth in early Japanese waka and is regarded as a harbinger of spring (春告鳥 harutsugedori, lit. "bird which announces the arrival of Spring").
cherry blossoms (桜 sakura) and cherry blossom-viewing (花見 hanami) – late spring (April) – for the Japanese, cherry blossoms are such a common topic that in just mentioning blossoms (hana) in haiku it is assumed they are cherry blossoms. Hanami is an occasion for partying with friends or coworkers.
summer (夏 natsu); other combinations are to become like summer (夏めく natsu meku), end of summer (夏の果て natsu no hate). summer holidays (夏休み natsu yasumi) primarily refers to the school holiday.
May (皐月 satsuki or 五月 gogatsu), June (水無月 minazuki or 六月 rokugatsu), July (文月 fumizuki, fuzuki or 七月 shichigatsu)
hot (暑し atsushi), hotness (暑さ atsusa) and hot day (暑き日 atsuki hi); also, anything related to the heat, including sweat (汗 ase) and in contemporary haiku, air conditioning (冷房 reibō)
koinobori – ornament of Tango no sekku. Early summer.
A-Bomb Anniversary (6 August) (原爆忌 genbakuki) – Either summer or autumn due to the proximinity between traditional and modern calendars
Tango no sekku (端午の節句) – traditional festival for boys on 5 May (See Hinamatsuri in spring for the girls' festival).
Festival (祭 matsuri) is applied to summer festivals of Shinto for purification. Traditionally, it referred to the festival of Kamo Shrine in Kyoto, however as kigo it can be applied to all local Shinto festivals.
The traditional date of Tanabata is 7th day of the 7th month of the Japanese calendar, which falls in early Autumn. The modern use of the Gregorian one has moved the observance to 7 July, which has resulted in a dispute as to whether Tanabata should be treated as a summer kigo.[citation needed]
Animals
insects (虫 mushi), mainly it implies singing one.
crickets (蟋蟀 kōrogi) – all autumn (August–October) – noted for the singing of the males.
Christmas (クリスマス kurisumasu or 降誕祭 kōtansai) – this is a modern kigo and uncommon in the Edo period.
New Year's Eve (大晦日 ōmisoka 年の夜 toshi no yo or 除夜 joya), and the New Year's Eve party (年忘 toshiwasure)
Kan (寒 kan lit. "coldness") – days from 5–6 January until 4–5 February, originating from the Chinese 24 seasonal periods. Also daikan (lit. "great coldness") a period that begins around 20 January.
whale watching (鯨見 kujirami) – the number of whales off the coast peak at different times of the year depending on the region. In Japan, whales are most often seen during the winter.
As in many other cultures, the Japanese New Year is an important time of year for celebrations and there are many activities associated with it that may be mentioned in haiku. Before Japan began using the Gregorian calendar in 1873, the Japanese New Year was at the beginning of spring. Many of these terms reflect the traditional calendar system.
New Year's Day (元旦 gantan) – refers to the dawn or morning of New Year's Day
Old Year (旧年 kyūnen or furutoshi)
Little New Year (小正月 koshōgatsu) – traditionally celebrated on the 15th day of the month during the full moon
Women's New Year (女正月 onnashōgatsu) – same as above, referring to women who were too busy to celebrate the actual new year, especially in Osaka and Kyoto regions.
The sky and heavens
First Day (初日 hatsuhi)
First Sky (初空 hatsusora or hatsuzora) – the sky on New Year's morning
first laughter ( hatsuwarai or waraizome) – indicating good fortune
Each day of first week of the new year is treated as kigo, such as the seventh day of the new year (七日 nanoka, lit. "the seventh day").
Humanity
kadomatsu* (門松) – a traditional decoration usually made of pine and bamboo that is placed on the gate or outer doorway
toshidama (年玉) – the custom of giving pocket money to children
toso (屠蘇) – a ritual mulled sake only drunk on New Year's Day
osechi (御節) – traditional Japanese New Year's Day food
zōni (雑煮) * – a traditional vegetable broth with mochi
Festival of Seven Herbs (七草の節句 Nanakusa no sekku) – a festival centered around eating seven-herb congee (七草粥nanakusagayu)
first writing (書初 kakizome) – the first calligraphy written around the New Year
Haiku World: An International Poetry Almanac by William J. Higginson, Kodansha International 1996 ISBN4-7700-2090-2 (An international haiku saijiki with over 1,000 haiku and senryu from poets in 50 countries covering 680 seasonal topics)
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