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A Brief History of Haiku

By:  Deborah Russell

The development of haiku is related to and depends on individual experience and relationships with nature as well as all living things.  Perhaps being sensitive to nature and the nature of things is the essential and key element in the ability to encompass philosophy, humour, and experience, etc. in such a short poetic form. All experience must contribute to the depth and relativity of haiku, but how much is a question that would take years to study.

I believe "revelations" or Zen-like moments play a large part in many forms of poetic expression but are the essence of haiku however, the world of haiku has many paths. I also believe this same intrinsic value(s) is relative to visual art and interpretations in math, science, music and other fine arts.

I know, from childhood, the "creative" moments and periods of creativity or productivity and the difference between emotionally driven conceptualizations vs. intrinsic inspiration in my own work.

I was asked recently, why my haiku do not seem to be haiku, and how can one determine the difference between haiku and senryu. I responded quickly (perhaps too quickly) with an answer, I hoped would satisfy the questions. I also referred the person to several authors, such as: Susumu Takiguchi, Dr. Bruce Ross, William Higginson, James Hackett, Jim Kaician, Lee Gurga, George Swede and resources, such as Kenneth Yasuda's "Japanese Haiku", Dr. Bruce Ross' "How To Haiku , Susumu Takiguchi's Essays and Deborah Woolward-Bender's articles (World Haiku Review) and Ikuyo Yoshimura/Mitsugu Abe's "Haiku No Susume",  which provide the best advice on defining the subtle differences in these forms.

Below, are some concepts of the differences between haiku and senryu, gleaned from a variety of experts, resources and experiences with this highly respected and honoured Japanese form(s).

Haiku: serious nature poems; usually with a kigo or season word, (ki =season) typically relative to the climate in which the haijin lives. (a haijin in Australia would probably write spring and summer haiku while the greater part of the western part of the world would write fall and winter haiku)
Senryu:  humourous human-centered poems; might include expected or unexpected characteristics or behavior, could also include specific traits,  widely accepted as common knowledge and can include satire and irony
Haiku/Senryu, the grey areas:
A) serious human-centered poems;  usually concerned with disease, death, helplessness or personal loss.
B) humourous nature poems; uncharacteristic and humourous events or typical and humourous traits found in weather, plant and animal life.

Poems in  these areas are difficult to classify and cause most people problems.  If someone insists on categorizing  poems which fall in the grey area, they should exercise discretion based on the tone or overall mood of the poem.

A simple solution would be to determine if a poem is serious, if so, it is more likely A poems would be haiku.

Some people assume, if a poem is humourous, even those written about nature, that it is a senryu, but even in B poems, most likely the poems would be considered haiku, rather than senryu.

The final discernment and naming of a poem depends on the poem itself. Most haijins tend to think of the senryu as if it were a sub category of haiku, and accept nearly all examples of grey area poems as haiku.

It seems everyone is an expert on forms, especially if they have taken to writing them and assume they have mastered the elements so well they can begin to critique the works of others. Let me first state ego is not a particularly good element in any form of poetry, and has little place in the world of Haiku.

Before a poet can assume to assume the role of critic, or even assume the impossible, that they have become a Basho incarnate, they must become at least a fair and just haijin.

In order to do that, you must first consider each and every haiku poet comes from his or her own personal perspective of the world around them. You can not assume that a poet who speaks five languages and traveled from Tokyo to Brazil, will write the same haiku as a poet who lives and works in inner city Chicago and who has never been outside of the city. Yet both are capable of being exceptional Haiku poets and both are capable of allowing us, as reader, to share the wondrous AHA moment, knowing smile or revelation, that we expect from this form.

The best way for any haijin to become a better haijin is to be a constant and steadfast student. No matter what age and no matter how long you write haiku, life changes and experiences change and we, as writers of haiku must be in tune with changes.

For those of you who disagree, perhaps you have mastered the art of Haiku so much so, you feel impelled to critique and analyze all forms of expressions and experiences that you have never had. My congratulations goes out to you, for you, my friend, have mastered the impossible. For those in agreement, please consider the following definitions of Haiku:

Haiku Society of America: An unrhymed Japanese poem recording the essence of a moment keenly perceived, in which Nature is linked to human nature. It usually consists of seventeen onji.

Dhugal J. Lindsay's definition: 'Short poem of rhythmical structure, between 7 and 17 syllables in length. It contains a reference to a seasonal or otherwise natural entity, is concrete, and illuminates some aspect of the Existence of one or more of the elements or entities within the poem.'

Harold G. Henderson surmises: 'Primarily it is a poem; and being a poem it is intended to express and evoke emotion... haiku is a very short poem... more concerned with human emotions than with human acts, and natural phenomena are used to reflect human emotion.'

Jim Kacian arrived at the following: 'Haiku is a poetic form of Japanese origin now written world wide; examples of which contain a core of poetic truth; distilled from experience deeply felt and keenly perceived, as characterized by brevity, immediacy, juxtaposition of two images, resonance; and typically written in 1 to 17 syllables.'

Denis Garrison brings this to the discussion of defining Haiku : "Definition : Haiku (in English) is a poem characterized by brevity, intense effect, imagism, kigo, and kireji. In more detail, haiku is characterized:
1. by extreme brevity, omitting all unnecessary words yet achieving rhythm;
2. by intensity of effect, using suggestion maximally, transformative of the reader because the wealth of immanent meaning has a transient effect upon the reader;
3. by imagism, a radical realization of the principle of the objective correlative, mineralizing or even excluding objectivity;
4. by inclusion of a word which is context-setting (kigo, keyword), thereby increasing the ability of the lines to carry content; and
5. by a pausing feature (referred to as a cutting-word or kireji) which divides the poem or marks the nexus of two elements (whether juxtaposed or harmonious) which comprise the poem, thereby adding further complexity, meaning and resonance; which usually marks the end of a line in 2-line, 3-line, 4-line poems; and which can be represented in English with punctuation, e.g., dashes, colons, semicolons, commas, ellipses, exclamation points."

Keeping all of the above definitions in mind, let's consider some notions and concepts that have been tossed about as Haiku "truths". Mainly you will discover in your exploration, because of the great number of people who are misinformed, that conclusions such as form "must always be 5,7,5" or never use "ing" are not Haiku truths, and that even experts have some "haziness" or grey areas, as to what can or can not be accepted as true haiku form.

Perhaps that is because haiku in the English language is evolving and will continue to evolve as we, the poets continue to write and as our language continues to evolve. In other words, what is good today, may mean something entirely different next year or the year following.

As for myself? I will remain a haijin and continue to observe, write and experience life in many poetic forms. Hopefully, in doing so, my work will be recognized as having some minor educational value or at least hold some substance for the reader which nears a perspective of a haiku truth. An  important concept to understand, is how experience and constant changes in our societies, technologies and environments shapes our expression and influences our art, no matter the form or genre our expression takes.

In Japan, haiku is a serious art form and great care is taken when discerning the differences between haiku and senryu.

It is believed that haiku as we know it, developed from the ancient Japanese form of tanka. The tanka, in turn, is thought to be adapted from ancient Korean and Chinese forms and in particular the form called waka.

Haiku (or "hokku" = starting verse of a verse chain) is the shortest literature form in the world. The word, haiku is of Japanese origin and can be translated to "short verse". It has been a traditional poetic form in Japan for over 700 years, during which time haiku lyrics were adopted into other languages and world literature.

Haiku are short verses; written in Japanese, haiku usually have 17 syllables, in English the verses can have as little as three syllables and as many as seventeen, which depends basically on the accepted practices within various cultures but when written in English, the haiku expressed with 17 syllables do not relate to 17 syllables in Japanese language. When haiku is written in English a close proximity of syllabic count would be more like 7 to 10 syllables.  Haiku are traditionally written in English, in a form with 3 lines and a natural rhythmic structure. Modern haikuists use many forms, which may include two lines, juxtaposition of lines and  haiku written as a single line.

The common school of thought believes haiku should be read in the dimensions of a breath. Rhymes do not normally play a role in Western haiku, but alliterations, resonance and rhythm of syllables are part of the structure. Haiku in other languages have created flexibility in form and structure. Many poets are writing haiku expressing nature with the diversity of contemporary thought.

Rhyme is clearly visible in some European haiku such as in Hungary and relative to traditional forms in Western Asia, Egypt, Lebanon, Israel and South Africa but not particularly in France, Germany, Croatia, Romania, Spain or Italy.

Because the haiku form was developed in the Japanese language it is most suited for the expression of haiku. Japanese is organized into syllables. In the Japanese language the letters hiranga and katakana always describes/means a syllable instead of a single letter. Because of the limited number of syllables it is usual for a word to have more than one meaning, which must be understood within the context. Each Japanese language syllable consists of a consonant followed by a vowel, and the number of syllables is strictly limited (less than 100). There are only a few non-syllable sounds (vowels and the letter "n").

To keep the authenticity of a Japanese haiku is a difficult task, because delicacy and ambiguity are not easily translated into other languages.  There are hundreds of "schools" of haiku. Each school is similar yet unique in their philosophies, particular environment, nature and they are unique in the fact there are several hundred Japanese dialects. This is true of most languages and a translator must have an idea of the original meaning of the haiku poet and the haiku and have the ability to describe it with the words in another language to get close to the actual meaning or mode of the original.

In the traditional haiku form, nature and human nature are linked through a keenly perceived moment. Haiku rarely make use of metaphor or other poetic device, relying on direct observation of nature, particularly of the seasons. Good haiku are not dependent on the understanding of Japanese language or based on strict formal rules. The "haiku" effect comes with the character of the contents - independent of the language used in the poetic form.

(Example of author's haiku)

Tokyo underground ~
walking far below
Basho's steps

English haiku is difficult to describe, in the sense that  as an international form, either written in English or transliterated into English there are slight cultural nuances which prevent  intricate explanation. Its concrete form makes in depth descriptions appear almost ridiculous. A general concept of haiku holds certain traditions which are easily understood and explained.

In its basic three line form, the first two lines prepare the reader for the last line, which leads quickly to the reality presented. It urges the reader to take part in the creation of the work. Therefore, it gains a depth that cannot be reached with merely reading the words. A haiku is free of ambition and aims. In its directness or subtleness, it puts readers directly into a situation or thought. The haiku aims not to influence the reader, but offer cause effect by means of participation.

Good haiku react alone. In other words, when haiku is written in sequential forms, or written as illustrative forms such as photo-haiku or haiga, the haiku should work with or without the imagery.  When reading haiku it is best to try to not reflect automatically, or see haiku as a "thing" but  try to "experience" it.

Haiku can not be dissected in the literal sense;  the choice of words, the formal rhythm, and stylistical means are approaches for an experience which can not be described quite as well, in other forms of writing. Haiku can be considered the language of Zen moments, or experienced as bits of spiritual awakenings.

Explicit arts try to explain whole meanings and therefore usually does not  accomplish it's "goals". Haiku, however is the art of suggestion and indication and, on the contrary, is as open and deep as our mind and spirit conceives.

Haiku poems should be experienced as individual elements and savored before reading consecutive verse, even or especially in the forms of renku and other "haiku" sequences. A good idea is to tread slowly through the paths of each haiku, to take time to contemplate the depth and layers of meaning presented in each verse.

The theme of a haiku refers to nature (seasonal word=kigo), although 'nature' can be interpreted in a global sense, e.g. : haiku may also deal with love and personal relationships and have human elements when using images from nature to describe it otherwise it is interpreted in the "style" of a senyru. To read a haiku means to experience impressions, the atmosphere or the feelings which occurred. (example by author)

spring's perfume -
the rainfall's coolness
warms a smile

In history, haiku developed in the 16th and 17th century from the renga, a string poem which is longer but has a similar syllabic form. In the 17th century haiku flourished due to several competitions of great Japanese poets. Hokku, the significant first verse of the renga was separated gradually into several hokku styles (including the tanka which precedes these forms) and several new forms were developed. It is originally thought that tanka developed from ancient Korean and Chinese poetic forms.

In the 17th Century, Matsuo Basho a Japanese master poet and monk, who lived from 1644-1694, began working with the haiku form and the art of haiku was greatly influenced by his work. Basho is known throughout the world as the first great haiku poet and is sometimes referred to as "the father of haiku". Matsuo Basho, established haiku in the form that it is known today, with the same strong characteristic contents we know. He is also considered to be the originator of  the combined form of prose and haiku writing that we call haibun, through the journals he kept while traveling throughout Japan.

Basho's haiku is known for karumi (a feeling of lightness) and the aesthetic ideals: sabi and wabi. Sabi implies contented solitariness, and  is associated with the monastic experience when a high degree of detachment is cultivated. Wabi can be described as the spirit of poverty and appreciation of those things common and ordinary which are in turn, realized as extraordinary. Basho believed in the aesthetic concept of Shasei  the observation of  natural, commonplace events, which are described in the simplest words, as in his travel journals.


Basho developed the starting verse or hokku into a poem in its own right. Haikai included the hokku (starting verse) which was considered the most important part of the poem.

Hokku had two principal requirements: a seasonal word (kigo) and a cutting word (kireji) or exclamation.
Basho infused both sensitivity and sensibility into his writing.  He abandoned traditional syllabic limitations to achieve his goals and began to use the hokku as an independent poem.

In the beginning it was simply called the hokku. Later it was called the haikai, from the title of the full linked poem haikai-no-renga. Today, it is called the haiku. Shiki renamed the hokku as haiku late in the 19th Century. Some other known writers of haiku poetry are Issa, Buson, and Kikaku.

When the haiku structure is used to comment on the human condition or to relate to subjects other than seasons or nature, the poem is often called a senryu, rather than haiku, unless the poet did indeed intend the use of metaphor.

One definition of senryu is a Japanese form in the Japanese language using seventeen syllables in three lines. Unlike the Haiku, a senryu doesn't have to refer to a season. In earlier versions of English senryu, there are five syllables on the first line, seven syllables on the second line, and five syllables on the last line. (the same as haiku) As with haiku, this is strictly a technical definition of a senryu and does not reflect contemporary schools or minimalist forms, which are highly preferred in present day writing.

However, you don't have to stick to traditional forms and  rules as if they were written in stone. The object of writing poetry is the "poetic experience". By experimenting and being creative, you can bend the rules or modify them to suit your expression. As with any art, learn the rules, follow the rules and then forget the rules.

The tanka form has been the most popular poetic form and the basic unit of poetry in Japan for more than 1,300 years. Tanka means short poem. Tanka often contain metaphor and use personification and other poetic devices. Tanka predominated haiku, in Japan during the 9th to the 14th centuries. In the English language, the tanka form usually consists of 31 syllables distributed in five lines: 5-7-5-7-7. You will obviously note that the first three lines correspond to the  traditional haiku form, this is not accidental. To distinguish this time of development when tanka was written by two people, we now call the poem the tan renga -- which loosely means 'short linked poem'. It was a challenge for poets, and basically became the pastime of early women writers of the Emperor's Court.

The tanka form was also popular among lovers in the courts. After a romantic evening, a haiku was written by the female with a tanka response written by the male. In this manner the lovers could exchange notes without the knowledge of the servants.

It is interesting to note, that in modern interpretations of this romantic exchange, people tend to write pretensions and embellishments which are unrefined  and  in the process of trying to hard to develop a poetic exchange, they demean the process of collaboration and present work that is forced and artificial which is not the objective of tanka.

The tanka was also used by the courts as a means of secretly conveying messages pertaining to businesses and the military, which lends an element of intrigue and suspense to the exchange. 

In earlier history, when poets began to use the form as a competitive exercise one person would write the first part of the linked poem (which was in the form of a riddle) and then send it to another person who would write the capping lines.

This was a serious pastime in the Emperor's Court and if a poetic reply was not returned it was considered rude. It was also preferable to refuse to answer rather than provide a poorly composed reply.

Today, many schools still maintain this concept as a serious art form, and work hard to develop tanka which is of respectable and admirable quality.

(A tanka by the author)

summer quickly gone -
autumn blankets the rice fields
spring seems far away
how many sun-burnt leaves fall
before the winter bites hard?

A poem longer than the five lines of a tanka with additional and alternating lines of five and seven syllables always ending with a pair of seven syllable lines is called a choka. which is the term used for long poems. There are several Japanese poetic forms in addition to the haiku, senryu and the tanka, which are various forms of linked verse.

The linked verse began to expand to include 100, 500, or 1,000 verses of alternate symbol patterns. These long poems were called haikai-no-renga. Haikai means 'playful' or 'comic'. It was by the 10th Century that the fashion changed and the break in the tanka 5-7-5 (break) 7-7 symbol sounds. The first verse or starting verse of the haikai-no-renga then became a poem in three parts of 5-7-5 symbol sounds. This verse is called the hokku.

During the Heian period of Japanese culture (700-1100), a 7th century form was developed that was called sedoka and was used in a question-and-answer format to reveal riddles. The sedoka is considered the forerunner of the renga, which developed as a form of collaborative tanka writing. One person would write the first three lines (5-7-5), and the second poet would answer with two lines (7-7). Sedoka is considered the lyric version of haiku and tanka and is known as a song writing form.

Sedoka is an excellent form for collaboration, is provides a venue for active participation without limiting the subject. It also provides the element of challenge, which can be an exciting endeavor when matching wit, philosophy and humour.

Deborah Russell © 2001

(revisions: 2002, 2003, 2004)

"A Brief History of Haiku" by D Russell, has received over seven thousand reader views and is highly recommended for both content and subject."

This is the third posting, of this article, on the AD website.   
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Deborah Russell

Member WHC, Tanka Society of America, World Haiku Festival, Akita, Japan -2002, Basho Journey- Kamakura and Kyoto - 2002,  Haiku North America 2003 NYC, Tanka Society NYC.  Published in: Haiku No Susume (Japan Times), 57th Basho Festival Anthology(Japan), Sumama de Haicai, World Haiku Review and Tapestry (Karachi, Pakistan), Manichi (Japan), many others.