Mayumi Itoh

Haikus of All Seasons VI Mayumi Itoh

This book is the sixth anthology of the original haikus written by this author. The themes for this anthology embrace two of the seven major themes of haiku: 1) daily life or humanity; 2) events or observances, such as traditional seasonal events and religious ceremonies and rituals. This volume is dedicated to the victims of the Minamata Disease, mercury poisoning by industrial waste dumped in the Shiranui (Yatsushiro) Sea, Kumamoto prefecture, as well as to Ishimure Michiko (1927-2018), who was a 'Japanese Rachel Carson.' She fought for the fishermen in Minamata, who had fallen victim to the Minamata Disease. The haikus for February feature them. This is a unique bilingual anthology and presents each haiku in both Japanese and English so that non-Japanese-speaking readers can appreciate it. In order to enhance understanding, the identification of the season word of the haiku, as well as some explanations of the cultural and historical backgrounds are given where applicable. Enjoy!