Poetry of Chiyo-ni: The Life and Art of Japan's Most Celebrated Woman Haiku Master

by Patricia Donegan, Yoshie Ishibashi, Natalie Goldberg (Foreword)

"Patricia Donegan and Yoshie Ishibashi are to be deeply thanked for having given us with such articulate care a poetry major in any language and in any place or time." —Robert Creeley, poet

Chiyo-ni (1703-1775), also known as Kaga no Chiyo, is Japan's most celebrated female haiku poet. A disciple of Basho's students, she flourished in an era when haiku was predominantly a male-dominated art form. As a poet, painter, and Buddhist nun, Chiyo-ni lived a vibrant life while composing haiku that embody crystalline clarity and delicate sensuality. This volume brings together over one hundred of her finest seasonal haiku, renku (linked verse), and haibun (travel poems).

Highlights of the collection

morning glory
the well bucket entangled
I ask for water

a hundred gourds
from the heart
of one vine

rouged lips
forgotten—
clear spring water

These luminous, lucid translations immerse the reader in Chiyo-ni's unique vision, offering profound moments of stillness and beauty. Each poem encourages us to pause and reflect on the fleeting moments of our lives. This beautifully illustrated volume also includes artwork by Chiyo-ni and other artists, as well as insightful essays about her life and art, informative notes, and a glossary of haiku-related terms.

A remarkable collection for lovers of Japanese poetry, Chiyo-ni's haiku transcend time and culture, providing a timeless invitation to savor the present moment.

Genres: Poetry

259 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2025

Reviews

[Rose Paris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book detailing the life and poetry of Chiyo-ni or Kaga No Chiyo, one of the haiku masters of Japan. Sadly, there has been very little published on her work specifically, in English. This reissue of Patricia Donegan and Yoshei Isibashi's work, is a brilliant contribution and hopefully will make her deservedly better known in the English speaking world.

moonflowers
the beauty
of hidden things

[Rick Jackofsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellently translated and well-researched collection. This book includes plenty of in-depth biographic and historical information about Chiyo-ni and her poetry, along with some valuable insights into the cultural climate of eighteenth-century Japan. My one complaint is the print quality of the Kindle edition. It looks like the type was just scanned and converted to an ebook format, making it a bit difficult to read. I would assume that the type in the printed edition is cleaner and easier to read.