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Write like Issa: A Haiku How-To
Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828) was a brilliant master of Japanese haiku. This instructional book offers six lessons on how to write haiku based on examples from Issa and from twenty-first century poets who are following his creative path.
- GenresPoetryNonfictionWriting
111 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 22, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 1, 2026
I fully enjoyed reading David G. Lanoue’s book on Issa’s haiku craft. Chapters included Issa’s compassion, childlike vision, comic vision, use of bold subjectivity, using imagination to go deeper, and he also challenges us to create haiku as “answers” to Issa’s haiku for practice.
Lanoue has written several books on Issa and maintains an online database of over 10,000 Issa haiku he translated called The Haiku of Kobayashi Issa (with a search engine.)
This How-To book is based on Lanoue’s Write Like Issa workshops and includes, not only examples of Issa’s work, but also the work of contemporary haiku poets from a submission call he did in preparing to write this book. It’s a complete study and footnotes are included throughout which provide the original Japanese of Issa’s poem examples in the book. An amazing well organized resource.
Quote from book: “Writing like Issa means writing with the kind of free-flowing imagination that discovers shockingly fresh juxtapositions and revelations.”
My favorite lessons: 1) stop clinging to tragedy (Issa’s life was full of tragedy yet he remained open to the world’s treasures); 2) using imagination in haiku to reach a truth and/or to craft a better haiku juxtaposition is perfectly fine; 3) the subjective (use of ‘I’) in haiku did work for some of Issa’s poems; and 4) the practice of “answering” another poet’s haiku is great practice. I call this last practice “call and response” in my practice.
I feel compelled to share a few of my favorite Issa haiku from each section of the book.
compassion:
the cricket’s
winter residence . . .
my quilt
childlike vision:
moo, moo, moo
from the mist cows
emerge
comic vision:
spring breeze
the great courtier
poops in the field
bold subjectivity:
if only for a day
to have my own house
plum blossoms
deeper imagination:
from the great bronze
Buddha’s nose . . .
a swallow!
I’ll add that, the poems submitted by contemporary poets that appear in the book make a masterful collection and make this book well worth owning. Here is one favorite:
Arlington
the uniformity
of shadows
—Michael Henry Lee
Lanoue has written several books on Issa and maintains an online database of over 10,000 Issa haiku he translated called The Haiku of Kobayashi Issa (with a search engine.)
This How-To book is based on Lanoue’s Write Like Issa workshops and includes, not only examples of Issa’s work, but also the work of contemporary haiku poets from a submission call he did in preparing to write this book. It’s a complete study and footnotes are included throughout which provide the original Japanese of Issa’s poem examples in the book. An amazing well organized resource.
Quote from book: “Writing like Issa means writing with the kind of free-flowing imagination that discovers shockingly fresh juxtapositions and revelations.”
My favorite lessons: 1) stop clinging to tragedy (Issa’s life was full of tragedy yet he remained open to the world’s treasures); 2) using imagination in haiku to reach a truth and/or to craft a better haiku juxtaposition is perfectly fine; 3) the subjective (use of ‘I’) in haiku did work for some of Issa’s poems; and 4) the practice of “answering” another poet’s haiku is great practice. I call this last practice “call and response” in my practice.
I feel compelled to share a few of my favorite Issa haiku from each section of the book.
compassion:
the cricket’s
winter residence . . .
my quilt
childlike vision:
moo, moo, moo
from the mist cows
emerge
comic vision:
spring breeze
the great courtier
poops in the field
bold subjectivity:
if only for a day
to have my own house
plum blossoms
deeper imagination:
from the great bronze
Buddha’s nose . . .
a swallow!
I’ll add that, the poems submitted by contemporary poets that appear in the book make a masterful collection and make this book well worth owning. Here is one favorite:
Arlington
the uniformity
of shadows
—Michael Henry Lee
April 28, 2025
Another take on writing Haiku. The author does a good job of showing how Issa is different than Basho and other Haiku masters. His book illustrates several great Haiku by Issa and examples of other haiku poets with a style similar to Issa. It made me look at my haiku differently. This is a good reference that is well written.
March 24, 2023
great
really great material. charmingly written. I come back to it frequently recommend it both too skilled and the new hai jin
really great material. charmingly written. I come back to it frequently recommend it both too skilled and the new hai jin
June 7, 2018
4.4 stars.
January 13, 2019
I am going to reread parts of it several times.
May 21, 2019
Interesting and very thorough.
Mr Lanoue gives us a thorough introfuction to the art of haiku as well as presenting the life and thinking of Issa, one of its one masters.
Mr Lanoue gives us a thorough introfuction to the art of haiku as well as presenting the life and thinking of Issa, one of its one masters.
August 4, 2019
Haiku emerging
The deep assessment of Issa haiku contemplated with form and substance and conveyed with explanation and examples in great empathy for past and present poets. A poetic and life lesson for the reader to experience and learn from.
The deep assessment of Issa haiku contemplated with form and substance and conveyed with explanation and examples in great empathy for past and present poets. A poetic and life lesson for the reader to experience and learn from.
September 21, 2021
A delight to read and learn from
Issa’s work is very endearing; Lanoue’s deep understanding of Issa makes it even more so. In attempting, with this guidance, to ‘write like Issa’, I feel I have come much closer to appreciating what haiku is at source, and what it can be.
Issa’s work is very endearing; Lanoue’s deep understanding of Issa makes it even more so. In attempting, with this guidance, to ‘write like Issa’, I feel I have come much closer to appreciating what haiku is at source, and what it can be.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews