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Haiku (Volume I): Eastern Culture
Reginald Horace Blyth (1898-1964) was a prime mover in the popularization of haiku and Zen philosophy in western culture. Born in England, Blyth spent most of his working life in Japan, where he acted as a professor of English and foreign liaison, and became a great admirer of Japanese poetry. Long considered by haiku enthusiasts an essential resource for English-speaking readers, Blyth's four-volume haiku anthology is a testament to his love and deep understanding of this singular art form. Presenting the best work of Japan's haiku masters alongside his own lucid commentary, Blyth's volumes communicate the true meaning and spirit of haiku in a way rarely accessible to western readers.
In Haiku Vol. I (Eastern Culture), Blyth introduces the reader to the many aspects of Japanese culture that contributed to the formation of haiku, among them religion, Zen, selflessness, loneliness, humor, and puns, with examples taken from the poetry of Basho, Issa, Buson, and others.
In Haiku Vol. I (Eastern Culture), Blyth introduces the reader to the many aspects of Japanese culture that contributed to the formation of haiku, among them religion, Zen, selflessness, loneliness, humor, and puns, with examples taken from the poetry of Basho, Issa, Buson, and others.
502 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1949
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About the author
R.H. Blyth
79 books40 followersReginald Horace Blyth was an English author, interpreter, translator, devotee of Japanese culture and English Professor, having lived in Japan for eighteen years.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 20, 2008
Recognized as the authoritative anthology of Japanese haiku, in four volumes. Presented in Japanese kana/kanji, transliteration, and translation into English. Also insightful comments by Professor Blyth.
Having lived in Japan most of his life, R.H. Blyth was aware of subtle nuances of Japanese culture which are an integral part of the composition of each haiku poem, and that many occidentals would not be aware of.
Rarely a day passes that I don't open one of the 4 volumes of R.H. Blyth's Haiku anthology.
Volume One - Eastern Culture
Volume Two - Spring
Volume Three - Summer
Volume Four - Autumn, Winter [plus complete index]
Having lived in Japan most of his life, R.H. Blyth was aware of subtle nuances of Japanese culture which are an integral part of the composition of each haiku poem, and that many occidentals would not be aware of.
Rarely a day passes that I don't open one of the 4 volumes of R.H. Blyth's Haiku anthology.
Volume One - Eastern Culture
Volume Two - Spring
Volume Three - Summer
Volume Four - Autumn, Winter [plus complete index]
June 13, 2022
This in an interesting read that can be considered the introduction to Blyth's four volume Haiku series. As the title state, this book focuses heavily on the aspects of Eastern culture that formed haiku into what it is understood to be today. The following volumes act mainly as haiku almanacs (saijiki) for the common topics and seasonal references (kigo) used for the seasons seasons: New Year/Spring (Volume II), Summer/Fall (Volume III), and Winter (Volume IV). With this series originally being published from 1949-1952, the 2o21 edition of this series published by Angelico Press gives a new generation of poets a chance to reflect on R.H. Blyth's introduction to haiku to the Western world.
The preface makes it clear that a major topic of this first volume will be the association between haiku and Zen. To begin, Zen is given two definitions in its contextual use for the first volume of this series: (1) the state of mind that removes separation from all other things and (2) as religious practice. Haiku is given two definitions as well: (1) the literal plural form of the poems and (2) the form as a way of life or personal religion. The religious theme will continue throughout the book, but Blyth is more true to the form of haiku over the practice of Zen.
This volume then is split into five major sections, with the first section being titled "The Spiritual Origins of Haiku." This acts as an examination of the progression of religion/school of thought(Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto) and Eastern art forms (Chinese poetry, Oriental art, Waka (or Tanka), Renku, etc.) that had a direct impact on the formation and understanding of haiku.
The second section, "Zen, the State of Mind for Haiku," focuses on 13 virtues that are associated with Zen that have been a common theme in historic (and even modern) haiku: selflessness, loneliness, grateful acceptance, wordlessness, non-intellectuality, contradictoriness (titled contradiction later in the book), humor, freedom, non-morality, simplicity, materiality, love, and courage. Though these virtues are stated to be directly connected to Zen, this section acts more as a history and explanation of the practical use of these virtues within haiku.
Section III is titled "Haiku and Poetry," which is split into three parts: "Haiku and Poetry," which has a focus on how haiku compares to a definition of poetry; "Haiku in English Poetry," which examines the major differences in Eastern and Western poets, while also affirming some forms of English poetry and prose to be in a similar spirit to haiku; and "Poetry," which is a broad focus on the effective use of poetry and how haiku is a wonderful form for that type of expression.
Section IV, "The Four Great Haiku Poets," gives a very brief history on who have been widely considered the greatest masters of the haiku form: Bashō, Buson, Issa, and Shiki. This is an extremely common topic in haiku literature, so I will not expound too much on it with this review.
The final section is a review of "The Technique of Haiku." The list is not exhaustive, but does give a helpful commentary on nine particular techniques historically used in the writing of haiku: humor (specifically puns); brevity; the nature of the Japanese language as related to haiku; onomatopoeia; the 5-7-5 form; cutting words (kireji), haiku sequences (haikai/hokku no renga, and renku); the seasons and seasonal classification; and methods of translation/interpretation.
The book closes with a few appendices on the referenced information and writers in this volume, and with the context of the first volume of R.H. Blyth's Haiku series completed, we are ready to start "absorbing" the historic haiku included in the next three volumes!
My review of 4 stars (which I take as I will definitely read it again) should be clear on how I felt about the book, but I will give a few pros and cons below as well.
Pros
This book is very accessible for a historic analysis of the (what he would call) practice of haiku. The sections are well separated and stay on topic, real effort and multiple resources were used in each section, and it is refreshing to hear real passion being expressed in what could just be viewed as a analytical examination on a poetry that is foreign to many different peoples. Section II and V were the strongest in my opinion. The ability to use self-awareness to interpret and feel haiku as a reader is not easy, and the overview of common haiku virtues and techniques can help the reader develop that skill specifically. Section I is very interesting and is not a very accessible topic anywhere other than books like this.
Cons
A lot of this book, at least to me, feels like a Zen sermon. Although many of the comments made on the religious aspects of haiku are very helpful, they can quickly come of as sensational. Though section I is specialized and helpful, the order of information presented and a chart presented as a visual assistant for the author's point were very confusing. Section III is the least accessible section of this book, and feels a little bit misplaced when considering the content of the other sections. Though it may not have been true at the time of the original publishing of this series, there are much better resources on the four masters of haiku.
This review is not meant to be an exhaustive commentary on all of the different topics and sections of this book, but I do hope that it proves to be helpful for potential readers. Whether the reader is a haiku poet (haijin) or not, there is much to gain from Blyth's first volume of his Haiku series!
The preface makes it clear that a major topic of this first volume will be the association between haiku and Zen. To begin, Zen is given two definitions in its contextual use for the first volume of this series: (1) the state of mind that removes separation from all other things and (2) as religious practice. Haiku is given two definitions as well: (1) the literal plural form of the poems and (2) the form as a way of life or personal religion. The religious theme will continue throughout the book, but Blyth is more true to the form of haiku over the practice of Zen.
I understand Zen and poetry to be practically synonyms, but as I said before, if there is ever imagined to be any conflict between Zen and the poetry of haiku, the Zen goes overboard: poetry is the ultimate standard.
This volume then is split into five major sections, with the first section being titled "The Spiritual Origins of Haiku." This acts as an examination of the progression of religion/school of thought(Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto) and Eastern art forms (Chinese poetry, Oriental art, Waka (or Tanka), Renku, etc.) that had a direct impact on the formation and understanding of haiku.
The second section, "Zen, the State of Mind for Haiku," focuses on 13 virtues that are associated with Zen that have been a common theme in historic (and even modern) haiku: selflessness, loneliness, grateful acceptance, wordlessness, non-intellectuality, contradictoriness (titled contradiction later in the book), humor, freedom, non-morality, simplicity, materiality, love, and courage. Though these virtues are stated to be directly connected to Zen, this section acts more as a history and explanation of the practical use of these virtues within haiku.
Section III is titled "Haiku and Poetry," which is split into three parts: "Haiku and Poetry," which has a focus on how haiku compares to a definition of poetry; "Haiku in English Poetry," which examines the major differences in Eastern and Western poets, while also affirming some forms of English poetry and prose to be in a similar spirit to haiku; and "Poetry," which is a broad focus on the effective use of poetry and how haiku is a wonderful form for that type of expression.
Section IV, "The Four Great Haiku Poets," gives a very brief history on who have been widely considered the greatest masters of the haiku form: Bashō, Buson, Issa, and Shiki. This is an extremely common topic in haiku literature, so I will not expound too much on it with this review.
The final section is a review of "The Technique of Haiku." The list is not exhaustive, but does give a helpful commentary on nine particular techniques historically used in the writing of haiku: humor (specifically puns); brevity; the nature of the Japanese language as related to haiku; onomatopoeia; the 5-7-5 form; cutting words (kireji), haiku sequences (haikai/hokku no renga, and renku); the seasons and seasonal classification; and methods of translation/interpretation.
The book closes with a few appendices on the referenced information and writers in this volume, and with the context of the first volume of R.H. Blyth's Haiku series completed, we are ready to start "absorbing" the historic haiku included in the next three volumes!
My review of 4 stars (which I take as I will definitely read it again) should be clear on how I felt about the book, but I will give a few pros and cons below as well.
Pros
This book is very accessible for a historic analysis of the (what he would call) practice of haiku. The sections are well separated and stay on topic, real effort and multiple resources were used in each section, and it is refreshing to hear real passion being expressed in what could just be viewed as a analytical examination on a poetry that is foreign to many different peoples. Section II and V were the strongest in my opinion. The ability to use self-awareness to interpret and feel haiku as a reader is not easy, and the overview of common haiku virtues and techniques can help the reader develop that skill specifically. Section I is very interesting and is not a very accessible topic anywhere other than books like this.
Cons
A lot of this book, at least to me, feels like a Zen sermon. Although many of the comments made on the religious aspects of haiku are very helpful, they can quickly come of as sensational. Though section I is specialized and helpful, the order of information presented and a chart presented as a visual assistant for the author's point were very confusing. Section III is the least accessible section of this book, and feels a little bit misplaced when considering the content of the other sections. Though it may not have been true at the time of the original publishing of this series, there are much better resources on the four masters of haiku.
This review is not meant to be an exhaustive commentary on all of the different topics and sections of this book, but I do hope that it proves to be helpful for potential readers. Whether the reader is a haiku poet (haijin) or not, there is much to gain from Blyth's first volume of his Haiku series!
April 13, 2009
The book that got me into haiku.
I found this book after I reread "Raise High the Roofbeam Carpenters" a few years ago. The narrator, Buddy, mentions the fact that one of the characters (Seymour Glass) enjoyed reading Japanese and Chinese poetry. At that point in the text, there was a somewhat large footnote mentioning the fact that the if a person reading the short story/novella were interested in learning more about Asian poetry, they should look for X, Y, and Z.
One of the books mentioned was Haiku, Volume 1 by Blyth. It's a classic. I won't say anything more about it, because it must be read to be understood.
People have criticized Blyth for over emphasizing the Zen aspect of haiku, and rightly so. Still, I think Blyth's interpretation is valid, if not always correct.
This is an awesome, awesome book. I didn't start really getting into haiku until some time after first reading it, but this book definitely opened up that door.
I found this book after I reread "Raise High the Roofbeam Carpenters" a few years ago. The narrator, Buddy, mentions the fact that one of the characters (Seymour Glass) enjoyed reading Japanese and Chinese poetry. At that point in the text, there was a somewhat large footnote mentioning the fact that the if a person reading the short story/novella were interested in learning more about Asian poetry, they should look for X, Y, and Z.
One of the books mentioned was Haiku, Volume 1 by Blyth. It's a classic. I won't say anything more about it, because it must be read to be understood.
People have criticized Blyth for over emphasizing the Zen aspect of haiku, and rightly so. Still, I think Blyth's interpretation is valid, if not always correct.
This is an awesome, awesome book. I didn't start really getting into haiku until some time after first reading it, but this book definitely opened up that door.
June 27, 2022
[UPDATE]
I have copied this review over to the page where this book is attributed to the author R.H. Blyth under the book profile Haiku, Volume 1: Eastern Culture. I will leave this review here as well, but please see the author above for more of his works than just the Haiku series!
[Original Review]
This in an interesting read that can be considered the introduction to Blyth's four volume Haiku series. As the title state, this book focuses heavily on the aspects of Eastern culture that formed haiku into what it is understood to be today. The following volumes act mainly as haiku almanacs (saijiki) for the common topics and seasonal references (kigo) used for the seasons seasons: New Year/Spring (Volume II), Summer/Fall (Volume III), and Winter (Volume IV). With this series originally being published from 1949-1952, the 2o21 edition of this series published by Angelico Press gives a new generation of poets a chance to reflect on R.H. Blyth's introduction to haiku to the Western world.
The preface makes it clear that a major topic of this first volume will be the association between haiku and Zen. To begin, Zen is given two definitions in its contextual use for the first volume of this series: (1) the state of mind that removes separation from all other things and (2) as religious practice. Haiku is given two definitions as well: (1) the literal plural form of the poems and (2) the form as a way of life or personal religion. The religious theme will continue throughout the book, but Blyth is more true to the form of haiku over the practice of Zen.
This volume then is split into five major sections, with the first section being titled "The Spiritual Origins of Haiku." This acts as an examination of the progression of religion/school of thought(Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto) and Eastern art forms (Chinese poetry, Oriental art, Waka (or Tanka), Renku, etc.) that had a direct impact on the formation and understanding of haiku.
The second section, "Zen, the State of Mind for Haiku," focuses on 13 virtues that are associated with Zen that have been a common theme in historic (and even modern) haiku: selflessness, loneliness, grateful acceptance, wordlessness, non-intellectuality, contradictoriness (titled contradiction later in the book), humor, freedom, non-morality, simplicity, materiality, love, and courage. Though these virtues are stated to be directly connected to Zen, this section acts more as a history and explanation of the practical use of these virtues within haiku.
Section III is titled "Haiku and Poetry," which is split into three parts: "Haiku and Poetry," which has a focus on how haiku compares to a definition of poetry; "Haiku in English Poetry," which examines the major differences in Eastern and Western poets, while also affirming some forms of English poetry and prose to be in a similar spirit to haiku; and "Poetry," which is a broad focus on the effective use of poetry and how haiku is a wonderful form for that type of expression.
Section IV, "The Four Great Haiku Poets," gives a very brief history on who have been widely considered the greatest masters of the haiku form: Bashō, Buson, Issa, and Shiki. This is an extremely common topic in haiku literature, so I will not expound too much on it with this review.
The final section is a review of "The Technique of Haiku." The list is not exhaustive, but does give a helpful commentary on nine particular techniques historically used in the writing of haiku: humor (specifically puns); brevity; the nature of the Japanese language as related to haiku; onomatopoeia; the 5-7-5 form; cutting words (kireji), haiku sequences (haikai/hokku no renga, and renku); the seasons and seasonal classification; and methods of translation/interpretation.
The book closes with a few appendices on the referenced information and writers in this volume, and with the context of the first volume of R.H. Blyth's Haiku series completed, we are ready to start "absorbing" the historic haiku included in the next three volumes!
My review of 4 stars (which I take as I will definitely read it again) should be clear on how I felt about the book, but I will give a few pros and cons below as well.
Pros
This book is very accessible for a historic analysis of the (what he would call) practice of haiku. The sections are well separated and stay on topic, real effort and multiple resources were used in each section, and it is refreshing to hear real passion being expressed in what could just be viewed as a analytical examination on a poetry that is foreign to many different peoples. Section II and V were the strongest in my opinion. The ability to use self-awareness to interpret and feel haiku as a reader is not easy, and the overview of common haiku virtues and techniques can help the reader develop that skill specifically. Section I is very interesting and is not a very accessible topic anywhere other than books like this.
Cons
A lot of this book, at least to me, feels like a Zen sermon. Although many of the comments made on the religious aspects of haiku are very helpful, they can quickly come of as sensational. Though section I is specialized and helpful, the order of information presented and a chart presented as a visual assistant for the author's point were very confusing. Section III is the least accessible section of this book, and feels a little bit misplaced when considering the content of the other sections. Though it may not have been true at the time of the original publishing of this series, there are much better resources on the four masters of haiku.
This review is not meant to be an exhaustive commentary on all of the different topics and sections of this book, but I do hope that it proves to be helpful for potential readers. Whether the reader is a haiku poet (haijin) or not, there is much to gain from Blyth's first volume of his Haiku series!
I have copied this review over to the page where this book is attributed to the author R.H. Blyth under the book profile Haiku, Volume 1: Eastern Culture. I will leave this review here as well, but please see the author above for more of his works than just the Haiku series!
[Original Review]
This in an interesting read that can be considered the introduction to Blyth's four volume Haiku series. As the title state, this book focuses heavily on the aspects of Eastern culture that formed haiku into what it is understood to be today. The following volumes act mainly as haiku almanacs (saijiki) for the common topics and seasonal references (kigo) used for the seasons seasons: New Year/Spring (Volume II), Summer/Fall (Volume III), and Winter (Volume IV). With this series originally being published from 1949-1952, the 2o21 edition of this series published by Angelico Press gives a new generation of poets a chance to reflect on R.H. Blyth's introduction to haiku to the Western world.
The preface makes it clear that a major topic of this first volume will be the association between haiku and Zen. To begin, Zen is given two definitions in its contextual use for the first volume of this series: (1) the state of mind that removes separation from all other things and (2) as religious practice. Haiku is given two definitions as well: (1) the literal plural form of the poems and (2) the form as a way of life or personal religion. The religious theme will continue throughout the book, but Blyth is more true to the form of haiku over the practice of Zen.
I understand Zen and poetry to be practically synonyms, but as I said before, if there is ever imagined to be any conflict between Zen and the poetry of haiku, the Zen goes overboard: poetry is the ultimate standard.
This volume then is split into five major sections, with the first section being titled "The Spiritual Origins of Haiku." This acts as an examination of the progression of religion/school of thought(Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto) and Eastern art forms (Chinese poetry, Oriental art, Waka (or Tanka), Renku, etc.) that had a direct impact on the formation and understanding of haiku.
The second section, "Zen, the State of Mind for Haiku," focuses on 13 virtues that are associated with Zen that have been a common theme in historic (and even modern) haiku: selflessness, loneliness, grateful acceptance, wordlessness, non-intellectuality, contradictoriness (titled contradiction later in the book), humor, freedom, non-morality, simplicity, materiality, love, and courage. Though these virtues are stated to be directly connected to Zen, this section acts more as a history and explanation of the practical use of these virtues within haiku.
Section III is titled "Haiku and Poetry," which is split into three parts: "Haiku and Poetry," which has a focus on how haiku compares to a definition of poetry; "Haiku in English Poetry," which examines the major differences in Eastern and Western poets, while also affirming some forms of English poetry and prose to be in a similar spirit to haiku; and "Poetry," which is a broad focus on the effective use of poetry and how haiku is a wonderful form for that type of expression.
Section IV, "The Four Great Haiku Poets," gives a very brief history on who have been widely considered the greatest masters of the haiku form: Bashō, Buson, Issa, and Shiki. This is an extremely common topic in haiku literature, so I will not expound too much on it with this review.
The final section is a review of "The Technique of Haiku." The list is not exhaustive, but does give a helpful commentary on nine particular techniques historically used in the writing of haiku: humor (specifically puns); brevity; the nature of the Japanese language as related to haiku; onomatopoeia; the 5-7-5 form; cutting words (kireji), haiku sequences (haikai/hokku no renga, and renku); the seasons and seasonal classification; and methods of translation/interpretation.
The book closes with a few appendices on the referenced information and writers in this volume, and with the context of the first volume of R.H. Blyth's Haiku series completed, we are ready to start "absorbing" the historic haiku included in the next three volumes!
My review of 4 stars (which I take as I will definitely read it again) should be clear on how I felt about the book, but I will give a few pros and cons below as well.
Pros
This book is very accessible for a historic analysis of the (what he would call) practice of haiku. The sections are well separated and stay on topic, real effort and multiple resources were used in each section, and it is refreshing to hear real passion being expressed in what could just be viewed as a analytical examination on a poetry that is foreign to many different peoples. Section II and V were the strongest in my opinion. The ability to use self-awareness to interpret and feel haiku as a reader is not easy, and the overview of common haiku virtues and techniques can help the reader develop that skill specifically. Section I is very interesting and is not a very accessible topic anywhere other than books like this.
Cons
A lot of this book, at least to me, feels like a Zen sermon. Although many of the comments made on the religious aspects of haiku are very helpful, they can quickly come of as sensational. Though section I is specialized and helpful, the order of information presented and a chart presented as a visual assistant for the author's point were very confusing. Section III is the least accessible section of this book, and feels a little bit misplaced when considering the content of the other sections. Though it may not have been true at the time of the original publishing of this series, there are much better resources on the four masters of haiku.
This review is not meant to be an exhaustive commentary on all of the different topics and sections of this book, but I do hope that it proves to be helpful for potential readers. Whether the reader is a haiku poet (haijin) or not, there is much to gain from Blyth's first volume of his Haiku series!
December 28, 2019
This book will occupy the rest of your life. One should start today...
February 18, 2016
Am I glad I read it? Yes. Certainly an interesting read to see how haiku is described by an early aficionado.
May 1, 2017
Idiosyncratic and influential reading and translation of what more rightly should be called 'hokku', but that's a lost cause now, in part because of the immense popularity of Blyth's four volumes.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews