Today’s Haiku – a short form of Japanese poetry which consists of three phrases of 5, 7 and 5
人並に 畳の上の 月見かな
Hitonamini, Tatamino ueno, Tsukimikana
Haiku poet: 小林一茶 Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828) – a Japanese poet active during Meiji period of Japan
key words:
人並に(Hitonami ni) : as the world goes around, like everyone else
人(Hito) : person
畳(Tatami) : straw mats
の上(no ue) : above[in this context]
月(Tsuki) : moon
月見(Tsukimi) : moonlight viewing, moon viewing, moon gazing
implications:
Tsukimi is a Japanese traditional custom originally in mid-August, August 15th at night which was mid autumn in the luner calendar. People had believed in the power of the moon, worshiped it as god, spent time along with the cycle of the waxing and waning of the moon since a long time ago.
The mid-August in the luner calender and the time between early September(ie. Sep. 7th) and early October(ie. Oct. 8th) in modern times is called “十五夜[jugo ya]” or “中秋の名月[Chushu no meigetsu]”. It is the day when the moon is going to become closer to the full moon, even though it is not exactly the full moon. The reason why it is called “十五夜[jugo ya]” is because it takes about 15 days to turn to the full moon from the new crescent moon.
夜[yoru/ya] = night
季語[Kigo]-a word or phrase associated with a particular season,
used in Japanese Haiku
月見(Tsukimi) = a word for mid autumn
usage:
Let’s imagine a relaxed sense of time that you are enjoying moon gazing in the mid autumn.
A full moon symbolizes the productiveness of grain so people prayed to the moon and appreciated the harvest, fruition of things, and the connection with their ancestors. Each year “十五夜[jugo ya]” or “中秋の名月[Chushu no meigetsu]” is a different date and in this year 2017, it was October 4th in Japan.
Mingle Internationally Japanese Communication (MIJC) 