A is a list of Japanese kigo (seasonal terms) used in haiku and related forms of poetry. An entry in a saijiki usually includes a description of the kigo itself, as well as a list of similar or related words, and some examples of haiku that include that kigo.Gill, Robin D. The Fifth Season—Poems to Re-Create the World: In Praise of Olde Haiku: New Year Ku; Books 1 & 2, Paraverse Press, 2007, , p.18 A is similar, but does not contain sample poems. Modern saijiki and kiyose are divided into the four seasons and New Year, with some containing a further section for topics. Each seasonal section is further divided into a standard set of categories, each containing a list of relevant kigo. The most common categories are the season, the heavens, the earth, humanity, observances, animals and plants. Japanese seasons In the Japanese calendar, seasons traditionally followed the lunisolar calendar with the solstices and equinoxes at the middle of a season. The traditional Japanese seasons are: Spring: 4 February–5 May Summer: 6 May–7 August Autumn: 8 August–6 November Winter: 7 November–3 February
In categorising kigo, a saijiki or kiyose divides each season into early, middle, and late periods, as follows:Higginson, William J. Kiyose (Seasonword Guide), From Here Press, 2005, p.24
Early spring: 4 February–5 March Mid-spring: 6 March–4 April Late spring: 5 April–5 May Early summer: 6 May–5 June Mid-summer: 6 June–6 July Late summer: 7 July–7 August Early autumn: 8 August–7 September Mid-autumn: 8 September–7 October Late autumn: 8 October–6 November Early winter: 7 November–6 December Mid-winter: 7 December–4 January Late winter: 5 January–3 February
See also Haiku in English List of kigo Renga, an older form of poetry employing kigo Renku, the poetic form from which haiku derived, also using kigo Saijiki (3776 album)
Bibliography English The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words, selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto, on Renku Home William J. Higginson, ed. Haiku world: an international poetry almanac. Kodansha, 1996. The Japanese Haiku Topical Dictionary at the University of Virginia Japanese Text Initiative World Kigo Database, worldwide saijiki A Dictionary of Haiku Classified by Season Words with Traditional and Modern Methods, by Jane Reichhold, on AHA Poetry.
French LE SAIJIKI: Ephéméride poétique à l'usage des poètes composant des haïku en langue française - Le Saijiki, the French version of the Saijiki by Seegan Mabesoone, has been available since 1998.
Japanese Masaoka Shiki, ed. Kiyose. 1930 () Kyoshi Takahama, ed. A New Saijiki, 1934 () Teiko Inahata, ed. The New Hototogisu Saijiki, 1996 ()
References
External links A Dictionary of Haiku, Classified by Season Words with Traditional and Modern Methods, by Jane Reichhold (AHA Books)