My Father's Face :: Haiku of Japan #44

今朝秋や見入る鏡に親の顔
kesa akiya miiru kagamini oyano kao


autumn morning
in the mirror I see
my father's face
—Murakami


(Tr. David LaSpina)



(Print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi)

This isn't from the modern novelist Haruki, rather it is from Kijo Murakami, a haiku poet of the late 19th/early 20th century. He was a followed of Shiki; as such his haiku followed Shiki's revisions rather than the traditional style. He had a very tough life and because of which he is often compared to Issa. He studied law as a student, but had to give it up due to going deaf. He found a job as a scribe for a salary barely enough to support his ten kids. He was fired at one point, but his poetry friends were able to get him rehired. Then his house burned down. Whew.... rough times.

In this verse Murakami presents us with a scene just about all of us can relate to. As we get older we often experience moments like these, suddenly discovering we look more like our parents than we had previously imagined.

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Don't miss other great haiku in the Haiku of Japan series!

#1–10 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #1
#11–20 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #2
#21–30 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #3
#31—40 — Haiku of Japan :: Collection #4
#41 — Falling Camellia
#42 — Morning Glory Shack

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I post one photo everyday, as well as a haiku and as time allows, videos, more Japanese history, and so on. Let me know if there is anything about Japan you would like to know more about or would like to see.

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	David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time.