Kerouac & Haiku

Yuko Otomo
March 2016

Jack Kerouac, Weird, Self-Portrait at Sea from Departed Angels: The Lost Paintings

Although I started Perpetual Ripplets originally as a critical writing column on visual art, its purpose is to focus on critical thought on creativity in general, disregarding the fields. Sidestepping from my usual writing on visual art, here I present the outline of the lecture I delivered on the subject: “Kerouac & Haiku” at the Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival in Lowell, Mass. in 2014. In this lecture, I went back to the origin & the history of Haiku to show how Kerouac & his Haiku are connected to the genuine Haiku linage developed in Japan. I am dedicating this posting to him, who would have just celebrated his 94th birthday on March 12, this year.

Kerouac & Haiku
Haiku, not Haikus

Tuesday – one more

drop of rain

From my roof

Dusk – the bird

on the fence

A contemporary of mine

Useless! Useless!

-heavy rain driving

Into the sea

Prayerbeads

on the Holy Book

– My knew are cold

The Spring moon –

How many miles away

Those orange blossoms!

All the wash

On the line

Advanced one foot

The moon is white –

The lamps are

Yellow

Rainy night

– I put on

My pajamas

Dusk – boy

smashing dandelions

With a stick

All day long wearing

a hat that wasn’t

On my head

The birds

surprise me

On all sides

White rose with red

Splashes – Oh

Vanilla ice cream cherry!

Iowa clouds

Following each other

Into Eternity

Summer afternoon –

Impatiently chewing

The jasmine leaf

The new moon

Is the toe nail

Of God

Arms folded

To the moon,

Among the cows

Dusk in the holy

woods –

Dust on my window

The book

Stands all by itself

On the shelf

Roses! Roses!

Robin wants his

Evening bath!

Dusk now –

What’s left of

An ancient pier

The fly, just as

lonesome as I am

in this empty house

– Jack Kerouac

Jack Kerouac, Spring Nights, pencil & ink from Departed Angels: The Lost Paintings

I. A Brief History of Haiku

1. Waka to Renga to Haikai

the origin of Japanese Poetry:

a) ancient mythological ritual songs & dances

b) Waka (Japanese Songs)=Tanka(Short Songs)

“Songs” meaning “Poems”

31 syllables (5-7-5-7-7) form poem developed in 8^th century to
differentiate it from Chinese Poetry introduced to Japan

*Chinese influences came to Japan in the 5^th century
*Buddhism introduced in the 6^th century

Waka had become the main format of Japanese Poetry since its inception, & it’s
being kept alive as the foundation of Japanese poetics, without changing the form,
basic rules & poetic sensitivity of its content to this day. it is amazing to see the
original spirit still breathing its life despite the various social & historical changes
over many centuries.

2. Renga-shi; Haikai-shi

Renga: Linked Poems developed out of Waka tradition as an aristocratic parlor
game in the 13^th century; popularized in the14^th & 15^th centuries

a heavily rule-ridden poetry format

an emergence of “professional” poets called Renga-Shi: Renga poets

most of the Renga-Shi were from the lower caste of the society & competed
through their skills to show off their talent & abilities in

the 16^th century, Haikai developed out of Renga as an independent poetic form

a newly developed sense of seriousness beyond “a literary entertainment” added
to its poetic elements

many anthologies were compiled among the “professional” poets

3. Haikai/Hokku (the starting poem/phrase)

in the 17^th century, finally, Haikai, created by ordinary citizens, not just the
professional poets, emerged

the new printing technology introduced to Japan via Korea propelled the
publishing boom

the traditional “aristocratic” poetic sensitivities & the “new” spirit of the ordinary
citizens merging with each other brought about the birth of the new literature

many different schools formed, were founded, & Haikai flourished

“School” politics & the decadence & impurity of the literary spirit caused by
aggressive competitions such as “a poetic wit game” or “a quantity race” of
“shooting many arrows”* almost ruined the original spirit of Haikai. (*It is said
that Haikai-Shi/Haikai-poets fought against each other over the amounts of poems
they wrote in a day. There are records of 1600 poems, 4000 poems or 23,500
poems a day having been made by some poets.)

Matsuo Basho appeared as a “poetic spirit reformer” in the midst of the corrupt
background of this scene

4. Basho: Hokku (Starting Phrase) as an independent form of a complete poetry

Basho:

brought back the spiritual content of classical Chinese poetry such as Li-Po &
especially Tu-Fu along with the original “aristocratic grace (Miyabi/Ga)” spirit of
Tanka mixed with his own search for “ordinariness (Zoku)” to revitalize the
corrupt poetic spirit of Haikai

Hai-Go (Haiku Pen Name): from “Toosei” (Green Peach) to Basho (Banana
Tree*) (* relating to the old tradition of Chinese scholars & literary figures’
fondness for banana trees because of their exoticness & the symbolic sense of
impermanence they emanate, as their leaves are easily ripped by the wind)

Hokku: a “starting” poem/phrase of Haikai-no-Renga (Linked Poems of Haikai)
as an independent poem free from the Haikai game & its rules

a revolutionary act of saving the poetic spirit from the corruption of a “literary
salon game entertainment” that was strangled by rules & competitions to make it
“an art form” of an independent poem written by “an individual” poet, very
similar to the impact of Louis Armstrong as soloist in the history of jazz

poetry of a hermit (Chinese tradition)
poetic spirit of “Grace” (Japanese poetry Waka tradition)
poetry based on the Aesthetics of Poverty (Buddhist influences)

Basho & his followers (Kyorai, Kikaku & others) paved the way for the “new”
history of Haiku. but it is still called “Hokku” rather than “Haiku” (*the familiar
term “Haiku” will be invented by Masaoka Shiki much later, at the end of the 19^th century)

a new “Hokku” movement, ushered in by Basho & his group as a serious literary
genre, further developed quietly but steadily into the early 18th century

5. Three Major “Hokku” Poets: Basho, Issa & Buson

Basho (1644-1695)

Poetic Philosophy of “Fueki-Ryuko”: Non-Changing/Eternal – Changing/Fashion

Basho-Oo: Old man Basho
Basho-An: Banana Tree Shack

Oku-no-Hosomichi: “A Narrow Road to the Deep North”; Saru Mino: “ Monkey’s
Raincoat”; Oi- no- Kobumi: “Record of a Travel-Worn Satchel” & other
travelogue Hai-Bun* (& prose writing accompanied by Haiku)

search for Karomi (Lightness) in the late period; the highest philosophical
aesthetics of 3 Haiku elements next to Wabi & Sabi

Furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto

An old pond:
A frog jumps in;
A sound of water

Buson (1716-1784)

a painter/a poet; a master of Bunjin-Ga/Literary Painting

Hai-Go (Haiku Pen Name): a village of turnips

naturalism

Haru no umi Hinemoru Notari notary kana

Spring Seas:
Cradling this way & that
All day long

Issa (1763-1828)

Jodo-Shinshu Buddhist Priest; not Zen.

(*one of the common misunderstandings of Haiku=Zen)

Hai-Go (Haiku Pen Name): a cup of tea

“Ora ga Haru” (My Spring)

ordinariness, simple language & human-ness. one of the most beloved poets to this day

Yare utsuna hae ga te wo suru ashi wo suru

Don’t swat!
A fly is rubbing its hands & feet

6. Senryu

created by Karai Senryu (River Willow*) in the 18^th century

(*River Willow: a symbolic image of the worldly floating world)
has become popular ever since, still an actively loved satirical poetic form

5-7-5 (the same format as Hokku)

no season words
parodies, wits & satires
social commentary
base/scatological subjects (fart etc)

Doroboo wo toraete mereba wagako nari

The robber,
When I catch,
My own son

7. Shiki (1867-1902)

Hai-Go (Haiku Pen Name): Coockoo

the end of the feudal society & the beginning of the new world/the new time

a modern day poetic reformer of Hokku, as Basho was in the Edo era

born in the last year of the Edo era: 270 years of feudal society with strict
isolationism. The Meiji Restoration took place the following year, & Japan
opened its door to the rest of the world. Western literature, culture (Russian,
French, German, English…), a concept of democracy & technology poured into
the nation

died at 35 years old (got involved in Hokku at 17 years old) because of coughing blood from TB.

a declaration of “Haiku” replacing the old terminology “Hokku”

“Haiku” has been used as the general term for the genre in Japan & elsewhere
since Shiki’s inception

the concept of “Hai-Jin” (the Haiku writer/poet)

compiled Anthology of Haiku: an anthology of every haiku ever written,
categorized by schools & styles throughout its history from its origin to his day,
when he was 24. Through this project, he learned the importance of Basho, as the
height of Haiku aesthetics, & the naturalism of Buson

“Back to Basho” movement

to save the pure spirit of Haikai that had gone downhill in the latter part of the 19^th century, having again fallen into a literal wit game, as the genre was seeping into
every corner of the fabric of the society

efforts to save Haikai from being a 2^nd rate “popular art” to a first rate “fine
art” (as Basho had done in his time)

also created the new literary critical writing genre on Haiku: Hai-Ron (Poetic
Theory on Haiku)

Natsume Soseki (1867- 1916): the father of the modern Japanese novel was his
best friend. Soseki also wrote Haiku & he used the Hai-Go (haiku pen name):
Soseki as his pen name for his novels. well educated in both Japanese, Eastern &
Western thought & literature. a William James scholar. he was sent to London
to study as the first “new” government sponsored student (1901-1903).

with Shiki’s tireless efforts, Haiku revitalized itself as a high art of literature away from being a literal salon game.

Ikutabimo yuki no fukasa wo tazunekeri

Repeatedly
I ask how deep
The snow is

8. Modern Haiku History: Post-Shiki/Early 20^th century

“Progressive Haiku” aesthetics, led by Kawahigashi Hekigodo (1873-1937)

“Traditional (conservative)” Haiku aesthetics, led by Takahama Kyoshi (1874-1959)

2 major disciples of Shiki, Hekigoto & Kyoshi grew up together as classmates in
the same city. These 2 major streams still carry the oppositional sensitivities of
Haiku into the present days.

Pre-War II

Ogiwara Seisensui (1884-1976)’s extremely revolutionary haiku reform

no season words/no syllable counts & experimental poetic challenges

Post-War II

Proletariat Haiku Movement

Modern Haiku Movement* in the lineage of Ogiwara Seisensui’s experimental approaches

(*my father Rikisei Otomo (1917-1999) & his group “Eikaku/ Sharp Angle” led
by Gaishi Sakaguchi (1901-1989) was part of this movement. Through them, I
studied haiku in general)

Experimental/Zen-Ei (Avant Garde) Haiku Movement

To the present

“Kaitei” group led by Knaeko Tohta (1919 – )

Gendai Haiku Kyokai/Modern Haiku Association

the extension of the progressive Haiku movement via Hekigoto & Seisensui

Haiku column in every major newspaper, although mostly traditional

II. Haiku Aestheics

1. Wabi/Sabi/Karumi

“Hin no Bi”: Aesthetics of Poverty

“Mujo-Kan”: a sense of impermanence

both based on Buddhist philosophy

a cosmic consciousness of existence
existential awareness of a cosmic sense of Time/Space
a sense of finite in infinity

Wabi: awareness/consciousness of cosmic “loneliness” —space
one stem of flower instead of a bouquet Tea Ceremony/Wabi-Cha

Sabi: awareness/consciousness of time passing
old things/rusty broken things beauty of decay

Karumi: lightness (of heart/soul)
awareness beyond Wabi & Sabi

Karumi is the hardest to attain, similar to an enlightenment in Buddhism.
Basho’s late period in search of Karumi

Haiku developed during the complete isolationist period of the nation’s feudal era,
distilling the Japanese Poetics started in ancient times into the purest & the most
minimum form as we know it today

2. Kigo (Kigo Jiten: Season Dictionary)

Season Words: Four Seasons (spring; summer; autumn; winter)

calendar; social customs; astronomy; geography; human activities; animals;
plants; weather

usually in 4 volumes set with the definitions of words & samplings of historical
works printed in a dictionary form

3. Haiku Form

one line (with 5-7-5, 17 syllables) poetic form “without commas & a period”
usually written vertically

3 lines translation induced a Western “3 line” haiku* writing style
(with an occasional usage of a comma, a dash, a double colon & a period)

*Kerouac adapted the 3 line style

III. How Haiku was introduced to other countries outside of Japan

1. Hendrik Doeff (1764-1837)

Dutch Commissioner & translator, & creator of the Japanese/Dutch dictionary, who lived at Dejima* in Nagasaki

(* a man-made island created in Nagasaki Bay for the purpose of Western traders
doing business without stepping onto Japanese soil during the 270 years of isolationism)

early 19^th Century

1800-1803-1817

he wrote his Haiku in Japanese

2. Yone Noguchi’s introduction of Hokku to the West

a Japanese poet, Yone Noguchi, father of the sculptor Isamu Noguchi, published
an essay written in English on Hokku: A Proposal To American Poets, Try
Japanese Hokku in 1904

introduced works of Basho & others, along with his own works, to readers in the
U.S. In it, he explained “Hokku is like a tiny star, carrying the whole sky at its
back…. Its value depends on how much it suggests….”

gave a lecture on Basho in England (1913)

published a theoretical writing on the subject called What is the Hokku Poem? (1914)

used the term “Hokku” rather than “Haiku” interestingly

3. French interests/Japonisme: the first French translations

inspired by the Japonisme Boom, Paul-Luis Couchoud visited Japan &
discovered Hokku & translated them into French (1906)

4. Imagism/Imagists, especially Ezra Pound* (* a hokku-like poem) London/NY connection

the exposure to Haiku influenced them in the creation of “Imagism”& its group.
Ezra Pound invited Amy Lowell to the salon of the Poet’s Club in London &
introduced her to “Hokku.” Amy Lowell brought “Hokku” back to the U.S.
to introduce it to her American writer associates

Sadakichi Hartman & others

5. R. H. Blyth (1898 – 1964)

English scholar/translator who lived in Korea & then in Japan

published a comprehensive 4 volume set of study & translations of haiku
called “Haiku” in 1949 in the midst of the heightened Post WWII interest in
Japanese art, literature & Buddhism

Gary Snyder; Jack Kerouac; Allen Ginsburg; JD Salinger*; Phillip Whalen; Lew
Welch; Richard Wright **, all read the Blyth volumes

(*JD Salinger used Issa’s haiku translated by R.H. Blyth in “Franny and Zooey”)

(**Richard Wright wrote mostly Haiku while exiled in Paris in his latter days.
4000 haiku published posthumously in 1998 as “Haiku: the Other World” by
Arcade Publishing)

W. H. Auden: Light Verse

IV. Kerouac & Haiku

1. Kerouac introduced to Haiku

via Blyth books & friendship with Gary Snyder & Phillip Whalen

2. Kerouac’s Buddhist Study & his works

immersed in an intense study of Buddhism: 1953-1956

Dwight Goddard/Buddhist Bible (published in 1932)

meeting D T Suzuki who taught at Columbia University (1952-1957)
“I want to be your disciple”

Kerouac books inspired by Buddhism study:

Some of the Dharma (1954-55, posthumously published in 1997)
Wake Up (1955, posthumously published in 2008)
The Scripture of the Golden Eternity (1956, published in 1960)

Haiku in his books & other publications:

Maggie Cassidy (1953, published in1959)

Dharma Bums (1957)

Desolation Angels (1956, 1961)

Blues & Haikus (1959 LP of a recording of JK reading his haiku with Al Cohn & Zoot Sims)

Trip Trap: Haiku collaboration done in the manner of Renga/Linked Poems with Lew
Welch & Albert Saijo along the road from SF to NYC (1959)

Haiku book:

Book of Haikus:
(Penguin Edition 2003, edited by Regina Weinrich, posthumously published)

Haiku

Dharma Pop

Notebooks/ 1956-1966
(from CA to Road Haiku to NYC to Northport, LI)

3. Ku-Cho (a small Haiku notebook) carried everywhere in his pockets

a Haiku notebook

a small pocket size notebook to carry anytime to write the inspiration down at the moment

his way of writing things down
very traditionally Japanese

IV. Kerouac Haiku

1. Aestheics: the merging of his understanding of 3 major Haiku elements
(Wabi/Sabi/Karomi) & his Contemporary/Modern poetic sensitivities

Buddhism study: Mahayana Buddhism* (*not Zen)

interest in Jodo Shin Shu (Pure Land sect)

personal compassionate poetic personality

spiritual search since young (Catholicism)

understanding of the usage of American English

2. Innovations: Successful adaptations to the language (American English)

impeccable intuitive understanding of what haiku is as poetic structure & content

Form = Content (poetic Wabi/Sabi/Karumi)
Content = Form

clear awareness of the differences between the languages (Japanese/American English)

“17 syllables counts do not apply to the English language”

how to compress; how to establish a perfect economy of language

he knew it was about the compression of the image/feeling into the simplest “direct” language without any poetic metaphors or devices

in the interview done by Ted Berrigan & Aram Saroyan for the Paris Review summer 1968, he talks of haiku:

“You got to compress into 3 lines a big story. First, you start with a haiku situation – .
You see a leaf falling on the back of a sparrow during a big October storm. How you
going to compress that into 3 lines? Now, in Japanese you got to compress it into 17
syllables, but we don’t have to do that since we don’t have the same syllabic bullshit
that Japanese language has…”

“Above all, Haiku must be very simple and free of all poetic trickery and make a
little picture and yet as airy and graceful as a Vivaldi Pastorale…”

he “revised” & “re-worked” his haiku till he got it “right,” as the old masters did,
as opposed to the manner he took when he wrote regular poetry with a free
wheeling improvisational spirit

he said, “it’s hard to write haiku”, but enjoyed “the sudden jump in the poetic thought” writing it

3. American Pops (Kerouac)/American Short Sentences (Ginsberg)

Then I’ll invent
The American Haiku type:
The simple rhyming triolet:

Seventeen syllables?
No, as I say, American Pops: –
Simple 3-line poems

Ginsberg’s “American short sentences” (later years)

4. Kerouac Haiku Collections:

Scattered Poems (posthumously published in 1971)
Book of Haikus (written 1956, posthumously published in 2003)

5. Kerouac’s Influences on Haiku Literary history in other languages

as he redefined Haiku writing in English, he helped usher the practice’s taking place in other languages

he freed Haiku from the trap of the 17 syllable counting restriction for non-Japanese languages all over the world

6. Kerouac’s Influences on English Haiku: Cor van den Heuvel, Steve Dalachinsky,
Alan Pizzarelli & other non-Japanese Haiku writers

he opened the door for the next generation to follow

7. Haiku in Society/School Systems etc

Haiku is now accepted in the public education system as part of literature education

V. Kerouac’s Haiku & Progressive Haiku Modernity in Japan

What Kerouac did with language, in his case, American English, was something quite amazing. His experimental style & sense of freedom in the usage of language to provoke the deepest images & meanings without metaphors & poetic devices were coincidentally what progressive Haiku poets in the post Shiki period aimed at.

Kerouac’s Haiku reached the level that most modern Japanese Haiku poets strive to reach without self consciousness by letting the sudden shifts of his poetic mind enjoy the freedom of the living language

VI. My Dream: The publication of the justifiable edition of his Complete Haiku

Problems of Penguin Edition:

1. Haiku(s)

it’s Haiku, not Haikus

Kerouac made a mistake himself

2. Different cover design/art & the materiality of the book

no caricature illustration of JK image on the front cover*

(*The Penguin Edition pushes Kerouac as the King of the Beats too forcefully on a commercial level, neither paying him the respect he deserves nor respecting his art as high literature.)

as a tradition, a book of Haiku never carries a personal image of the author on the cover

a more sophisticated subtle sense of aesthetics is required for the lay-out, the usage of font & the quality of paper

avoid overstuffing with the mixture of different contents (Haiku, theory, comments etc)

3. Correction of information errors (in Introduction)

in the section of “Haiku Genre,” the editor makes a wrong assumption on the subject,
following the confused & commonly misunderstood idea & information about the
distinction* between Haiku & Senryu

one of the most common mistakes & misunderstandings over Haiku:

Haiku=Nature vs Humanness=Senryu

(*everything written on nature is Haiku as opposed to anything written on human is Senryu” is not correct)

this mistake must to be corrected

4. Different introduction/afterward

preferably be written by myself to be placed at the “end” of the book, not in the opening of the book

Jack Kerouac, Three Dancers, 1957, pencil from Departed Angels: The Lost Paintings

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