New Rising Haiku: The Evolution of Modern Japanese Haiku and the Haiku Persecution Incident

Haiku in the West seems a benign enterprise, a hobby for some, an avocation for others, and for most a source of mental and spiritual sustenance. But such has not always been the case around the world. During World War II in Japan, in fact, affiliation with the “wrong” haiku group could get a person incarcerated, as it did these nearly 4 dozen poets who ventured ideas not entirely in keeping with the propaganda of the war effort. Itō Yūki provides a reckoning of this infamous period in Japan’s arts history, as well as a cautionary tale to those of us who think our personal choices may not have consequence on a large scale. Dismissed by the elders of the Japanese haiku hierarchy as the work “of a young man,” once you read this you’ll know why only a young scholar would dare write it. Read more