poetrypea.com presents Sean O’Connor one of the leading experts on haibun. He is talking to us about the importance of haiku in haibun. I hope this will be useful to you when you are writing haibun / haiku or prose of any style.
Sean’s bio
can be found here on his website.
Sean’s Haibun Journal
If you are interested in reading more haibun you could go to the journal that Sean founded The Haibun Journal. You might even work that you would like to submit to him. But do read the criteria first.
Sean’s latest book
Fragmentation , can be bought via his website. He will be reading some of it on a podcast in 2023.
Sean’s notes
Notes on the Evolution of the Haibun Form by Sean O’Connor, Sept, 2022
Uta – Song or poem (depending on context)
– Ka – poem
– Shi – poem
Kan – Chinese
Kanshi – Chinese poem/s
Wa – Harmony – Japan (Japanese)
Waka – Japanese poem
Waka is the same as Tanka
Tanka Short poem
Ku – verse
The two verses of a tanka are called:
Kami no ku Upper verse 3 lines 5-7-5
Shimo no ku Lower verse 2 lines 7-7
Haiku
Hatsu Ku Opening verse
Hokku is the same as Hatsu Ku
Today Hokku are called Haiku
Hai – Skilful / Playful
Haiku – Skilful Verse
Kami Go Upper Five
Naka Shichi Middle Seven
Shimo Go Lower Five
5-7-5 – Three utterances
Jiamari – ‘Extended’
– a haiku with more than 17 syllables
Jitarazu – ‘Something Missing’
– a haiku with less than 17 syllables
Tanshi
Tanshi Short poem (general)
Haibun
Bun – sentence / s Prose
Haibun – Skilful Sentence/s
