Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
Haiku Banners

A Taste of Haiku

Haiku are short poems that capture an intuitive moment of perception. As Henry Miller once wrote, “Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.” Ingredients of a traditional haiku include a season word, cutting word (creating two parts), and objective sensory imagery. Haiku in Japanese are 5-7-5 sounds (not syllables), and the equivalent in English is about 10 to 14 syllables. The word “haiku” itself is two syllables but counts as three sounds in Japanese, so writing 17 syllables in English is usually too long. The most important aspect of haiku is to imply emotion without stating it.

Banner Haiku

2007 Best Youth Haiku

glistening on

the field’s dew

cherry blossom light

        Candis Rooker (age 15)

        Vermilion, Ohio

きらきらと草露に映え花明り

kirakirato kusatsuyu ni hae hanaakari

        キャンディス・ルッカー (志学)

        バーミリオン、オハイオ

2008 Best Canadian Haiku

a winter blizzard

I turn my calendar

to cherry blossoms

        Marilyn Potter

        Toronto, Ontario

猛吹雪桜へ捲るカレンダー

mōfubuki sakura e mekuru karendā

        マリリン・ポッター

        トロント、オンタリオ

2010 Best United States Haiku

a sudden hush

among the children

cherry blossom rain

        Melissa Spurr

        Joshua Tree, California

突然の子らの沈黙花吹雪

totsuzen no kora no chinmoku hanafubuki

        メリッサ・スプール

        ジョシュア ツリー、カリフォルニア

2010 Best International Haiku

cherry trees in bloom—

if only I could stop

the wind

        Lucas Garczewski

        Poznan, Poland

花の木や風止めること叶ふなら

hana no ki ya kaze tomerukoto kanaunara

        ルーカス・ガルゼウスキ

        ポズナン、ポーランド

2009 Sakura Award

cherry blossoms

no need to decorate

the birthday cake

        Katrina Shepherd

        Dunblane, Scotland

桜花飾りは要らぬ誕生菓

sakurabana kazari wa iranu tanjōka

        カトリーナ・シェファード

        ダンブレーン、スコットランド

Haiku Installation Poster

The following poster introduces the haiku banner installation at VanDusen Botanical Garden, including banner locations and overview information. English-language haiku appear on white banners, with Japanese translations on blue banners.