Rainbow (niji)

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Rainbow (niji)

***** Location: Japan, Worldwide
***** Season: All Summer
***** Category: Heaven

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Explanation

A rainbow in the sky ... a kind of bridge to our future good luck !

morning rainbow, asaniji　朝虹

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Contribution by Larry Bole, June 2006:

In "Haiku World," Higginson has this to say about 'rainbow' as a kigo:

"Rainbows can be seen at any time of year when an observer stands between the sun and a rain-shower cloud---provided the angles are right and the sky is clear in the right place. ... Conditions for seeing rainbows are more common in summer in most of the temperate zones, accounting for the assignment of RAINBOW (niji) to summer in the saijiki.
But they also occur at other times, so the topics SPRING RAINBOW (haru no niji) and AUTUMN RAINBOW (aki no niji) are recognized as well as WINTER RAINBOW (fuyu no niji)."

Higginson then gives a rainbow haiku by Shuuson Kato:

Thou too Brutus!
ima mo fuyu niji
kieyasuku

Et tu, Brute!
even now a winter rainbow
ready to disappear

I must confess, I don't understand this haiku.

However, in areas that have 'rainy seasons', 'rainbow' would be a kigo for whatever time of year the 'rainy season' is. One such place is described in the introduction, written by Shugyo Takaha, for the book "Kiyoko's Sky: The Haiku of Kyoko Tokutomi"
http://www.brooksbookshaiku.com/translations/kiyokohaiku.html


"In San Francisco . . . winter is the rainy season, and especially around New Year, it rains often. It is then that you can see a rainbow.
"Therefore, 'rainy season' and 'rainbow' would be winter kigo there."

One rainbow haiku I like, by Yoshiko Yoshino, translated by Lee Gurga and Emiko Miyashita:
This is in her book "Tsuru" in the 'summer' section.

sango saku umi ni umarete niji awashi

born in the sea
born in the coral flowers:
the faint rainbow

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In our Library:

RAINBOW, COLOURS AND SCIENCE MYTHOLOGY
by Virve Sarapik

Rainbows in mythology. Wikipedia

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Rainbow in Kenya
The Bahati Haiku Club



Photo : Patrick Wafula, May 2006
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/worldkigoparkinglot/message/584

The Kenya Saijiki

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Worldwide use

Germany

Regenbogen

Takayanagi Shigenobu (1923-1983) wurde von Kakio Tomizawa in die Welt des Haiku eingeführt. Von französischer moderner Literatur beeinflußt, schrieb er als erster Haiku in vier und mehr Zeilen und viele Haiku in der traditionellen Ein-Zeilen-Form unter den Namen Semio Yamakawa. Seine Haiku sind suggestiv, symbolisch, vielfach erotischer Natur oder voll Todesahnungen.(26)

Kann’ichi Abe interpretiert das folgende Haiku von Takayanagi Shigenobu, dem zum Vergleich zwei deutschsprachige vorangestellt sind.

Steh vor dem Abgrund –
Ein Regenbogen allein
spannt sich darüber.
(Imma von Bodmershof)

in pflasterpfützen
spielt eine ölspur .. ich bin
der regenbogen ..
(Roman York)

Mi o sorasu niji no
Zetten
Shokeidai
(Takayanagi Shigenobu)

Zurückgebeugt zum
höchsten Punkt des Regenbogens
Richtstätte

Das Haiku beschreibe eine fremde Landschaft tiefenpsychologisch. Der Begriff Regenbogen, im klassischen Haiku ein Sommer-Jahreszeitenwort, verliere hier jede kigo-Funktion und werde zum Bild, zum Symbol. "Es geht hier nicht um die Beschreibung der äußeren Welt; dieses Werk spielt im Inneren des menschlichen Denkens."(27)]
© Aspekte moderner deutschsprachiger Haiku, Mario Fitterer

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Hawaii



© Mussell Family
http://www.mussell-family.com/ hawaii/


We can see rainbows throughout the year, so it might rather be a non-seasonal topic for haiku.
Look at more rainbows from Hawaii.


Water falls down not up
Palette of color waits all
Rainbow in the mist

© Charles Garcia, Honolulu Hawaii, March 2005
http://poemhunter.com/p/m/poem.asp?poet=127952&poem=2798826

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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

multiple coloured bow
streaking across the sky
in a sunny drizzle

Patrick Wafula
http://kenyasaijiki.blogspot.com/2005/12/long-rains.html

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Regenbogen !
Mutters Hand tastet
nach meiner

rainbow !
mother's hand reaches
for mine

Gabi Greve, 2006

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rainbow --
the cool colors
on the leaves



(c) 2006 知美 (chibi)< , America, September 2006

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初盆や夕日の雲に虹のある

first Bon ceremony -
a rainbow in the
sunset clouds

Gabi Greve, Japan, August 13, 2007

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Related words

***** Bridge (hashi)

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Please send your contributions to Gabi Greve
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