Shadow (kage)

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Shadow (kage)

***** Location: Worldwide
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Earth

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Explanation

Shadows ... on the ground ...

The word SHADOW (kage 影, hikage 日影) just like that is not a kigo.

Schatten, schattig, are not kigo but topics for haiku.


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shadow of the spring sun,
haru hikage 春日影（はるひかげ）
haiku category: season
kigo for all spring


shadow of the summer sun,
natsu hikage 夏日影（なつひかげ）
haiku category: season
kigo for all summer


shadow of the autumn sun,
aki hikage 秋日影（あきひかげ）
haiku category: season
kigo for all autumn


shadow of the winter sun,
fuyu hikage 冬日影（ふゆひかげ）
haiku category: season
kigo for all winter


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kigo for late spring

yanagi kage 柳影（やなぎかげ）shadow of willow trees


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kigo for all summer

kage suzushi 影涼し（かげすずし）cool shadow


shimizu kage 清水影（しみずかげ）clear water and shadows,
shadows on fresh spring water

Kigo about SHIMIZU 清水
clear water, fresh spring water in summer,



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kage sayuru 影冴ゆる（かげさゆる）shadow is freezing, freezing shadows
kigo for all winter

kage kooru 影氷る（かげこおる）frozen shadow
kigo for late winter


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kigo for all winter

kanei 寒影 (かんえい) shadow in the cold
samuki kage 寒き影（さむきかげ) shadow is cold
fuyu no kage 冬の影（ふゆのかげ） shadow in winter 寒き影（さむきかげ）

fuyuki kage 冬木影（ふゆきかげ）shadow of trees in winter


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Matsuo Basho, in the "The Knapsack Notebook"
(Oi no kobumi 笈の小文)

冬の日や馬上に氷る影法師
fuyu no hi ya bajoo ni kooru kagebooshi

The winter sun--
on the horse's back
my frozen shadow.
Tr. Ueda
- READ Ueda's commment -


Winter sun—
frozen on horseback,
my shadow
Tr. Barnhill


This is winter’s day
upon a horse frozen stiff
a monkish shadow.
Tr. Cid Corman


In the introduction,
Barnhill mentions some of the problems involved in translating haiku.
Two obvious problems that have beset many translations are
the insertion of unnecessary English adjectives into the poetry and
revers-ing the order of the imagery.
compiled by Jon LaCure


the winter sun
on my horse’s back
my frozen shadow
Tr. by ?, quoted in THF Blog
(This version without a cut marker gives the impression as if the winter sun is shining on the back of the horse.)


There have been various versions for this haiku by Basho himself, until he reached the final version.

he uses the verb sukumu, to cower, shrink, when sitting on the horse.

この句の案として

すくみ行くや馬上に氷る影法師　　ー笈日記ー
sukumiyuku ya bajoo ni koori kagebooshi

冬の田の馬上にすくむ影法師　　　ー如行子ー
fuyu no ta no bajoo ni sukumu kagebooshi

寒き田や馬上にすくむ影法師　　　ー真蹟懐紙ー
samuki ta ya bajoo ni sukumu kagebooshi


と、いろいろあったようだ。
案がいろいろあるということは、なかなか満足できないでいろいろ作り変えたということだろう。そして掲出句が最終案になったのだろうが、句としては大したことはない。いわゆる付き過ぎで、ただ寒々しい感じが伝わってくるだけ。付き過ぎがなぜいけないかというと、句に深みが出てこないからだ。実体験があまりに印象的だったりすると、それに引きずられて客観的に作れなくなることがある。

「冬の薄ら日の中、身を切る寒風に吹かれながら馬上にちぢこまって動かぬ自分の姿は、馬に氷ついた影法師さながらだ。」

(On a dimly light day in winter, with a strong icecold wind cutting to the bone, I sit motionless and crouched on my horse, as if my shadow were frozen to the horse.)
source : Hollywood-Studio


bajoo ... refers to a person on horseback, a person mounted on a horse, not the back of the horse.
kagebooshi ... the full shadow of a person
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

... hooshi (...booshi) 法師 is a Buddhist priest, monk or bonze.



winter sun (winter day) -
sitting on horseback
my shadow is frozen
Tr. Gabi Greve



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Worldwide use

Germany

Schattig der Abstieg
zur Einsiedelkapelle,
zum alten Kreuzweg.

In shadows descent
to the hermitage chapel,
the Old Cross Stations.



Haiku: Horst Ludwig
Haiga: Beate Conrad


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Things found on the way


my own shadow as I walk ... we all have seen it ... and penned a haiku or two about it ...


dogless ...
this summer
I walk my shadow

©　Martina Taeker



sunny morning ~
bare feet on cool grass
tread on my shadow

©　Maatkara



first warm spring day
I take my shadow
for a walk

©　George Swede


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HAIKU


. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 .

墓の木の陰法師ふまぬ角力哉
haka no ki no kageboshi fumanu sumoo kana

the sumo wrestler
does not step on the shadow of the tree
by the grave
Tr. Gabi Greve


There is a proverb in Japan

三歩下がって師の影を踏まず
sanpo sagatte shi no kage o fumazu

To walk three steps behind
so as not to step on the shadow of one's master.

Sumo wrestlers often visit the graves of their masters. Maybe this one identified the shadow of the tree with the one of his former master and kept the tradition.

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影法師もまめ息災で御慶かな
kageboshi mo mame-sokusai de gyokei kana

shadow, you're
hale and hearty too --
Happy New Year!
Tr. Chris Drake

It's not known when this hokku was written, but it's a variant of a similar hokku written at New Year's in 1817, when Issa was traveling around in the area just east of Edo. In 1817 lunar New Year's fell on February 16. The second line of the hokku is a standard cliche idiom often used at New Year's.

In 1824 Issa put it this way:

かげ法師に御慶を申すわらじ哉
kageboshi nigyokei o moosu waraji kana

my straw sandals
say Happy New Year!
to my shadow

Chris Drake


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bright autumn sky -
the shadow of a hawk
on my hands

Gabi Greve, Sep 26, 2006

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winter sunshine -
the many shadows of
a small camellia



© Photo and Haiku : Gabi Greve, December 2006

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late autumn sun -
the shadows of leaves
on leaves



© Photo and Haiku : Gabi Greve, November 2006

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hot afternoon -
the shadow of a snake
grows smaller

© Photo and Haiku : Gabi Greve, July 2006

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spring is a-comin' !
the shadow of seeds
on a wall

© Photo and Haiku : Gabi Greve, March 2006


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sunlight --
the water strider's shadow
ripples too

Isabelle Prondzynski


six dots -
a shadow racing
under water

Gabi Greve



© Photo and Haiku : Gabi Greve, April 2006

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winter sunset:
my shadow seems too long
for one life

George Swede
[Honorable Mention (International);
10th Mainichi Haiku Contest, 2006]



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shifting shadows dance
across the afternoon lawn:
breezes in the trees

source : Patrick J. Vaz, 2012




thunder
the roses shift
into shadow

source : Roberta Beary


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日盛りの土に寂しきおのが影
hizakari no tsuchi ni sabishiki ono ga kage

my own shadow
how lonely on the ground
in bright sunshine

Hino Sojo (1901-1956) 日野草城
Paraverse by Gabi Greve


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walk downhill-
my shadow stepping
ahead of me

Sunil Uniyal
India (New Delhi)


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last light -
in their own shadows
cows graze

Sonam Chhoki
Bhutan


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bright day
ignoring each other
my shadow and I


getting up
before my shadow
... early autumn


tropical sun
my shadow too hot
to step on

to weak
to wake shadows
the autumn sun

Ella Wagemakers
Holland




off to work --
another cyclist's shadow
outruns mine

Isabelle Prondzynski
Brussels in July


Read more:
Kigo Hotline : The SHADOW SEQUENCE
September 2010

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clouds descend
my mother loses
her shadow

- Shared by Deborah Barbour Lundy -
Joys of Japan, August 2012



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. Shadow Haiku from Kenya



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Related words

***** Sun (taiyoo)　　

***** Light, lights : all kinds of lights in all seasons


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