Mayumi Itoh

Haikus of All Seasons IV Mayumi Itoh

This book is the fourth anthology of original haikus written by this author. The themes for this anthology embrace one of the seven major themes of haiku: flora. This volume is dedicated to the souls of flowers in general, and particularly to those of cherry blossoms, as the latter represent flowers in Japan. This anthology is also a tribute to the people who have devoted themselves to the preservation of flora and its natural environment, including Eliza Scidmore (1856-1928), the initial proponent for transplanting Japanese flowering cherry trees to Washington, D. C., which materialized in 1912. This is a unique bilingual anthology and presents each haiku in both Japanese and English so that non-Japanese-speaking readers can appreciate it. In order to enhance understanding, the identification of the season word of the haiku, as well as some explanations of the cultural and historical backgrounds, are given where applicable. Enjoy!