Mayumi Itoh

Haikus of All Seasons VII Mayumi Itoh

This book is the seventh anthology of original haikus written by this author. The subjects for this anthology embrace one of the seven major themes of haiku: fauna. This volume is dedicated to the animals who became victims of the East Japan Great Earthquake and Tsunami, and the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster of March 2011, and other natural and manmade disasters, as well as to wildlife in general. This anthology is also a tribute to the people who have devoted themselves to the protection and welfare of animals. They include Takahashi Ry?ji, the Crane Man of Kushiro, who has rehabilitated red-crowned cranes in the Kushiro City Red-Crowned Crane Natural Park, Hokkaid?, since the 1960s, and Hoshi Hiroshi and Family, and other volunteers, who have ventured into the exclusion zone of Fukushima and have rescued abandoned animals there since 2011. 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!