Zen Haiku and the Art of Kensho

Some Differences between Haiku and Senryu and Zen Haiku

It is almost a losing battle to distinguish haiku from senryu for the very reason that early Western translators published books of Japanese poems written in this form and called them all haiku- hence the confusion today. Books of Chinese and Japanese poems of the masters were all called haiku, yet these masters actually wrote both haiku and senryu and many other variant forms as well.

Only in the past decade has there been a significant push and effort to distinguish the two forms more precisely. Haiku was born out of renga and there were varying schools of thought until the haiku master Basho added kigo as a requirement in the 17th century. Haiku underwent periods of experimentation where kigo was rejected as well as kireji. Senryu originated as an experimental offshoot of haiku and so that is why many simply consider it to be haiku. North America has been the strongest center of new haiku experimentation in the last century.

Zen haiku is also a refined and long practiced form of one of the variations of haiku in its long history. It is not the same as Western English haiku nor many other common forms of haiku. Zen haiku has specific traditional requirements and is more defined by content than many of the other forms of haiku.

In Zen haiku, achieving kensho defines it. If it does not do that, then it is not Zen haiku. And the highly recommended way to reach that is via a kigo element within the haiku and the kireji or juxtaposition. There are no syllabic requirements in Zen haiku as the kensho is more important than this. Also, if a Zen haiku master can skip kigo or kireji and still achieve kensho, then it is still Zen haiku.

So, when it comes to haiku, the sky's the limit, there are hundreds of experimental forms out there and ways of presenting it (one line, three lines, etc.). But when it comes to Zen haiku, the art of kensho is where it is at.