Maszo Tomita

Chichibu is tough : Haiku experience story

Chichibu is tough english.pdf 1 2017/07/24 17:08

Published by 22nd CENTURY ART 2017

Copyright © 22nd CENTURY ART 2017

Translation copyright © 22nd CENTURY ART 2017

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade

or othewise , be lest, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the

publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in

which it is published and without a similar condition including this

condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

First published with the title

Chichibu is tough : Haiku experience story

eBook in 2016 22nd CENTURY ART Co.,Ltd, Tokyo

First published in Japan in 2017 by

22nd CENTURY ART

4-48-8, Kugayama, Suginami

Tokyo, Japan 168-0082

Addresses for companies within 22nd CENTURY ART

can be found at : www.22art.net

Please contact : info@22art.net

ISBN : 978-4-909322-01-2

Chichibu is tough english.pdf 2 2017/07/24 17:08

Mauszo Tomita

Born on July 4th 1951 in Oota, Chichibu, Saitama prefecture.

Worked as a farmer, then entered a municipal office and retire in the end

of March 2012.

Studied Japanese poetry for twenty one year by himself.

His masterpieces were a part of exhibit ion at Sankei newspaper cover

gallery.

"Art world" posted. Awarded the Japanese literary award.

Chichibu is tough english.pdf 3 2017/07/24 17:08

CONTENTS

Author profile

About

“Chichibu is tough : Haiku experience story”

New Year

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

ABOUT THIS BOOK

I was born in a farmer’s family, so I was doing agriculture for a long

time, but then I entered a position at local municipal government. In

the end of March 2012 I retired. That time I made a book of poems,

devoted to four seasons.

A way that brought me to poetry was long - I used to listen to

classic music as I heard that it was good for right part of the brain,

and bought a lot of CD’s, and once in a book shop I saw a book -

“Poetry for the right part of the brain” - I was very interested, and for

writing myself I bought sketch books, books for poetry beginners etc.

- that was twenty one years ago.

Before that, I didn’t even see poems usually published in the

newspapers, and my life never ever connected me to the thing

called “poem”. So I studied poetry by myself for twenty one years,

putting seasonal feelings and sceneries I experienced in my life in

“five-seven-five” lines - I did my best to express all my feelings there.

I always thought that to get better you have to write regularly, so I

put my poems to newspapers and magazines, and sent it to poetry

communities, making words “strength in regularity” my motto, but I

was never interested in

becoming a teacher. That is why I was never tied up to a “form” or

“tradition”, and extracted my feeling inspiration to “seventeen”

syllables. This book is a collection of my feelings.

I want to thank everybody who helped me to bring this poems to

publishing through years of work.

July 2015 Masuzo Tomita

N E W Y E A R

I’m writing a postcard

to a noodle shop in a neighborhood,

sell ing deliciousness

I huge cloud

in a clear sky reminds of

spring coming

A morning to change

sakaki tree from last year’s

to this year’s one

Grease up

from last year

to this one

Pouring each other

sake at New Year’s party

- it never ends

Farmer’s stories

go from one generation

to another

Saw adonis growing

in the mountains

while walking with a dog

Felt the last

rain of the year

while cleaning our garden

Bright spring is

absolutely going

to come soon

Evening

comes

to Oshira shrine

S P R I N G

Warmth of spring, waiting for the winter to pass

by brings me joy I can’t evaluate

A season when heart comes cheerful and smile

appears… It releases my heart

Unique poems overwhelming wi th fresh feel ings

come from deep impressions of everyday l ife

This are the poems of Masuzo Tomita

Night plums

cat’s eyes are

sparkling

Stone is bored

under the

blooming plum

Sound of bird

flying in the mountains

and plum flowers

Shall I put a little sugar

in my coffee and go

to see the plum blooming?

Red plum flowers

my wish

and straw sandals

Chestnut trees

are cuddled

by the north spring wind

Gales are

muses for

forests

Peach flowers

open their petals

l ike in legends

Planting seeds of

black rice

on Terasawa fields

Two buildings

are seen decides

the violet flowers

Bracken

appearing around

the garden

I brought

one flower of filed

mustard home

Tomorrow I’m going

to put on my long boots again

to go through this spring dirt

They are safe

in northern spring wind

I tie the laces

River overflown

after snowmelt is getting back

and calm down

Sound of spring wind

is changing

and dog barks

Harmony bell

flowing from

inside the car

Taking

a piece of

sweet chocolate

Northern spring wind

I correct the angle of

a side mirror

Strong spring wind

I re-attach

the side mirror

So warm

I polish

she side mirror

A letter for

the car check comes

so early in spring

I prepare

my tax documents

and warm some water

Fireplug

covering grass coming

out of snow

Mountain sakura

does its best to make

the road beautiful

I go to muse park

to see sakura

with my folding fan

People come here

and flowers are

never tired to bloom

A child playing with a dog

he doesn’t know

a name for

Everything is green

strawberry shop is about

to sell all its strawberries

Everything is green

friends are visiting

their friends in the hospital

Brach of

oak tree is fallen

in warm water

Feels l ike spring

a small metal bell

on the door

Tired of looking on trees

four are getting

on the same car

I found a garden

to be alone

in this community life

Morning sun

getting through the wheats

beating the fields

Old street

Old school bike

Cold sakura

Heavy scope

is digging soil

in a spring dirt

Wheats are getting green

my eyes seem

see more clear

I borrow

an electric mortar

to make rice cakes

Hey April!

Why do you pass

so fast?

Tulips’ color

is so

adorable

Everything is green

a cat following

a rabbit

Tulips are

getting their

adorable color

Boiling noodles

for a rich dinner

outside

I turn over

and see tulips standing

as beautiful ladies

I read my mails

hundred thousands

of birds

Yellow tulips

in red basket

I follow a tweet

to come to a forest

for a rest

Peony flowers

getting out

to the sound of audio

Waiting in the wind

for a bus being

late five minutes

So foggy

shall I go for a golf among

Buko mountains?

Summer is coming

high boots

finish fast

My daughter in sweat pants

is whipping glass door

I see the tulips besides it

Umbrellas

go across each other

it’s spring storm

We laugh

on our way down a smooth slope

in the mountains

Snow

melting liquid

flows down the hill

S U M M E R

Summer g ives us sun energy to l i ve

Lov ing l i fe energet ica l ly , no t loos ing to the summer heat , wr i t ing

poems wi th a f ree fee l ing

Somet imes fu l l o f v i ta l i ty , somet imes fu l l o f fee l ing - poems are

touch ing people’s sens i t i v i ty

I fee l l i ke they br ing f reshness to my l i fe

A little early

call for

Mother’s day

Father’s day

small rabbits running

in the fields

Summer swallow

flying around

side mirror

First hike

in the mountains

chilling wind

A path

to a shrine Growing trees

Summer lights

Repair works

on a wood bridge

on a sunny day

Driver is hiding his eyes

behind sunglasses

from the dust

A shining

green sound

of new mail coming

Getting on a tractor

waiting for a nice day

in rainy season

For some reason

There is a well

Exorcism of the summer

Long

planting days

on fields

Putting on a helmet

work is waiting

on Mountain Fuji in May

Green plum trees

and

heavy machines

Change phone

going up

on summer road

Writing memos

on the map Leafs

of persimmon so thin

Mail coming

while I’m at

the wheat field

Reading

long mail

on an early summer

Cameraman coming

in seeing our fence

in flowers

Sunflowers

and a song written

in Man’yo style

Summer vacation

and a carpenter going back

with a bottle

Fresh eggs are sold

from a farm

in the morning

There are fields

where you can make snails

and beef barbecue

Machines are running

through the fields

and soon the slant work is over

End of summer

Bars are full

of people

Rainy season storm

A child sleeping

on his back

It’s so rare

to see

a ladybug

Summer swallow

turning

on a guardrail

Summer rain falls

on the tough stones

of the cemetery

This soap is good for my skin

I will use it

for my hair too

Midsummer

I want to write a poem

about the temple

A brach

of tree over

the police tower

Butterflies

they have different color

every time I see them

A fawn entering

water overflown close

to the dam

Walking around

the house looking

for snail shells

Blue storm

a cheerful sound

of a flute gets closer

So happy

with eggplants tomatoes cucumbers

and bitter melon

My garage is a hell for ants

they all are smashed

under the wheels

Morning

cloud I hear well

pomp breathing

Cicadas

crying behind

the close gates

Amaryllis

greeting

at the entrance

Rainbow rising

A big shadow In the sky over

the cemetery

Electricity station

confused

with the rains

Morning cloud Ringing

a small bell

on my keys

Sandbag at the entrance

keeps the water flow

on rainy season

A size

of a branch holding

rape eggplant

An simple emblem

of a water service company

in the corner

Blue walnut

deep green

I poor some tea

My daughter opens her umbrella

and says today

she’s in umbrella mood

I leave my car

every day

by the persimmon flowers

Chilly summer

Preparing

spice curry

Mountain flow

turns it back

to me

Wish papers

tied to trees

and green grapes

Mountains

take off

a bamboo color

Morning radio

informs

of morning clouds

I get a taxi

cicadas crying

in the rain

Kajikabue

kinder garden bus

coming back

A child

writing poems

about blooming

Persimmon flowers

open

to Bach’s melody

Wind smells good

A roof over

an open-air stage

End of July

Checking the level

of water in dam

Blue sky pattern

on the inside of my umbrella

I turn it around

Bread in bakeries

in midsummer

is so good

Putting paulownia

every time

making salad

Flowers in water

Loud melody

A drop of water

Fawn

climbing

a foggy rock

Put some

soy sauce

on a fresh ginger

Cactuses

grow strongly

on the roof

Strong rain

comes to check the quality

of school garden

Blinking light

is following

sunflower

Endless voice

of chicken

Wheat autumn

Field flowers

looking good

in vase Wheat autumn

Have to work

much in this rain

It’s wheat autumn

A U T U M N

Autumn for ar t , au tumn for cook ing, au tumn for spor t s , au tumn

for reading… Th is season i s fun whatever you do

Hear t fu lfi l l s jus t walk ing around… Fru i t fu l au tumn

Looking not th rough eyes bu t th rough hear t , express ing fee l ings

f rom ins ide, exper ienced personal ly

My ches t i s overwhelming wi th l igh t fee l ing of Tomi ta’s poems

rhy thm, br ing ing joy of au tumn coming

End of the year

is proud to present a jungle

of red leafs of ivy

A parrot coming

to drink

some hot water

Winter

is close

to these big flows

A smell of Yuzu

besides

the map

Shallows with warm water

around mountain paths

with potato fields

Flowers

plant

in rows

Ceramic market

is full

of people now

Jumbo pumpkins

evaluating community

in farmers market

Buddhist priest’s

services

are getting essential

More children

are born

in the villages

Chicken knocking door

with its nose

and run away

Fireworks

reaching the sky

Listen to the sounds

looking at

the milky way

Remembering

the victims

of the earthquake

In all these years

floor color turned

to color of red lily

Red dragonflies

are flying

all around

A port

with beautiful

clear blue water

No smoking

at the parking

cosmos flowers all around

Autumn rain falling

to the roof is the same tempo

with waltz

I got a pine tree

now I’ll use

the elderly glasses

Chain saw

dropping

fruits down

Chestnut rice cake

sold

in the market

Melon growing

by itself

without any care

Everything is sold in miso market

A small cloud flatters

in the sky

A season

heavily gets

to its coldest part

Rice work

and water work

come together

Autumn

of

harley-davidson sound

Clear blue sky

A set menu

in soba shop

Tractor

getting faster

as a dragonfly

Autumn rain

heavily beats

my umbrella

I’m changing

the angle

of our antenna

I planned

to cut

the bamboo

Making reservation

to capture film

on Chichibu TV

It’s cold

but I move

to a radio gymnastics program

It’s easy for a fly

to sleep

on black cow

Red peppers

hanging on the wall

are so beautiful

Starry night

vegetables are dried to be prepared

for a marinade

Loud sounds

from the Wheat flower

kinder garden

Scarecrow weaving

in the wind after finishing

its job

A cow and a chicken

were separated

with their parents

Cosmos flowers

at the edge

of the field

Blooming soba

some onions

is soup

Wild chrysanthemum

weaving It’s leafs are melting

in mud

Thirteen days

in a car

going shopping

Insects left

are lights blinking

at the reconstruction place

Blooming flowerbeds

are gathered

by the corners

I stop my car

to look

at paulownia flowers

A princess

of a wild country has

her late dinner

Cutlets so warm

in canteen Red lil ies

outside

I want to know

by blood pressure looking

at beautiful flowers

An old man tells me

where yellow flowers used

to grow in old times

Small cloud float

over a rice cake shop

everything is sold

I used to go

to pick up mushrooms

on this car

Yuzu

smell Receive

my blowing kiss

Warm autumn days

are the best

for autumn

Writing small details

to my map book on a starry night

drinking coffee

Small white cloud

You go out to buy milk

for children

Parrots

flying

energetically

I want to celebrate

my homeland

in this clear blue sky day

I divide my breakfast

into two parts

and leave a half

Red hibiscus

hiding

in a new house

Autumn eggplant

betting bigger

Showing

its face getting

from between the mountains

Roads

and drying persimmons g

et tougher under the rain

Chrysanthemum flower exhibition

is close

with its enjoyable smells

Red leafs

are getting brighter

with their make-up on

Slight smile

of a chrysanthemum

doll

The whole Earth

is celebrating

autumn

A dog

with chestnuts

on its collar

I know

it’s a day

of ancient culture

Pray songs

to the sky are finished

at the cemetery

My heart

is warm

on this cold autumn

Fireworks

look like

yellow flowers

W I N T E R

Winter makes us spend more t ime ins ide, and we lose a chance

to see touch ing un ique win ter everyday scener ies - they are pu t

in poems

I t ’ s an a t t rac t ion of th i s season - to have a s i len t t ime a lone

You can fee l how he en joyed tough win ter f rom h is humorous

express ions

A taste of childhood

biscuits

in the middle of winter

Drops of l ight

winter days

are getting longer

Sound of wind

and

cracking biscuit

Stars shining

on the road chosen

by car navigation

Road bringing me

closer to you

on Christmas

Strong fog

Getting even stronger

In morning light

Night festival

in Chichibu Sounds

on roofs

Delicious dinner

in the middle

of winter

Spring when I call

the name of a nurse

is getting closer

A day of cleaning

in the hospital

and winter eggs

Reaching my hand

to a medicine drink

I saw

I drink water

we gathered so much

from winter rains

Paraglider lands

on a field

of fallen leafs

Waiting for a shrine

to open on a morning

with no moon

A famous

in winter

soba shop

Face melting

in smile seeing

a candy

Cleaning waterfall

in early winter

Putting my high boots on

Moss green

on heavy stone

in cold forest

Winter wind whistling

through a bamboo fence

sounds like a helicopter

Cold rain

getting through

my long boots

Spring is close

I cross a wooden bridge

And hear my heels sound

Noodle shop

is closing later

days are getting longer

Snow

changes pampers

for a child

Winter porridges

on winter

celebrations

Hot sake

thank you for this year work

is coming back

I switch

on radio

on foggy morning

A door opens slowly

to let

in heavy luggage

Clear weather

in winter shows off

all the mountains’ bumps

Music temple

of muse park

in winter milky way

Wind whistles

through bamboo on a high bridge

over river Arakawa

I love bicycles

nature and sound of wind whistling

through bamboo

I dig soil

feeling breath

of winter weeds

Wind is screaming

getting down

to the valley

Charcoal

burning resisting

to the cloudy sky

Shining cranes

are coming

bringing their smell

Wind makes

ground slippy like bottom

of the sea

Lullaby

is full of season

related words

White breath

This house was

so rich in old times

Ivy makes

warm socks

for cyprus tree

Tree’s hairstyle

never

changes

Fog

follows trees

and stones

Red winter sunset

Silhouette

of mountain Fuji

Old-fashioned

There also have stamps

Frost pillar

I take some hot water

and some yuzu

to the field

Wind calms

dark water in the lake

of Chichibu

Dam behind

the mountains is looking

for white winter

I put on shoes

I wear

in a foggy weather

I put some bandage

under my hat

in winter

I bought

a chainsaw

when winter came

Lipstick color

is so bright

Winter red leafs

Fallen tree leafs

will be

a great compost

I am

a customer

in hot springs hotel

A table

for reading

crosswords

Ink color

of winter leafs

is getting lighte