Lesser Cuckoo,Hototogisu,ホトトギス

This is the second installment of a two-part series of this topic

About haiku

The lesser cuckoo-related haiku that is known well to a Japanese people . Well known best one is that

「Me　ni Aoba　YamaHototogisu Hａｔｓｕｇａｔｓｕｏ」 by Sodo Yamaguchi (1642-1716).

Japanese seventeen- syllable poem is called haiku, which is composed in 5-7-5 syllabic form.

"Me-ni-a-o-ba /ya-ma-ho-to-to-gi-su/ha-tu-ga-tsu-o", ;;;in only a hiragana letter

"め-にｰあｰお-ば/や-ま-ほ-と-と-ぎ-す/-はｰつ-が-つ-お"

---------- --5-------/-------------7----------/-----------5-------

"Green leaves to eyes/Mountain lesser cuckoo/First bonito come to table"; literal translation

About a meaning of this haiku, although my interpretation.

It is spring, and the trees and plants of hills and fields become green, and a lesser cuckoo sings in the hills and fields. And I eat a bonito for the first time this year.

Japan, which is surrounded in the sea , and has the change of the clear spring, summer, autumn, winter of four seasons with humid subtropical climate, and　people eats various kinds of marine products fish habitually.

I think that such a background make people write a haiku.

俳句について

日本国民に良く知られているホトトギス関連の俳句は

「目に青葉山ほととぎす初鰹」　　　山口素道（1642-1716）　Sodo Yamaguchi

日本の17音節詩は俳句と呼ばれています。そして、それは5-7-5音節の調子で組み立てられます。

"め-にｰあｰお-ば/や-ま-ほ-と-と-ぎ-す/-はｰつ-が-つ-お"

-----5--------------/------------7--------------/----------5--------

この俳句の個人的な見解

春になって野山の草木が緑になり、野山でははホトトギスが鳴いている。そして、今年初めて鰹を食べる。

日本は海に囲まれて、湿った亜熱帯の気候でくっきりした4つの春、夏、秋、冬の移り変わりがあって、いつもいろいろな海産物魚を食べる。このような背景が人々に俳句を書かせるのだと思います。

The unstable weather such as a typhoon, the heavy rain continues, and the Japanese Islands bring heavy damage to farm products recently.

Lesser Cuckoo,Hototogisu,ホトトギス

This is the first installment of a two-part series of this topic.　このトピック2回リーズの1回目

IUCNＲｅｄ Ｌｉｓｔ Ｃａｔｅｇｏｒｙ ：Ｌｅａｓｔ Ｃｏｎｃｅｒｎ 国際自然保護連合レッドリスト:軽度懸念

Category of migrant to Japan：Summer migrant日本への渡りの分類；夏鳥

  The end of warring states period of Japanese history is said to be from in 1573 to in 1615, there were three famous warlords(or military commander) in the time. If I say the name of three people in order of the times,. I say Nobunaga Oda, Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Ieyasu Tokugawa.

The words that expressed the character of these three warlords by senryu (a kind of haiku) in the Edo era are listed in senryu" Kasshinyawa" of in the Edo era(1603-1863). A Lesser Cuckoo is used for these words as a metaphor, but is the too famous senryu that all the faults of Japanese know.

The senryu which expressed character of Nobunaga Oda

 If Lesser Cuckoo does not sing, kill him.

As for Hideyoshi Toyotomi

 If Lesser Cuckoo does not sing,, I make him sing.

As for Ieyasu Tokugawa

 'If Lesser Cuckoo does not sing, I will wait till he sings.

日本の戦国時代の終期は西暦1573年から1615年と言われているが、その時代には3名の有名な武将がいた。

三人の名を時代の順に言えば、織田信長、豊臣秀吉、そして徳川家康と言う。江戸時代にこの3名の武将の性格を

表現した川柳が江戸時代（1603-1868）の随筆「甲子夜話、Kasshiyawa」に記載されている。この川柳にはホトトギスが比喩として使われているが、日本人なら誰でも知っているあまりにも有名な川柳である。

織田信長の性格を表現した川柳  「鳴かぬなら　殺してしまえ　ホトトギス」

豊臣秀吉の性格を表現した川柳　「鳴かぬなら　鳴かせてみせよう　ホトトギス」

徳川家康の性格を表現した川柳　「鳴かぬなら　鳴くまでまとう　ホトトギス」