The Poem

A humble reading of the poem:

Though I wish spring would stay, it never does.
Before anyone even asks for it, summer arrives—
bringing summer robes with it.

This poem captures a feeling that is timeless: we are never ready to let go of a beautiful season, yet the next one arrives without waiting for our consent.

A Clever Wordplay Hidden in One Word

The charm of this waka lies in the word “kitaru.”

In Japanese, it carries two meanings at once:

• “Summer has come.”
• “To put on summer robes.”

This literary device, called kakekotoba (pivot word), allows a single expression to tell two stories simultaneously.

Summer arrives unexpectedly, and at the same moment, people must change into their summer clothing. The poet gently expresses both disappointment that spring has ended and reluctant acceptance that life moves forward.

Why Summer Wasn’t Always Welcome

Modern visitors often imagine Kyoto as a city of elegant temples and tranquil gardens. Yet for the aristocrats of the Heian court, summer was also known for its humid basin climate.

Court life required strict seasonal dress. Even in summer, nobles wore multiple delicate layers of silk according to court etiquette and seasonal aesthetics. Changing into natsugoromo (summer robes) was therefore more than changing clothes—it marked the unavoidable arrival of another hot season.

With quiet humor, Sosei Hōshi transforms this everyday experience into refined poetry.

Materials & Presentation

Materials: Kana calligraphy paper and hand-ground sumi ink

The delicate texture of the paper and the depth of the ink create a subtle sense of atmosphere and quiet resonance.

Framing: Custom-mounted and presented in a high-quality acrylic frame

Each work is carefully prepared to suit the character of the calligraphy. Designed to harmonize with contemporary interiors, it brings a sense of balance, refinement, and calm to the surrounding space.

Ink holds the seasons long after they have passed.

The Poem

A humble reading of the poem:

In the village of Ashiya, fireflies drift through the night,
as if carrying the faint memory of ancient fishing lights.

Fireflies Carrying the Memory of Ancient Lights

This work is based on a waka poem by Fujiwara Yoshitsune, included in the Shin Kokin Wakashū, one of Japan’s greatest classical poetry anthologies.

The poem is deeply connected to The Tales of Ise, a masterpiece of classical Japanese literature. In the story, Ariwara no Narihira visits the coastal area of Ashiya and sees the lights of fishermen’s fires glowing in the darkness. Centuries later, Yoshitsune looks upon the fireflies of the same place and imagines that the old lights of the past have quietly returned.

The fireflies are not only a scene from nature. They become a symbol of memory — a delicate connection between the present moment and a distant past.

Through this calligraphy, I sought to express the quiet beauty of that moment: the boundary between reality and imagination, the passage of time, and the gentle light that remains even after centuries have passed.

The flowing brush lines and carefully preserved space allow the poem to breathe, bringing the atmosphere of classical Japanese poetry into a contemporary living space.

Materials & Presentation

Materials: Calligraphy paper and sumi ink

The delicate texture of the paper and the depth of the ink create a subtle sense of atmosphere and quiet resonance.

Framing: Custom-mounted and presented in a high-quality acrylic frame

Each work is carefully prepared to suit the character of the calligraphy. Designed to harmonize with contemporary interiors, it brings a sense of balance, refinement, and calm to the surrounding space.

Ink holds the seasons long after they have passed.

What kind of verse?

Ray of Hope

They often say, “No night lasts forever,” and I feel this poem carries a similar sense of hope. Though the fleeting showers continue to fall, light breaks through, and eventually a rainbow appears. In life, too, there must be such moments. Even when difficulties and worries persist, somewhere a light shines, and before long, a rainbow-like sign may appear beyond the heart’s horizon.

The rainbow that appears after the rain has stopped feels like a quiet blessing from nature.
Through this poem, I hope someone’s day becomes just a little warmer.

What kind of verse?

brief comment

This haiku is paired with a charming image—almost as if tiny medaka fish were gathered, chatting together.

As the summer heat continues, I hope it brings you a little feeling of coolness.

You can purchase this postcard artwork online.

μはがき作品｜水中のささやき / Whisper in Water – Japanese Calligraphy Art | totKnow - ととのう - powered by BASE

めだかが水の中で語り合うような、涼しげな絵ハガキに、正岡子規の俳句「夏川や 水の...

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What kind of verse?

brief comment

This haiku is said to have been written by Issa while he was living in a nagaya, a row-house tenement in Edo (present-day Tokyo). You can really feel how tightly packed the buildings must have been.

You can purchase this postcard artwork online.

μはがき作品｜涼風の曲がりくねって / Summer Breeze – Japanese Calligraphy Art | totKnow - ととのう - powered by BASE

鮮やかな赤い金魚のイラストに、小林一茶の俳句「涼風の曲がりくねってきたりけり」を...

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What kind of verse?

What did Empress Jitō want to express?

This poem is the most famous of the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, and it was originally poem number 28 in the Manyoshu, Volume 1.

In fact, this song is unique and shrouded in mystery, and various studies have been conducted on it since ancient times.

The mystery of the waka poem “Spring has passed…”

1. Is Mount Kagu’s white robes just a metaphor or a real sight?
2. Why does that mean summer is coming?
3. The usage of “rashi” and “kan” differs from other poems in the Manyoshu.
4. There is no other example in the Man’yoshu collection of poems that records the year of accession to the throne as “Gannen Dinghai.”

・・・

What are Empress Jito’s true intentions revealed through the results of this research?!

1. This song is not simply a seasonal song, but a poem that symbolically expresses the legitimacy of the imperial line .
2. In particular, the expression “shirotae no robes” drying on Mount Kagu is imbued with religious and ritualistic meaning, which seems to allude to “the arrival of summer = a new reign.”
3. Therefore, the phrase “Spring has passed and summer has come” can be interpreted as a highly political and symbolic expression indicating the succession and justification of the imperial line from Jitō to Mommu .

Regardless of the meaning behind the song

Empress Jitō was the daughter of Emperor Tenchi and the Empress of Emperor Tenmu. It is said that she expelled Prince Otsu in order to have her own son, Prince Kusakabe, succeed the throne, but she is also said to have given instructions regarding the contents of the Kojiki to support the legitimacy of her grandson, Emperor Mommu.

From these anecdotes, she is sometimes seen as an ambitious and scheming person, but at the same time, she also had a progressive side, as she was the first emperor to be cremated, and we can see that she was a pioneering figure for the times. She was a multifaceted and extremely fascinating woman.

It is also wonderful to think that she was so captivated by a scene she happened to see during her visit to Yoshino – white robes drying against the backdrop of the blue summer sky and the deep green of Mount Kagu – that she turned it into a song.

This piece follows the exact meaning of the poem and is written in fluttering lines, imagining a scene of clothing fluttering in the wind.

What kind of verse?

brief comment

I wrote this waka poem on decorative paper filled with blooming azaleas.

The vivid scene of azaleas in full bloom, the white clouds drifting in the sky, and the sound of a mountain stream—these are more than just elements of nature. They resonate with our emotions and memories, leaving a lingering impression on the heart. I only hope that I can capture some of that quiet depth—what the Japanese might call ma, the space between—in my calligraphy as well.

What kind of verse?

brief comment

Several decades ago, in the place where I grew up, just like in this poem, on hot summer days, cumulus clouds would rise in the afternoon, and evening showers would cool the heat, making summer days bearable. The highest temperatures rarely exceeded 30 degrees Celsius.

Now, the situation is entirely different. Evening showers have changed their name to ‘guerrilla rainstorms’ and have become the starting point of disasters rather than a turning point in temperature.

I feel a sense of crisis with the recent rapid rise in temperatures. I wonder if there are any measures we can take to restore our once charming climate.

What kind of verse?

brief comment

During the rainy season, when the air feels damp and spirits are low, let us find solace in such charming poems. We must feel her warm gaze towards creatures and natural phenomena like rain frogs, clusters of handball flowers, and evening breezes that surround us.

What kind of verse?

brief comment

I tried to write another format than #189 so that hoped to express the softness of the wisteria flowers, their blooming appearance, and the brightness of the moon in a horizontal format.

A spring Japanese poem by Fumoto

#189 The wisteria blossoms, entwined aro...

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2024.05.28