Haiku by Haruko Iijima. Artwork by myself.
Tabi, or cotten white socks, is the traditional socks in Japan. Now we wear them on the special occasions like at the festival time. In my case, I wear them all the time because they are a part of the priest uniform and I work as priest almost everyday. They are comfortable to wear in the summer time, good for humid climate. In the winter, however, they do not cover much of the leg part, and the material itself is not so warm.
In the festival time, as in this haiga, people wear tabi alone, no shoes. After a lot of physical activities in the festival, the tabi get soiled and looses their snow white purity. Instead, the souls of the people get cleansed.
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I am back from Tokyo. Rather big aftershock during my stay. Everyday, nuke plant problem is in the news. Subways, stores, everywhere is dimmer and hotter. I noticed more people were carrying Sensu, Japanese folding fan. The news says only 30% of debris has been taken cared of in three months, and still has a long way to go.
Summer clouds,
how quickly they build up
over fields of debris
3 comments:
Nice note to read with the haiga Kuni-san :)
coincidentally, our temple festival just ended y'day -- i couldn't go,
wishes,
devika
White socks overhere are a no-go - except while doing sports. So this fine haiga opens another world to me. Thank you.
Best wishes
Ralf
How people perceive colors is always interesting to me. The idea of certain color differs from one place to another. This knowledge is often important when I make a haiga in which I try to convey something universal.
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