Maeda Hiroshi (前田弘)
Born 1939 in Osaka, Japan
Moved to Hokkaido in 1943, and grew up there. In high school, he founded the haiku journal-group, Kaze [Wind], which later became Haguruma [Gears]. Studied haiku with Suzuki Ishio, and moved to Tokyo in 1963. He joined the Modern Haiku Association in 1982, becoming Executive Director [kanji], Chief of the Yearbook Department, and Chief of the Advertising Department of the MHA, in 2001. Became the official leader of the Haguruma journal-group in 2006. Later, became the chief editor of the Gendai Haiku Journal of the MHA. Won the 2010 “Second Prize,” 65th Modern Haiku Association Award. In the following year, won the “First Prize” of the 66th Modern Association Award.
Translations into English by Richard Gilbert & Ito Yuki (Gendaihaiku, 2014)
雪降れば胎児消ゆるか海の道
yuki fureba taiji kiyuru ka umi no michi
when it snows
a fetus vanishes ?
path of the sea
蛸の脚八本どれも暇そうで
tako no ashi happon doremo hima sô de
eight octopus tentacles all look slack
いちまいの枯葉見たくて玻璃みがく
ichimaino kareha mitakute hari migaku
longing to see
a withered leaf – through crystal quartz
polished
クラス会明日は熊を撃ちに行く
kurasukai ashita wa kuma wo uchi ni iku
a classroom party –
tomorrow I’ll go shoot a bear
葉脈に母が集まる月夜かな
yômyaku ni haha ga atsumaru tsukiyo kana
around leaf veins
mothers gather –
moonlit night
海のほか海しか見えず実玫瑰
umi no hoka umi shika miezu mihamanasu
except the sea
only the sea in view —
fruits of a seaside rose
やどかりや汽車待つ間のうす笑い
yadokari ya kisha matsu aida no usuwarai
hermit crab –
waiting for a train
with dingy smile
指で消すいもうと海のさくら散る
yubi de kesu imôto umi no sakura chiru
by fingers erasing
my sister – the sea
cherry blossoms fall
屈葬の青木にもどる春の蝉
kussô no aoki ni modoru haru no semi
fetal burial –
return again to tree’s green
spring cicada
半分は夕日の手紙冬桜
hanbun wa yûhi no tegami fuyuzakura
half of it's
the setting sun’s letter:
winter cherry-blossom
兜太ほどなじめぬ溲瓶鳥渡る
tôta hodo najimenu shibin tori wataru
unlike kaneko tohta
unfamiliar with a piss pot –
birds migrate
柩なら自分で選ぶ冬桜
hitsugi nara jibun de erabu fuyuzakura
a coffin?
i'll bring it myself –
winter cherry blossoms