【Update 2025-10-02: This is an outdated version of this article. For a more up to date version, please

.】

星既に秋の眼をひらきけり
hoshi sude ni aki no manako wo hirakikeri

already the stars
have opened
autumn eyes...
—Ozaki Kōyō

(trans. David LaSpina)

(print by Namiki Hajime)

Better known as one of the founders of modern Japanese literature, Ozaki also wrote some amazing haiku. He had studied Western poetry and you can see the influence of that in this haiku.

This poem titled Autumn begins, which traditionally is set in August when it is still hot outside but one can sense the difference at night under the stars, feeling and smelling the coming season change.

---

Don't miss the other great haiku in the Haiku of Japan series!

---

❦

is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at . Write him on Bluesky.