As a means of exploring the work of Japanese Poets, I've illustrated their work with photographs and digital images. As such, this is a web site focused on modern haiga -- a mix of images and poetry.

By making the images with their words [which are rather like messages sealed into bottles and cast into the seas of their times], I help myself to focus on their poems and I provide myself with an excuse to create images and make web pages, hopefully also for your enjoyment.

Traditional Japanese haiga involved brush art work coupled with a haiku - done in brush calligraphy.
Just as English language haiku has become its own form, new forms of haiga are being explored, including digital-art haiga, modern art haiga, and photo-haiku [haiku attached to a photographic image]. Of course, traditional haiga is still practiced. A key difference is that in the traditional work, the caligraphy brushwork fit quite aptly with the art brushwork. In modern haiga, the practitioner has a problem with the disjoint nature of English letters and images.

Just as the haiku form of poetry often contains a juxtaposition between two of its lines and a third line, so can modern haiga contain a juxtaposition between the haiku itself and the digital art work. In short, the image does not necessarily directly represent the words presented in the haiku, but instead in some cases conveys some sense of the haiku.

For more information on the haiga form visit haiga or use the term 'haiga' on your favorite search engine. For more information on haiku poetry, visit haiku or use the search term "haiku."

I would like to thank my friends on the World Haiku Club's Multimedia E-Forum and on the Basho's Beatniks E-Forum for their help and suggestions for this series of digital- and photo-haiku.

All original photography and digital art work is copyright by Ray Rasmussen unless otherwise noted. Comments are always appreciated.

Cover Credit: From an original artwork entitled "Flowers" by Yu Yuan from Nan-sha (paintings dated 1675-1715). Details about the original art work can be viewed here: Flowers by Yu Yuan.

Ray Rasmussen, Email