October 23, 2025
Introducing Haiku by Everyday People #05
As we approach the final chapter of Mr. Hiromichi Yokoyama’s haiku series, this fifth installment continues to capture the tranquil beauty of early summer at Osaka Castle. Each poem shows how ordinary scenes can carry quiet meaning and emotion. Though short, a haiku offers a glimpse for reflection. We invite you to pause, read slowly, and find your own moment of inspiration.Castle Hike (Haiku) Selection 13
雛待つ巣朝餉は終えしや親燕
Chicks are waiting in a nest
Parents are busy serving them
Wonder they have done breakfast
| 雛/待つ/巣 | 朝餉/は/終えしや | 親/燕 |
| Hina/Matsu/Su | Asage/Wa/Oeshiya | Oya/Ttsubame |
| Chicks/Waiting/Nest | Breakfast/Has/Done? | Parents/Swallow |
The English phrase “Parents are busy serving them” does not appear in the Japanese original; instead, it is implied by the phrase “asage wa oeshiya,” meaning “wonder if the breakfast is ready.” As a symbol of late spring and early summer, swallows are cherished in Japan. Interestingly, this photo was taken at a supermarket bike parking area where a paper box was placed beneath the nest to prevent droppings from soiling the floor. Japanese people rarely remove swallow nests, as they are valued as signs of good luck.
Castle Hike (Haiku) Selection 14
人愛でる名所の夏の朝は汗
Sightseeing spots that people enjoy
Where in the summer morning
Sweat of laborers
| 人/愛でる/名所/の | 夏/の/朝/は | 汗 |
| Hito/Mederu/Meisho/No | Natsu/No/Asa/Wa | Ase |
| People/Appraise/Sightseeing spot | Of Summer/Of/Morning/Is | Sweat |
Osaka Castle is a popular tourist destination. Yet in the quiet hours before visitors arrive, many workers are already tending to the grounds—cutting grass, cleaning, and maintaining the site's beauty. Even on the hottest summer mornings, they continue their labor. Behind every scene of leisure, there are unseen efforts that sustain it.
Castle Hike (Haiku) Selection 15
敗将のごとく蛙は堀に哭き
Hear the sound of a frog makes
It seems like a defeated Samurai
Groaning in the moat
| 敗将/の | ごとく/蛙/は | 堀/に/哭き |
| Haishou/no | Gotoku/Kawazu/Wa | Hori/Ni/Naki |
| Defeated General | Of Like/Frog | Is Moat/In/Groaning |
Background: Two major battles took place at Osaka Castle—the Winter Campaign (1614) and the Summer Campaign (1615). Toyotomi Hideyori, the son of the powerful Toyotomi Hideyoshi, claimed his right to govern Japan, which Tokugawa Ieyasu, already shogun, rejected. Surrounded by Ieyasu’s army of 100,000, Osaka fell. The winter siege ended quickly with cannon fire, but fighting resumed the next summer, ending in total defeat and Hideyori’s tragic death. Today, frogs' cries echo through the moat, recalling memories of fallen warriors.
