NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW

DIVING GREBE is a bilingual hardback book. There are 60pp front to middle in English and 112pp reading from back to middle in Japanese. The haiku, all written between 2000 and 2005, are divided into three sections.

STONE HAIKU, the first section, depicts the four seasons of the ancient Roman Empire in the West. At Mt. Vesuvius we have

	Sitting on the lava
	having climbed the mountain:
	how far away the sea

	How varied are the
	different kinds and forms of love
	under the beach parasols

I have come to a fuller understanding of Basho's view of haiku as an "impromptu" — Sokkyo. It would be wrong to think of Sokkyo purely as a snapshot.

	Budding, undefeated,
	the cherry trees surge
	in the February snows

	The coot's nest
	with willow built into it:
	a green reflection in the water

	Wild crysanthemums
	growing by the roadside verge
	where the car crashed

	Horse racing:
	clouds of white breath
	shouts of encouragement

depicts the internationalisation of the East and West through frequent cultural exchanges, both formal and informal. The Western sense of beauty is not so different from that of "Kireisabi" — bright and colourful Sabi.

	Coming from the film of
	Soseki's "Heart"
	seagulls calling at the riverside