ISLAMABAD, 24 FEB (DNA) – The Embassy of Japan organized a recital of Haiku poetry ‘An Evening of Haiku’ at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) on Wednesday.

The Embassy of Japan organized this event in cooperation with the Pakistan Haiku Society and the National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad. Last week, Embassy of Japan also organized haiku education workshop for the students to learn and acquire this beautiful form of Japanese poetry. The students who took part in the haiku education workshop were also given the opportunity to recite their haiku at this occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Junya Matsuura, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Embassy of Japan, who was the chief guest at the occasion, appreciated the haiku poets for their efforts in promoting haiku in Pakistan which is a Japanese form of poetry but practiced all over the world. He hoped that the students had got a chance to learn the basics of haiku poetry and also understand its historical perspective, which will be found to further strengthen the cultural understanding between Japanese and Pakistani people.

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that dates back to the 17^th century. Haiku is the most precise, compact and condensed poetry originating in Japan. Haiku is defined as an unrhymed verse, written in 5-7-5 syllabic form, usually in three lines. Its subjects are predominantly nature and life experiences. Yosa Buson (1716-­1783), Matsuo Basho (1644-­1694) and Kobayashi Issa are among the most popular haiku masters.

They are collectively known as the Three Pillars of Haiku, who lived during Japan’s Edo-period (1600-1868). Haiku, one of the most important forms of traditional Japanese poetry, still remains popular in modern Japan, and in recent years its popularity has also spread to many countries including Pakistan. Many poets in Pakistan today practice this compact yet profound and evocative form of expression that leaves a lot of room for interpretation and subtlety. DNA