QUESTION:
Does haiku need to be in a 5-7-5 syllable format?

ANSWER FROM HORTYSPRINGER ATTORNEY
DAN MULHOLLAND:
Not necessarily.  According to the definitive 1999 Matsuyama Declaration from the International Haiku Convention:

“A common issue that always comes up in discussions of international haiku, is how to deal with the fixed form of 5-7-5 syllables and kigo in other languages and cultures.  First of all, the 5-7-5 rhythm is unique to the Japanese language, and even if other languages were to use this rhythm, it is obvious that it would not guarantee the same effect.  Teikei is not about the matter of syllable count or accent, but the matter of the way poetic expression could be heightened through tension when the writer wants it.  In the case of Japanese poetry, the best method to increase poetic tension was the 5-7-5 syllable form.”

“Therefore, when haiku spreads to the rest of the world, it is important to treat it as a short-formed poem and to take methods suitable to each language.  For a poem to be recognized worldwide as haiku, it must be short-formed and have an essential spirit of haiku.”

The Health Law Express
Offers Best Wishes and Thoughts.
To all our readers.