Haiku a phrase in the remaining 12 "on" (it may not be apparent from the English translation of the Issa that the first five "on" mean "Edo's rain"). In comparison with English verse typically characterized by syllabic meter, Japanese verse counts sound units known as ""on"" or morae. Traditional haiku consist of 17 "on", in three phrases of five, seven and five "on" respectively. Among contemporary poems "teikei" ( fixed form) haiku continue to use the 5-7-5 pattern while "jiyuritsu" ( free form) haiku do not. One of the examples below illustrates that traditional haiku masters were not always constrained by
Kenneth Yasuda His other books include "A Pepper-pod: Classic Japanese Poems Together with Original Haiku," a collection of haiku and translations in English; "Masterworks of the Noh Theater"; "A Lacquer Box", translation of waka and a translation of "Minase Sangin Hyakuin", a 100-verse renga poem led by Sōgi and titled in English as "Three Poets at Minase". Yasuda's 1957 book consists mainly of material from his doctoral dissertation from 1955, and includes both translations from Japanese and original poems of his own in English. These had previously appeared in his book "A Pepper-Pod: Classic Japanese Poems together with Original Haiku" (Alfred A.