Carpe Diem #452, fishing

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Spring is almost gone for one quarter and here in The Netherlands the spring weather is great. Today we have almost 20 degrees Celsius, feels like summer. The most of the early blossomming trees are blossom-less, but the tulips are starting to bloom and the late cherry trees are in their most beautiful out-fits. So ... spring is really on.

Today we have another new modern spring kigo based on Jane Reichhold's 'A Dictionary of Haiku', fishing, fishing is not my cup of tea, but my youngest son is addicted to fishing so he goes almost every day out fishing and sometimes he takes our grandchildren with him. Mostly he goes fishing in the city-park just around the corner and he can sit the whole day there watching, contemplating and do some talking with his friends (also addicted to fishing).

Credits: Ancient Japanese Fishing boat

Jane gives the following haiku examples for 'fishing':

evening
the river full of fish
fishermen

dusk lake
sinking into darkness
fishermen's voices

the blue boat
a hole in the sea
filled with fish

(c) Jane Reichhold

I recall a haiku by Matsuo Basho about fishing and I love to share that one here. Maybe you know this one written by Basho.

cormorant fishing boat
how exciting! but after a time
I felt saddened

(c) Basho

Cormorant fishing boat

Ukai or cormorant fishing is a traditional method of catching freshwater fish, such as the ayu ( sweet fish ).  The fish are lured towards the boats by torches and then caught by manipulating a trained cormorant.
Cormorants used for fishing are wild Temminck's cormorants.  They are naturaly very agile, smart and adaptable to new circumstances.  Usho ( cormorant fishing masters ) live with them and train them for two or three years to be full-fledged stars of cormorant fishing.

Temminck's Cormorants (used for Cormorant fishing)

Isn't it an unique way of fishing? In some regions of Japan this kind of fishing is still in use. The Cormorants have a small ring around their neck so they cannot swallow the fish. It's a not so nice way of fishing I think.

at the seashore
the fishing-boats are overgrown -
playground for children

(c) Chèvrefeuille

This episode will be open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until April 22th 11.59 AM (CET). I will try to post our next episode, kite, later on today. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at our Haiku Kai.

!!! No time to write an every day haiku on a given prompt? Maybe my new weblog Haiku Shuukan is something for you. There I give every Friday a new prompt on a weekly base ... so feel free to visit !!!