Preface Haiku is the worlds shortest form of

Preface • • • Haiku is the world's shortest form of verse consisting of 17 syllables arranged in lines of 5， 7 and 5 syllables respectively. As it is a condensed capsule of poetry，Haiku contains explosive energy and has，therefore，the possibility of becoming symbolic poetry which can explicate cosmic universality. Haiku is a literary art equipped with antennas for loving messages from the whole creation on earth-plains and mountains， rivers，lakes and oceans, and plants and animals including humankind. If people in the entire world became Haiku-minded and nurtured Mother Nature，then it might be possible to sustain and retain the life on our planet for the benefit of our offspring. I cannot but feel more than happy and thank the Creator for having been born in Japan，a country that abounds in natural beauty and ushers in theatre of Haiku， which was destined to come my way. Until the end of my life，I pledge myself to the love of all living creatures having similar DNA to mine and I hail them with awe and admiration through the medium of Haiku. I want to say how very fortunate I feel that I met Mr. Jack C. Stamm, a copywriter who lived long in Japan and loved Haiku very much. To him I am greatly indebted for his translation of my poems which appeared monthly in the Haiku magazine “HOSHl” (the Stars) which I edit and are now compiled here in this book. Without his assistance， I could not have done this. 1 n autumn，1991，the serial was brought to a termination when he passed away. May his soul rest in peace! Finally，I want to express my gratitude to Prof. Kazuo Satoh of Waseda University and Mr. Shun'ichi Shibohda， the secretary-general of JAL Foundation for the advice they gave me. Yoshiko Yoshino At a mountain cottage Early autumn，1992