Pictures of Thailand as reflected in Haiku written by Japanese in Thailand

Abstract

Japanese people who came to live in Thailand have written Haiku for more than 50 years. Through the Haiku, they describe many impressions of Thailand which reflect specific Japanese perceptions of the country. The purpose of the thesis is twofold: firstly, to analyze major subjects that Japanese Haiku poets in Thailand deal with in their Haiku and explain how they reflect pictures of Thailand; secondly to analyze how the poets adapt the system of "season words' to suit the Haiku written in Thailand. It is found that the Haiku written by Japanese poets reflects pictures of ordinary people such as vendors and purchasers, animals that are both familiar and unfamiliar to Japanese, and tropical plants, including fruit in seasons and attractive flowers, especially those blooming in the hot season. The study also reveals that the Haiku poets are impressed by phenomena in the tropical climate of Thailand, and tropical life environment in Thailand, such as watery landscapes. In addition, the Haiku also reflect Thai culture, such as Buddhist events and festivals, and social problems. The Haiku poets invented many new season words to cope with the specific Thai environment, situation and conditions of the time in which the Haiku were written. Through the investigation of Haiku written in Thailand, we can trace the historical and cultural changes and continuities in Thailand, and also understand about Japanese attitudes toward Thailand