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Representation of and reference to the seasons has always been important in Japanese culture and poetry. The first anthology of Japanese poetry, the mid- 8th century Man'yoshu, had several sections devoted to the seasons. By the time of the first imperial Japanese anthology, the Kokinshu, a century and a half later (905 A.D.) the season sections had become a much larger part of the anthology. Both of these anthologies also had sections for other categories, such as love poems and miscellaneous (zo) poems.
When the writing of the linked verses of renga started (in the 13th century), the formal structure of the renga specified that many of the stanzas were supposed to include a reference to a specific season. It is from the opening stanza of a renga, the hokku, that haiku are derived from. The rules for renga said that the hokku should include a reference to the season in which the renga was being written, and it should include a compliment to the host of the renga writing party. This is where the requirement for haiku to include a seasonal reference or kigo comes from.
Kigo are words or phrases that can be strongly associated with a particular season, or sometimes the association can be more subtle. Pumpkins, for example, are a winter squash that is associated with the fall harvest. Futhermore, for people living in the United States, pumpkins are also associated with the Jack-o'-lanternA jack-o'-lantern is a pumpkin whose top and stem have been carved off and inner membranes and seeds scooped out to leave a hollow shell. Sections of a side are carved out to make a design, usually a face. It is possible, using thicker and thinner sections of HalloweenHalloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31, usually by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting candy. It is celebrated in much of the Western world, though most commonly in the United States, Ireland and Canada.. A little later in the year pumpkins are also associated with the pumpkin piePumpkin pie is a traditional American dessert, usually made in the late autumn and early winter, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The pie consists of a pumpkin based custard baked in a single pie shell. The pie is generally flavored with nutmeg,s that are usually part of the Thanksgiving Day dinner along with turkeyTurkey (officially the Republic of Turkey Turkish Turkiye is a country located in Southwest Asia with a small part in southeastern Europe. Until 1922 the country was the center of the Ottoman Empire. The Anatolian peninsula, between the Black Sea and the and cranberriesVaccinium macrocarpon Vaccinium microcarpum Vaccinium oxycoccus The cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs in the genus Vaccinium subgenus Oxycoccus or in some treatments, in the distinct genus Oxycoccus . They are found in acidic bogs througho.
But why is the moon an autumn kigo, since it is up in the sky all year long? Autumn is when the days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting longer, so you are more likely to notice the moon. Often the night sky will be free of clouds so that also helps with noticing the moon. Autumn is also the time when the full moon can help farmers work under the moonlight to harvest their crops ( harvest moon). [For more on the moon as a kigo see below.