In Japan, there is a philosophy known as bunbu ryōdō — the dual path of the pen and the sword. It teaches that true strength comes not only from mastering martial arts but also from cultivating sensitivity, reflection, and artistic expression. The warrior becomes complete when discipline and creativity walk side by side.
In this spirit, I share here a collection of haiku I have written over the years. Haiku is a traditional Japanese poetic form of three lines with a 5–7–5 syllabic rhythm. Within its narrow frame, it captures entire worlds: a flash of insight, a fragment of nature, a passing emotion, or a lesson hidden in the everyday.
Many of these verses were written on a mountain in Chile, inspired by moments of nature, humor, solitude, and introspection. Haiku teaches us something deeply relevant to business: extraordinary meaning can emerge from minimal space. A few carefully chosen words — like a well-considered decision or a refined strategy — can reveal unexpected depth and potential.
When haiku appear in both Japanese and English, the translations are not meant to be literal. They aim instead to convey the spirit and feeling of the original poem.
Welcome to this quiet corner of the Dojo — a place for stillness, observation, and the art of noticing.
169.
Pine branches crossing
figures of light and shadows
dance on the stone path
168.
Hail in mid-summer
daffodils in the autumn
seasons in seasons
167.
Snow glows, then goes dark
mountains slowly disappear
dusk fills the valley
166.
Spring in the forest
yesterday the tree branches
were covered with snow
165.
A loan boat drifting
the mountains break the black sky
and let in the stars
164.
Hawks hunt falling snow
a fence of old mountains hides
the last winter light
163.
Light rain without rain
cold wakes the sleeping sparrows
the first day of Fall
162.
First rain of autumn
a dragon made of storm clouds
swallows the mountain
161.
The tulip bends out
And escapes the rotted cell
Of the garden fence
160.
Lights on the mountain
For birds flying in darkness
They look just like stars
159.
Hatsuyuki ya
Hina to koneko ga
tawamureru
158.
Ame choyaku
Masu ga kawa kara
Kumo o miru
157.
The cycle of life
Dead leaves fall through green branches
Welcoming the spring
156.
Stalks of spring cloth grass
Stretch yellow arms out to catch
The traveling clouds
155.
A gift from Selene
a turtle finds the moonlight
hidden in the waves
154.
The heat of summer
A band of hidden locusts
Serenades the sun
153.
Thousands of snowflakes
Fall silently to not wake
The sleeping rabbit
152.
Invisible hills
A horse races through the night
Carrying the moon
151.
A twilight battle
tidal waves of soundless light
cover the darkness
150.
Leaf on the river
a traveling memory
of the autumn trees
149.
Shards of red and gold
sunset over the mountains
reflects the autumn
148.
The hut is empty
but ten thousand peonies
guard it just the same
147.
Crisscrossing the tree
the lizard plays hide and seek
with the noonday sun
146.
Chickens have escaped
chasing them with a blue net
life on the mountain
145.
The hanging roses
stretch to reach an old park bench
where a woman sits
144.
The constellation
the cat sees in the black sky
is another cat
143.
A flock of seagulls
lifts the wall of morning fog
from the rocky shore
142.
Above the abyss
between the red rocky cliffs
floats a butterfly
141.
The desert cactus
with an army of white stars
guards the summer sky
140.
The last day of fall
a kaleidoscope of leaves
covers the blue lake
139.
The night darkness lifts
white dawn light races across
the dreaming meadow
138.
The moving garden
chattering magpies fill the
borderless silence
137.
Broken shapes of white
a floating army of clouds
guards the mountain peaks
136.
The empty meadow
echoes of clashing armies
that left long ago
135.
Good morning ladybug
the gift left by evening
is called morning dew
134.
In out in out in
out in out in out in out
the cat at the door
133.
Bells in the distance
two yaks climb ancient paths up
the weightless mountains
132.
Winter artistry
trees paint the snowy meadow
with shadows of leaves
131.
A tunnel of trees
light through the crisscrossed branches
wakes the sleeping owls
130.
Raindrops on leaves
memories of the spring rain
that left before dawn
129.
Hang in there pine tree
the snow filling your branches
will melt soon enough
128.
Puzzle in the sky
patches of white, blue and grey
carry the birds south
127.
雪と風 (Yuki to kaze) Snow and wind
石鉢の中 (ishibachi no naka) inside the stone basin
冬の反響 (fuyu no hankyo) echoes of Winter
126.
A contest of strength
the howling Spring storm versus
the red ladybug
125.
The hidden moonlight
peering through the marching clouds
rocks the sleeping boats
124.
Eclipsing the sun
the shark misses the seagull
and falls to the sea
123.
Light on the mountain
the snow on the path reflects
the first day of spring
122.
Rain lifts from the earth*
singing birds shake the wet trees
the spring storm has passed
*The phrase “rain lifts from the earth” is a rough translation of the Japanese phrase “ame agaru” (雨あがる) which literally means “the rain rises.” It is a poetic phrase that evokes not only the end of the rain but the sense of renewal and possibility after the rain has passed. “Ame agaru” is interestingly also the name of a very famous Japanese movie about a Japanese samurai. A description of the movie is here.
121.
Rain on the dark pond
the lightning illuminates
a school of red fish
120.
Rain on the dark pond
the lightning illuminates
a school of red fish
119.
Rotted boards of wood
empty frame of a treehouse
children once played in
118.
The flight of the hawk
knitting the sky to create
a patchwork of clouds
117.
Free fall toward the waves
a spear cuts the green water
the Great Cormorant
116.
Cats race through branches
trees applaud with
a shower of leaves
115.
A black winter storm
above the drums of rain clouds
a floating mountain
114.
Spring arrives at last
two crisscrossing butterflies
race the flowing stream
113.
The circling wind
lifts the moth into the sky
and then sets it free
112.
The mountain in flames
armies of golden flowers
attack the East slope
111.
Invisible birds
a spring garden symphony
the first light of dawn
110.
The endless current
a boat sunk in a river
refuge for a crane
109.
A motionless sword
my heartbeat drowns out the sound
of crickets chirping
108.
A distant mountain
streaks the sky with light blue shades
to wake up the birds
107.
the fat bumble bee
hanging from a tiny rose
this must be a joke
106.
All this sword swinging
must look a little funny
the moon keeps watching
105.
Let this one flower
indifferent to beauty
serve as my mirror
104.
Light through the forest
and somewhere in the winter
the sound of voices
103.
The old pine tree shakes
the owl begins its last flight
towards the gray moonlight
102.
The tiny garden
unwelcoming host to
a flock of pheasants
101.
The black battlefield
the scattered swords and helmets
reflect the moonlight
100.
A sword cuts the darkness
it is hard to know for sure
if you are alive
99.
Waves crash against waves
a family of turtles
sleep on the dark sand
98.
Don’t worry flower
when the spring comes back next year
I will still be here
97.
The soul of the sword
left on the cold battleground
is already gone
96.
I hated those flies
but now that winter is here
somehow I miss them
95.
The nimble black bird
races through the ghosts of trees
chasing the starlight
94.
Ladders of mountains
a tiny spider is born
and begins its journey
93.
The summer puddle
was not designed for swimming
but in the bird goes
92.
One cricket is fine
but one thousand complaining
is more than enough
91.
The meadow at dusk
is not dark enough to hide
a lone firefly
90.
Don’t tell the snowflake
at the end of its journey
is a robin’s nest
89.
Welcoming the sun
weaving through the spring green trees
a white butterfly
88.
One thousand sixty-five!
the times I told the robin
not to eat the plums
87.
Black trees and black sky
nothing to guide the bird home
but the creaking gate
86.
A river of stones
the hawk circles the parched sky
waiting for spring rain
85.
The pale white spring worm
the cat is about to claw
is my bare big toe
84.
The blue morning sky
a fisherman’s line in flight
Still eddies of trout
83.
A splash in water
that frog on the wood railing
is no longer there
82.
On the river’s floor
the frog wins the contest
of holding our breath
81.
For the ladybug
the moth could just as well be
a bright white dragon
80.
Hidden though it was
the discarded apple core
was found by the ant
79.
The hydrangea
will grow old and pale
before the last days of spring
78.
The spotted beetle
traverses the flour can
filled with spring snow
77.
The sudden summer shower
a brief peaceful interlude
for the fighting cats
76.
The one small warm spot
on the winter morning roof
is where the cat sleeps
75.
The small red spider
on a tight rope between leaves
will never touch ground
74.
Good morning rose bush
the friend that wakes you up today
is called the spring wind
73.
Let’s make a deal vine
you won’t stop trying this year
and I won’t either
72.
The swirling red leaves
on the path in the garden
chase the summer rain
71.
In the dead of fall
chickens huddle together
Waiting for the sun
70.
Patterns of burnt brown
framed in a transparent case
the dragon fly’s wings
69.
Yesterday morning
the lavender in that field
did not yet exist
68.
Fire cuts through the field
the galloping last red rays
of the setting sun
67.
The broken stone vase
how many ghosts of flowers
do you see at night?
66.
A shower of leaves
the cry of a hawk stops me
from counting them all
65.
The old empty shed
a refuge for rusted tools
guarded by flowers
64.
Frog in a stone bowl
gives me the told-you-so look
then, SPLASH, dives below
63.
Ducks land on water
the shifting rowboats reflect
the light from the inn
62.
The night moth dances
following the silver arc
the sword’s flashing light
61.
A light rain at dusk
a farmer walking his cows
through the endless field
60.
Clouds cover the moon
the first autumn wind arrives
the cat is not pleased
59.
Birds huddle with birds
the dawn light is awoken
by the flashing sword
58.
The heat of summer
touches the night’s parting cold
in the morning dew
57.
The old gate opens
and welcomes to the stone path
the first autumn rain
56.
The tarantula
climbs through a mound of wet leaves
to sit in the sun
55.
The caterpillar
dangles from the lemon tree
but just won’t let go
54.
The bird realizes
I am running to race it
and then speeds ahead
53.
There is only room
for three frogs in the bird bath
yet one more jumps in
52.
Don’t look now flower
but floating above your head
is a white snowflake
51.
In the winter wind
on the gray boulder
the butterfly clings
50.
The sound of a flute
comes from an old thatched cottage
that I once called home
49.
Without a warning
the sun silently sneaks up
on the dark rain cloud
48.
Dogs howl in the night
a lullaby to comfort
the black freezing stars
47.
I was gone for weeks
but the spider on the wall
accomplished nothing
46.
Don’t worry flower
the wind shaking the shutters
is just passing by
45.
The rain’s drop drop drop
not one misses its green head
yet the frog stays still
44.
Early riser hah!
the rooster is still asleep
at five after ten
43.
The baby crayfish
bites me as hard as it can
I pretend it hurts
42.
Steps to the temple
the first rain storm of autumn
turns the white stones black
41.
Wind from the mountain
and the small garden is filled
with floating red leaves
40.
The bell is silent
but the ringing in my heart
does not seem to stop
39.
Just like the oak tree
today I have fewer leaves
then the day before
38.
The autumn red leaves
create a swirling castle
for the scorpion
37.
The gray white rabbit
runs, then freezes by the shed
caught by the moonlight
36.
Lying on the grass
a kaleidoscope of leaves
fill the morning sky
35.
Light crosses the sky
millions of stars were just there
a moment before
34.
The castle is gone
one thousand warrior dreams
echo through the night
33.
First storm of winter
the cat sees its reflection
in the hanging ice
32.
Don’t worry sparrows
the wind shaking the bushes
is just passing through
31.
Wind from the mountain
the sword cuts an upward arc
through the falling snow
30.
One crash and then two
cats race after a rabbit
under the white moon
29.
They race each other
swirling over the meadow
departing red leaves
28.
Next to the fire
a sleeping white mouse rests on
a sleeping white cat
27.
Today is the day
the sparrow calls to the world
and flies from the nest
26.
Clouds freeze in the sky
birds overwhelm red berries
the first day of Spring
25.
Wait a minute cat
my glass was filled with warm milk
one minute ago
24.
Seven years have passed
but the wisteria tree
has not missed Spring once
23.
Summer bakes the ground
the sweating red ladybug
dives into the pool
22.
With all the places
the white butterfly could land
it chooses my head
21.
The old red rooster
cries until I am awake
and then falls asleep
20.
Two hungry brown trout
take turns nibbling the white light
the moon on the waves
19.
Missing the firefly
The trout flips twice and then falls
Back in the water
18.
A strange dance of white
up, down, to the left and right
snowflakes in the spring
17.
Meadows of twilight
a monk sleeps by an old stream
fireflies count the stars
16.
I have never been
to the temple in these woods
yet it feels like home
15.
Come on little vine
if the ant can climb that wall
you can do it too
14.
The white sword flashes
in the rain cloud’s opinion
not fast enough
13.
Laugh if you want to
but a band of poor crickets
calls that old shed home
12.
The moving tree branch
the shake that dislodged the cat
was no accident
11.
Silent explosions
10,000 busy raindrops
wake up the garden
10.
The drowning spider
fighting the small stream’s current
saved! By floating leaves
9.
Three white shooting stars
sneak softly over the head
of the sleeping owl
8.
Swim for it beetle
the dry side of that puddle
is inches away
7.
Just wait mosquito
the next time you are asleep
out comes the trumpet
6.
the hot, sweaty bird
drops from the hot, sweaty sky
into the birdbath
5.
Off the sofa cat
that old sound asleep routine
is fooling no one
4.
A gift from the cat
just two minutes earlier
that bird was alive
3.
Somewhere a bell rings
the freezing pine trees welcome
dawn’s first ray of light
2.
Practicing zazen
my arm becomes a dance stage
for two butterflies
1.
The bird holds its breath
so as not to awaken
the sleeping cats