History of theYuki Teikei (有季定型) Haiku Society
The Yuki Teikei Haiku Society (YTHS) was founded in San Jose, California, in 1975 by Mr. Kiyoshi Tokutomi and Mrs. Kiyoko Tokutomi. The purpose of the founders was to nourish and foster the art of writing haiku in English using the traditional guidelines developed by haiku poets in Japan. As explained by Mrs. Tokutomi, in Japanese “Yu” means “having,” “Ki” means “season,” “Tei” means “formal,” and “Kei” means “pattern.” Therefore, in the founders’ view, “yuki teikei” haiku had a season word and utilized a the three-line structure with the 5-7-5 pattern of syllables. The Society encourages the study of haiku in this form and others that have evolved in English over the years. Under the leadership of Mr. and Mrs. Tokutomi the YTHS took root in San Jose and presently has grown to an international organization of over 100 poets.
The early days of YTHS and of the Japantown culture are celebrated in a video The Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown.
It is one of the most active English-language haiku societies. The Society meets monthly for haiku writing and study. It publishes Geppo, a quarterly work-study journal. It also publishes a members’ annual anthology and other publications including the just-published Zigzag of the Dragonfly: Writing the Haiku Way and San Francisco Regional Nature Guide and Saijiki. The Society celebrates traditional Japanese haiku-writing holidays including Tanabata, moon-viewing, and cherry blossom viewing.
A notable achievement of the Society has been the establishment of an annual haiku retreat at the scenic and historic Asilomar Seashore and Conference Center on the Pacific Coast of the Monterey Peninsula. The Society remembers its roots by sponsoring the annual Kiyoshi and Kiyoko Tokutomi Memorial Haiku Contest, which requires use of the kigo and the 5-7-5 format. Members also study other forms used to write haiku in English. The proper use of season words in English-language haiku is encouraged in all the activities of the Society.
Below is a video created by Patrick Gallagher and Chris Sherertz for The Haiku Foundation to celebrate Poetry Month 2015. It shows the Society, its activities, and some of its poets and their work.