Takashi Nonin is a bilingual haiku poet who started composing haiku in the sixth grade of primary school. Japan was at that time in a great turmoil and utter devastation after the second world war. Near the termination of the Pacific War, Takashi could not go to school every morning because of air raids. They always went hungry, looking for food in the river, paddies, shrubs, etc. Sweet potatoes and fresh and dried anchovies saved their lives. When potatoes and cucumbers were stolen, they ate their stalks. Despite those unfavourable conditions, nature was abundant, Takashi learned quite a lot from it though he was a small boy. He began composing haiku to admire the nature. Allied troops landed and their jeeps sped all across the nation. Takashi started learning English at school and by radio. There were no dictionaries, no paper to write on, (Takashi spread torn shoji paper to make a notebook) not enough textbooks, which were distributed by lot. Takashi borrowed the textbook from a friend and copied the lessons with a brush in India ink. It took so much time as he had to finish by the following day. Takashi's first haiku teacher was his father, who was a Buddhist priest in the countryside and also haiku poet devoted to Takahama Kyoshi's "Hototogisu" school. Takashi takes pride in being a yuuki-teikei haijin when he writes in Japanese, but in English he oftentimes ignores, or pays little attention to, the seasonal word or words (kigo). Takashi was a constant subscriber to the SHIKI Internet Haiku Salon at Matsuyama University which enjoyed quite a number of daily posts by haikuists and poets from around the globe. At the same time, Takashi regularly sends haiku to the Asahi Haidan, the Mainichi Haidan, and other media. He has so far had hundreds of ku accepted and printed in the newspapers — Japanese and English. Takashi's favourite authors are Bashô, Buson, Issa, Shiki, Santohka, Kyoshi, and several contemporaries. He loves all the kigo from season to season in Mother Nature, from abalone to zinnia. Takashi is an instructor of English, teaching college right now in the city of Matsuyama, the fatherland of haiku. The grant from the US Federal Government enabled him to study abroad at the East-West Center, the University of Hawaii Graduate School, and Georgetown University Graduate School, Washington, DC. in the years 1965 and 1966. Takashi is a staff contributor to haijinx. feature (w/ Carmen Sterba): "light seasonings: cherry blossoms (eng)" - previously unpublished feature (w/ Carmen Sterba): "light seasonings: insects (eng)" - previously unpublished
biography
feature (w/ Carmen Sterba): "light seasonings: cherry blossoms (jpn)" - previously unpublished
feature (w/ Carmen Sterba): "light seasonings: insects (jpn)" - previously unpublished
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