抄録
Haiku, a traditional Japanese form of poetry, is well known all over the world today. However, for the majority, it is approachable only in their native languages, which seldom contributes to enhancing the Japanese language proficiency of the haijin. On the other hand, in the field of Japanese language education, Haiku has been used as a tool for improving learners’ Japanese skills, encouraging their further understanding of Japanese culture, history and aesthetic sense.
This paper reports practical examples of the utilization of Haiku for Japanese language education. The first examples aim to develop specific topics of Japanese learning: the sense of Japanese mora timing for better pronunciation, proper use of onomatopoeia, and discussion of seasonal words to understand cultural differences. For the second example, a holistic approach which integrates different skills such as reading, listening, speaking and writing is also reported based on various attempts in an intermediate Japanese course of Akita International University. Learners’ positive reactions toward the Haiku class are also shown as proof of the usefulness of Haiku for Japanese language education.
Finally, further possibilities for Haiku are mentioned from the view point that Japanese language education should cooperate with related fields such as Japanese literature, art and philosophy.
