HAIGA ~

Haiga [literally A Haiku Painting] is  a Haiku and a painting enhancing and perceiving the Haiku Moment presented Visually together elucidating mutually ~ This is surely not an illustration in the conventional sense for various reasons ~ The painting [the visual detail] in a Haiga is much more intrinsically connected to the Haiku that it looses much of its charm without the Haiku ~ The painting is very minimalist and set in large empty space  ~ The time of preparing to do a Haiga will far exceed the actual execution as one may discern ~ There is a personal emptying to do before one may get to make the few essential strokes that show!~ 

There are distinct traditional schools and modern styles and even experimental type  including those using photographs computer graphics etc  in haiga. 

In traditional Haiga The Haiku is calligraphed on the Haiga space Japanese Calligraphy of course is another subtle fine art. So The Haiga involves the combined visions of three distinct artists. A Haijin A Haiga artist  and a Japanese calligrapher.

In the modern sense it may involve another artist also to translate The Haiku from English to Japanese before the calligraphy may be attempted. 

Sometimes an English version is also included in the Haiga 

In the modern Haiga only the English version is semi calligraphed or printed from computer letters and colours    

Some Links

Haiga: A Definition

http://raysweb.net/haiku/pages/haiga-definition.html 
http://raysweb.net/haiga/ 
http://www.haigaonline.com/

Kuniharu Shimizu

http://www.mahoroba.ne.jp/~kuni_san/haiga_gallery/
http://www.haikupoetshut.com/haiga01.html
http://www.worldhaiku.net/haiga.htm