This haiku sequence was born during my ascent of Mt. Asahidake, where shifting forests, fleeting clouds, volcanic breath and quiet snow unfold in a single, seamless passage. I was struck by the rare harmony between ferocity and calm—hissing fumaroles beside fragile flowers, ancient fire beneath resting ice. In that moment, I felt both a geological awe and a spiritual push.
My long-standing love for Japan, its landscapes, its silence, and its philosophy of impermanence found voice here, entwined with my fascination for volcanoes – earth’s deep time capsules, and the sacred memory of the Ainu people, who call this place Kamuimintara (カムイミンタラ) – the playground of the gods.
Note: Mt. Asahidake is an active volcano with an elevation of 2,291 m above MSL, making it one of the tallest mountains of Japan and the tallest mountain of Hokkaido.
Haiku sequence
The ropeway steals aloft,
whilst forests play hide and seek
with fleeting clouds and verdant shades.
Green yet holds the field,
yellow leans with gentle will,
red bides its hour.
Small clouds drift hence,
their shadows lent, then taken,
the sun shines in clear Japanese sky.
Forest loses its grip,
as the shrubs take over,
the higher the ropeway climbs.
Herbs and shrubs remain,
close unto earth, close to wind,
with delicate flora adorn.
The cold moves within,
sharp as winter’s own decree,
cleansed of all excess.
Small blooms tarry,
set betwixt stone and dry soil,
fleeting, before winter lays its claim.
The land grows hushed,
some ancient nearness draws nigh,
yet something rises tall in the sky.
The mountain rises, holding the horizon,
as an Emperor overseeing his dominion—
wordlessly, with unparalleled majesty.
White snow upon black flank,
winter reposing on fire,
untroubled, yet whole.
Ancient scars laid bare,
a pale breath climbs and is gone,
Mother Earth breathing fire.
Hiss beside petal,
heat beside tender colour—
ferocity and tenderness combined.
Steam writ in thin air,
yet the mountain answers naught,
scar remains as does its Majesty.
Naught lies beyond,
the island leans unto sky,
making the winds bow every time.
Kamuimintara,
where gods, ’tis said, do wander,
unseen, untroubled.
Be not afeared, passer by,
for age hath gentled me,
though strength abides.
I may wax or wane,
my form unmade by the next fire,
before that, why not behold my beauty and paradox?
I am the truth, I am liminal,
for in my abode do reside,
the Creator, the Protector and the Destroyer combined.
My pyroclastic flows you do fear,
but dear visitor, pray tell,
the acclaimed Rausu-konbu, did you try ever?
From my reverie, I do descend,
from the mountain top via the steel ropes,
with learnings from the Kamuimintara.
The mountain, the moments, may be fleeting
but what does not flow away,
is the learning.
Down the slopes I descend,
brimming abreast with calmness,
as is the hallmark of Asahidake, as is the hallmark of Japan.
Do check out this abridged yet cinematic rendering of this Haiku sequence. Hope this does justice to the words mentioned here.
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ありがとうございます / Arigatou Gozaimasu
© Abirbhav Mukherjee. All the pictures / videos posted in this article are my own unless otherwise mentioned.
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