In some Buddhist traditions they tell us that we can choose the life we would like to be reborn into—within limits of course—based on our karma. Ikeda is having a bit of fun with this idea, suggesting that picking the next life is instead dependent the results of playing paper-rock-scissors.

Would it be so bad to be reborn a firefly? I can think fo worse things.

In Japan paper-rock-scissors is called janken, and it is played much more often than in the West. Whereas it is mainly a kids game for us that we grow out of and never return to unless a child challenges us, in Japan they continue to play it for pretty much any decision making process all their lives. For example, at work they might play it to see who has to deal with a troublesome client. I suppose in this way it is used somewhat similar to how we might use drawing straws.

From what I have been told, the game actually originated in China, spread to Japan, and from there to Europe and America.

Sumiko Ikeda is perhaps the most famous female haiku poet in Japan today. She started her career writing traditional haiku, but in her 40s she started studying with Mitsuhashi Toshio, famous for writing haiku with no season words and in other non-traditional ways. As a result of that apprenticeship, her haiku also took on many non-traditional elements, such as using humor and irony to look at ordinary daily things. She also freely uses kogo, colloquial modern Japanese, which is a big no-no in traditional haiku, and writes about love and female sexuality, which are even bigger no-nos.

This is her most famous haiku.

	David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku.

1. That is, me! If you like this translation, feel free to use it. Just credit me. Also link here if you can. ↩