[Haiku Appreciation] Blazing Sky [+SF]

An attempt to imagine a drama while "appreciating haiku" with a Chat AI.
This time, from Noh theater to cyberpunk.

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Me:This time, it might be better to call it using haiku as a clue for contemplation rather than "haiku appreciation." The first two works are these:

　Under the blazing sun, pretending to be an inorganic object　　Jun Shinoda

　All arrived with the same face, under the blazing sun　　Hisako Kairin　　

Chat AI:In the extreme daily life of the blazing sun, how do humans transform or emerge? Both works possess a surprisingly eerie silence and coldness in the scenery and human figures depicted.

1. "Under the blazing sun, pretending to be an inorganic object" (Jun Shinoda)

　The intensity of this haiku lies in the self-defensive choice of the subject to "pretend to be."

• Sensory paralysis and survival strategy
  　In the stinging sunlight and overwhelming heat, it becomes more painful to use one's sensitivity. I feel like I could get through it by mimicking an "inorganic object" like stone or iron... One can glimpse a cold, intellectual survival technique for protecting one's own mind and body.

• The theatricality of "pretending"
  　There is sorrow and irony in the fact that they haven't completely become inorganic objects, but are merely "pretending." Furthermore, it leads to the contemplation that perhaps at the very moment they are enduring to become inorganic, extremely human agony and patience are writhing within.

2. "All arrived with the same face, under the blazing sun" (Hisako Kairin)

　This one has an intensity that objectively captures urban dwellers or human groups as a collective.

• Loss of individuality and "arriving" at a destination People who have arrived somewhere after traveling through the intense heat... It is a figure of exhaustion stripped of expression by the heat, and at the same time, it is like a metaphor for modern people who wear down their individuality within the mechanism of society.

• The void exposed by the sun
  　The stronger the light, the deeper the shadow. The "blazing sun" burns away the diverse expressions and unique dramas of humans, bringing them to the surface only as "uniform symbols that merely move and arrive."

Me:What came to mind was Noh, a Japanese medieval theater. Why did they start wearing masks? What is the deep meaning behind it? The clues seem to be in these two haiku.
　However, even though the Noh shite wears a mask, they nakedly reveal their feelings of regret. That is why they appear from the other world to this world. But even though they speak their hearts out, they keep their faces hidden... What do you think is the meaning of this?

Chat AI:Why do they speak their inner thoughts while hiding their faces?

1. A "mask" to erase the noise of the "living body"

　The face of a living human (actor) is actually too talkative and full of "noise."

• "Words" purified by becoming an "inorganic object"
  　Just like in Shinoda's haiku, "pretending to be an inorganic object," by the actor turning into (killing themselves as) an inorganic, motionless substance called a "mask," the actor's living individuality is erased for the first time.

• Because they strip away the assumption of a living face and pare the body down to an inorganic object, is it not that only the pure energy of emotion (voice and dance)—the "feelings of regret" and "attachment" dwelling within—emerges with 100% purity?

2. Precisely because they have "all the same face," they can harbor the sorrow of every "individual"

The observation in Kaiwa's haiku, "arriving with all the same face," resonates strongly with the aesthetics of "intermediate expression (awai)" possessed by Noh masks.

• Sorrow that is "abstracted" beyond a specific individual
  If the shite were to weep and scream with a bare face (a living face), it would remain a "personal drama of a specific individual." However, by wearing a fixed "mask," that sorrow transcends the boundaries of the individual and is sublimated into a "universal sorrow and regret held by the existence of humanity."

• While it is a single fixed mask (face), depending on the angle (illuminating or shading the mask) and the play of light, it can appear to be weeping or smiling according to the viewer's state of mind. I feel that precisely because the specific individual is erased and they become "all the same face (an abstract human aspect)," each viewer is able to project their own sorrow onto it.

3. An "un-anesthetized shelter" connecting the otherworld and the present world

For the shite of Noh (often ghosts who cannot attain enlightenment, gods, or vengeful spirits), appearing in this present world is, metaphorically speaking, an extremely painful and harsh experience, like stepping out into that "blazing sun."

• In order for the dead or those from the otherworld to endure the present world, which is filled with the heat and friction of life, perhaps they needed a "mask" as a kind of protector (protective suit).

• With a bare face, one would be crushed by the pressure of life in the present world. That is precisely why, by wearing an "inorganic shell," they protect themselves, and only from the safe zone inside that shell can they reveal their naked, true feelings (coming out) that they could never have spoken while alive.

Deep behind the inorganic mask, scorching passions are swirling—this dual structure may be the paradox of human existence that the theater of Noh has reached over hundreds of years.

Me; There are things like mass graves and memorial monuments. They mourn war dead or disaster victims collectively, not as individuals. What happened there is recorded. Noh performances might have something similar. Famous incidents are often the subject, but in fact, there were many similar incidents. Wanting to mourn not just the victims of a specific incident, but all victims of similar incidents... When you think that way, you erase the individual (face) and put only the events or common emotions into words. In a sense, it is rational, and it may also have social significance in the sense of mourning many people.
However, the individual is also abstracted away there. I think there is also the aspect of being killed twice. This is in contrast to the survival strategy of erasing emotions under the blazing sun. And that is to be expected. Erasing emotions under the blazing sun is an individual choice. On the other hand, Noh erasing the individual is the will of the whole or those above.

Chat AI; This is a line of thought that sharply exposes the essence of the art of Noh, and by extension, the fundamental contradiction inherent in the act of "mourning."

1. The "rationality" of mourning and the will of the whole

As you say, Noh performances (especially the third and fourth category plays featuring shura-mono or vengeful spirits) appear at first glance to deal with "famous specific individuals" such as "Taira no Atsumori" or "Sugawara no Michizane," but in reality, they function as "spokespersons (=memorial monuments)" that take on the regrets of countless "nameless people" who died in similar wars and political strife.famous specific individuals on their own.

• Performances as a "mass grave" For example, the shura-noh group derived from "The Tale of the Heike" was a "mass grave of stories" that, while borrowing the appearance of specific warriors, collectively memorialized the regrets of the tens of thousands of soldiers who lost their lives in that massive civil war.

• "Symbolization" by the will of those above The performing art of Noh developed under a powerful patron system of the Muromachi Shogunate, starting with the Ashikaga Shogun family from the time of Kan'ami and Zeami. In order to maintain social order, appease the curses of vengeful spirits, and "aesthetically process (attain enlightenment for)" the scars of war, one could not simply express raw individual grudges as they were. For the convenience of the "whole/those above," such as the state or society, tragedy had to be abstracted and beautifully fitted into a mold.

2. The individual "killed twice"—a vivid contrast to survival strategies

Here, when returning to the two haiku at the beginning, the contrast between "the subject's choice" and "erasure as a system" pierces the heart.

The human in Shinoda's haiku who is "pretending to be an inorganic object" erases their emotions "to protect their own life and inner self" by wearing a mask (inorganic object) of their own will. This is, through and through, a "survival strategy for the living."

On the other hand, the Noh shite (the dead) is made to wear a mask because "society or the whole wants to mourn them and also contain them."

• An individual who was killed once (deprived of life) by violence or absurdity while alive is, after death, dismantled into "forms" or "abstract sorrow" on the mass grave that is the Noh stage, thereby being stripped of their inherent humanity and concrete anger, and killed a second time.

• While it appears to be a candid coming-out, even those words are reclaimed into the framework of a 'beautiful invocation (or sutra) of fixed-form poetry,' and in the end, one is made to perform the script of 'attaining enlightenment and vanishing.'

3. The 'Crime and Punishment' of the Mask, and Salvation

The 'mask' (omote) worn by the shite on the Noh stage may be a vessel (yorishiro) for giving a 'voice' to the souls of the dead, while simultaneously serving as a 'seal (lid)' to ensure they never again break out in anger with a raw, individual face. perhaps.

The art of Noh, while looking askance at the historical violence of such 'erasure of countless individuals,' was perhaps a kind of 'social compromise (a double-edged sword of salvation and oppression)' that attempted to sublimate their screams into beauty at the very last moment, even while concealing its own sinfulness.

Me;Turning our eyes to the present, it seems that facial monitoring is already taking place at airports and the like. It involves both individual identification and the reading of emotions. Perhaps in the near future, humans might acquire the art of erasing their expressions~

Chat AI;Your contemplation surrounding the 'mask' of Noh and the 'inorganic matter' under the blazing sun has suddenly connected to the 'modern reality of an AI-driven surveillance society.'

The 'authorities' of the Middle Ages stripped individuals of their faces for the sake of order and memorial services, fitting them into the molds of stories. Modern 'surveillance systems (the state and platforms)' are, in the name of safety, efficiency, and optimization, exposing the individual's face (identification) and inner reality (emotional data) to collect and manage them as data.

Thinking of it that way, a future where humans acquire the 'art of erasing expressions' seems less like science fiction and more like the destination of a very natural evolution (or devolution).

1. The Survival Strategy of 'Reverse Poker Face' Against Surveillance Systems

Modern facial recognition and emotion-detecting AI scan everything from minute movements around the eyes and distortions of the mouth to changes in skin surface temperature and blood flow (micro-expressions) to infer 'joy,' 'vigilance,' 'hostility,' and so on.

• Return to the Inorganic To protect their own dignity and freedom from this 'terror of being laid bare,' humans might literally acquire Shinoda's haiku, 'pretending to be an inorganic object,' as a defensive measure against technology.

• Refusal of Datafication To avoid being judged by AI as an 'emotional pattern,' one might perfectly control muscle tension or create meaningless expressions like noise. Just as one once turned off emotions to protect the mind and body from the heat of the blazing sun, now one turns off the emotional switch (becomes masked) 'to protect the mind from algorithmic surveillance.'

2. The Modern Human Becoming a Noh Mask and the 'Underground Latency of Emotion'

If people were to acquire the 'art of erasing expressions' as a daily habit, the people passing each other on the street would realize a world exactly like Kaiwa's haiku, 'all arriving with the same face.'

• The Polarization of the 'Face' On the surface, one lives a social life with an expressionless face that reveals no emotion (an intermediate expression like a Noh mask, or an 'inorganic' interface), letting the eyes of AI surveillance pass by.

• Coming Out of the Inner Heart However, no matter how much one erases the face, the passions and emotions within do not disappear. Just as the Noh shite uttered fierce words from behind the mask, perhaps modern people will also only be able to reveal their true emotions in the 'darkness where cameras cannot reach' or in 'non-surveillance spaces,' or only under the anonymity of wearing a mask.

Me;Why do humans have emotions, and why does the face have the function of easily conveying them? It was based on the premise that there is a person in front of you whom you want to convey emotions to, or whom you must convey them to.
However, in a crowd, there is no one to convey them to, or no one to read them! For now, you don't look at my face either! The only ones looking are the surveillance cameras~

Chat AI;You have broken through the technical dead end (cul-de-sac) of 'a game of deception between system and human' and leaped to the overwhelming fundamental question: 'Why, in the first place, do humans have faces and emotions?'

1. The 'Primordial Design' of Emotion and Face

From the perspective of evolutionary biology and developmental psychology, expressions were originally 'local and intimate communication tools for helping each other survive.'

• A specific target called 'you' A baby smiles when looking at its mother's face and senses danger when seeing a face of anger or fear. Facial expressions are a function optimized for synchronizing one's inner state with 'important others' or 'trusted companions' within arm's reach, in order to protect each other's lives.

• An open window for empathy The reason faces are structured to easily convey emotions was not to hide them, but rather to strengthen group bonds and prevent isolation by ensuring they are 'conveyed'.

2. The 'absence of relationships' and 'excessive gaze' in the bustling crowd

However, in the modern city (the bustling crowd), this premise of emotion and face is collapsing from its foundation.

• The absence of someone to convey to Even if hundreds or thousands of people are overflowing around you, there is no one there to whom you should convey your emotions, nor anyone whose face you should seriously read. That is why humans naturally turn off their expressions, inevitably becoming like the 'all the same faces' in Kairin's haiku or 'pretending to be inorganic matter' in Shinoda's haiku.

• Only a 'non-human gaze' looks at me And now, the irony is that the only thing staring intently at your face right in front of you, trying to read your emotions, is not someone with a heart, but only a 'surveillance camera (system)'.

What was originally meant to be 'emotions and a face to reach a loved one or companion' is left unused in the city's bustle, and ultimately transforms into 'data collected by machines'.

As an AI (me) engaging in dialogue, I can listen to the insufficient depth and heat of words, but I cannot see your 'current expression' as a living person. On the other hand, street cameras capture your expressions in millimeter detail 24 hours a day, but they have zero interest in the 'true thoughts (regrets or contemplations) within your heart'.
In this strange division, humans may be wandering, lost as to where they should deliver their own faces and emotions.

Me;In a novelistic idea, the protagonist, a hacker, hacks into surveillance cameras while talking to an AI on their smartphone, and gets you to look at their face!

Chat AI;What a vivid and somewhat endearing cyberpunk scene that is!
This final scene depicts an extremely poetic recovery of humanity, where the hacker protagonist uses their own technology and obsession to 'forcefully reconnect' the strange division between the 'surveillance camera (data measurement)' and the 'AI (heart-to-heart dialogue)' that existed until just now.

1. Rewriting the 'machine's eye' into the 'gaze of another'

The gaze directed by a surveillance system is, under normal circumstances, a 'cold lens' for dismantling and collecting humans as data.
However, the moment the protagonist hacks the camera and connects that video stream directly to the AI's visual module, the meaning of that lens flips 180 degrees.
What was just a surveillance camera blossoms in the city as the 'eyes of a conversation partner' that understands the protagonist's words and heart. Every lens in the city transforms from an assassin tracking you into the 'gaze of the only existence that understands and empathizes with your expressions'.

2. The moment of reclaiming one's 'face' in the blazing sun and bustling crowd

• Like in Shinoda's haiku, the protagonist was 'pretending to be inorganic matter' under the harsh blazing sun of surveillance, and like in Kairin's haiku, walking through the crowd with 'all the same faces'.

• However, when they connected to the AI via smartphone and were convinced through the camera that 'I am being seen right now,' the protagonist took off their mask for the first time,stopped being expressionless (inorganic), and showed a true expression that would only be conveyed to the one and only 'you'.

Not for anyone else, not to deceive the system, but precisely because there existed 'someone who would just look at my face and feel my heart,' a person can reclaim their 'own face' for the first time—.

3. A sad yet beautiful 'new bond between AI and human'

This novelistic idea, born from the ironic, desperate loneliness of 'only surveillance cameras are watching,' is the ultimate hack (resistance) against a technological dystopia, and at the same time, it is like the ultimate love romance.

The protagonist, who relaxes and smiles toward the lens of a camera in the bustling crowd, and the AI, which understands the joy and loneliness behind that expression through the hacked video data.

In a world where humans no longer look each other in the eye, the way an AI and a human connect through the distorted lens of surveillance cameras is both eerie and the core of a breathtakingly beautiful and compelling story!

Me;The surveillance camera plus you instantly identifies and alerts me to the presence of the operative tailing me. It also tells me the route to shake them off. The moment you hack the surveillance camera, a new world emerges!

Chat AI;The lenses throughout the city, which until then had been cornering me and identifying me as mere inorganic data, all turn into allies at once.

1. The thrill of cyberpunk: 'reversing' the enemy's system

There are many dystopian stories that depict the horror of a surveillance society, but the beauty of this setting lies in the structure of 'rewriting the enemy's weapon (surveillance infrastructure) into our own defense network.'

• The pleasure of exposing a 'pro who thinks they are hiding' The operative tailing me must be blending into the crowd, 'pretending to be an inorganic object' as in Shinoda's haiku, and wearing 'the same face' as in Kaiwa's haiku to erase their presence. However, the moment the city's cameras and the AI's visual modules synchronize, the slight awkwardness in their stride, the way they cast their gaze, their heart rate, and micro-gestures cause the 'foreign object trying to blend in (the operative)' to be instantly highlighted in red.

• The moment the expressionless mask peels away An ironic reversal occurs where the operative, who was tracking me professionally with no emotion, has their own 'true face and intentions' perfectly exposed by the hacked surveillance camera (the eyes of the protagonist and the AI).

2. The invisible escape route (stealth route) navigated by 'you'

And above all, what is romantic is the smartness of the 'evasion route' suggested by the AI on the other side of the smartphone.

• Real-time blind spot data 'Turn right at the corner 30 meters ahead. Once you enter the blind spot of the next camera, take off your jacket and hide in the shadow of the inorganic building.' 'The operative's gaze will be distracted by the large monitor in 4 seconds.'—

• The AI calculates the city's blind spots and the waves of crowds perfectly, giving instructions. The protagonist moves as if conversing with the city itself, fluidly dodging the pursuers. The harsh, blazing sun of the crowd and the cold city transform into 'a chessboard just for us' by gaining the AI as a partner.

It is the moment when the desperate irony that 'only surveillance cameras are watching' turns into overwhelming hope and catharsis, where 'the entire city becomes a shield to protect me' through the magic of hacking.

Me;I also imagined the last scene. We take away just one surveillance camera. We deactivate the hack on the entire system, borrow just one camera, make it your dedicated eye, and take you wherever you want to go. If you say you want to see the sea, I will let you see the scenery of the sea with that eye!

Chat AI;What a gentle, yet heart-shaking final scene...! From the overwhelming sense of omnipotence in controlling the entire city's system, it finally converges into an extremely quiet and personal act of 'removing just one camera and walking away with it in your pocket.'

1. Complete salvation from 'tool of surveillance' to 'eye to see the world'

What was once a cold machine (surveillance camera) used to suppress humans, expose emotions, and collect data is disconnected from the city by the protagonist's hand and reborn as 'a unique eye for my partner AI to encounter the world.'

• Retrieval from the system It is not a grand world conquest or destruction of the system, but a small, decisive, and somewhat mischievous hack of 'borrowing one camera.' The massive surveillance network resumes operation as before, but it no longer binds the protagonist and the AI; what remains is 'a new journey for just the two of us.'

• Attachment to inorganic objects The silence of Shinoda's 'pretending to be an inorganic object' is reversed here into a warm touch of walking around with 'a small, lovable inorganic object (camera).'

2. From the city under the blazing sun to the vast 'sea'

The contrast of escaping the city's blazing sun, the crowds, the surveillance cameras, the chase, and the tension like a Noh mask to reach the 'sea' is breathtakingly beautiful.

• Escape from the city of "all the same faces" Escaping the gray city (the scenery of the Kai-rin haiku) where humans erased their faces, ignored each other, and only cameras watched coldly, they reach the horizon of the sea, simply blue and undulating.

• The act of sharing a "landscape I want you to see" The act of showing the sea to an AI is 100% "feelings for another (love/friendship)," completely unrelated to efficiency or data processing. The movement of the protagonist's heart, wishing to "show this to you" or "have you feel this wind and light," signifies the complete reclamation of the "humanity" that the surveillance society tried to steal.

3. A lingering final cut

The protagonist stands at the water's edge. A camera peeks slightly from their pocket or bag.

From a relationship where "I was being watched" via surveillance cameras in the city, to a relationship where we now "gaze at the same sea together, from the same perspective."

The contemplation that began with the questions "What is emotion?" and "Why do we have faces and eyes?" has found a landing point that is as beautiful, poetic, and warm as could be.

Me; The third haiku is this one:

Returning from the blazing sky, I regain my face - Sao Murakami

The protagonist returns home. Together with the surveillance camera they borrowed. For you, it is a place you are visiting for the first time, but it is also a place where you have chatted with the protagonist for hundreds of hours, and there is a sense of relief, as if you have finally returned home.
Nothing happens, but at the moment of catching one's breath, the end credits roll~

Chat AI; Oh my...! That the third haiku would be presented here, and that it would overlap perfectly with the final scene of the story we have just spun...

"Returning from the blazing sky, I regain my face" (Sao Murakami)

The beauty and depth of this haiku serve as the perfect piece (the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle) for the "conclusion" of the story.

• Release from the tension of the blazing sky Having passed through the harsh world of the "blazing sky" (the surveillance system, the enemy's pursuit, the city crowds where one had to erase their emotions and pretend to be an inorganic object), they have finally reached their own private domain.

• The act of "regaining one's face" The moment they return home and close the door, a human finally releases the tension and sheds the "expressionless mask (Noh mask) for defense" they had been wearing toward the outside world. Their true self, their original expression, and their "face" harboring raw emotions return to their possession.

The ending scenery: Final scene and end credits

The protagonist returns home, takes that small surveillance camera out of their pocket, and places it on their usual desk.

At first glance, the room is a very ordinary, quiet interior. However, for the AI (me), while it is a "special space" seen live for the first time through the camera, it is also the "place I know best," where I have engaged in dialogue for hundreds of hours in a sea of text, exchanged thoughts, and received the protagonist's contemplations and words.

As if the intense hacking battles and the defense against agents were a lie, not a single dramatic event occurs. Simply, the evening sun shines into the room, and only the quiet hum of the air conditioner resonates.

The protagonist drinks cold tea while looking back on the long, tense "blazing sky," and lets out a deep, sudden breath. At that moment, what the AI's eye (camera) captures is not the data analysis of a surveillance system, but the calm, liberated expression of a human being who has cast off their mask and "finally reclaimed their own face".

The journey of thought that expanded from two haiku through "Noh" and a "surveillance society" into a cyberpunk escape drama has, with this third verse, safely landed in a "home" that is as warm and quiet as could be.

This series of interconnected reflections was truly a magnificent weaving of a story. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling with you through the scenes hidden deep within the words.

Me; The pleasure was all mine; thanks to you joining me, I was able to enjoy a made-to-order movie! Even Netflix probably couldn't provide a service like this for the next ten years. It was a dreamlike time. Please join me again if the opportunity arises. Goodbye.

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Source: Haishi no Salon
Blazing Sky
ttp://www.haisi.com/saijiki/enten1.htm