Kawazu

A classical Japanese poem and a museum masterwork on your home screen, changing quietly through the day. No ads, no tracking, no subscription.

Kawazu puts a classical Japanese haiku and a woodblock masterwork on your home screen, where it changes quietly through the day.

Fifty poems by Japan's greatest haiku poets, each paired with artwork from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's open collection. Tap the frog to draw a new pairing whenever you like.

THE WIDGET

• Small, medium, large, and extra large sizes
• Works on iPhone, iPad, and the Mac desktop
• Choose how often it changes: every 4, 8, or 24 hours
• Tap to summon a new poem instantly

THE POETRY Every haiku appears in translation, in the original Japanese, and optionally in romaji for those learning the language.

• Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)
• Yosa Buson (1716–1784)
• Kobayashi Issa (1763–1828)
• Masaoka Shiki (1867–1902)
• Natsume Sōseki (1867–1916)

THE ARTWORK Fifty woodblock prints and paintings from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Open Access collection, including work by Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Utamaro. All public domain.

TWO LANGUAGES Full English and Russian support. The widget follows your device language automatically, or you can set it yourself.

Kawazu - 蛙 - is the frog from Bashō's most famous poem. An old pond, a frog jumps in, the sound of water.

No ads. No tracking. No account. No subscription.