JAPANESE POETRY

1. Japanese poetry is thought to have originated from village gatherings called

utagaki (歌垣). Men and women of all ages would gather on a mountain, near a river
or sea, or in the market and eat, dance, sing and recite poetry. In particular, young
men and women would recite courtship poems to each other and begin romantic
relationships.

2. Chinese poetry, known as kanshi (漢詩), was brought to Japan together with
Chinese writing. Eventually, Japanese people began writing original kanshi. The
oldest existing Japanese kanshi collection is Kaifuso (懐風藻), compiled around 751.

3. The oldest collection of Japanese language poetry is Manyoshu (万葉集), compiled

by Otomo no Yakamochi (大伴家持) and others around 759. It is divided into love
poems, known as somon (相聞), poems for the dead, known as banka (挽歌), and
other poems, known as zoka (雑歌).

4. Kokin Wakashu (古今和歌集) was compiled around 905 by Ki no Tsurayuki (紀貫

之) and others at the command of the Emperor Daigo (醍醐天皇). Though it contains
many types of poems, it is especially known for its many seasonal poems which are
divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter. Kokin Wakashu had a huge
impact on Japanese people’s image of the seasons, and its influence still continues
today.

5. Traditional Japanese language poetry is known as waka ( 和 歌 ). Waka

traditionally consist of combinations of five and seven syllables. For most of
Japanese history, the most popular type of waka was tanka (短歌), 31-syllable
poems arranged in the pattern 5-7-5-7-7.

6. Kokin Wakashu was the first imperial collection of waka poetry, known as
chokusen wakashu ( 勅 撰 和 歌 集 ). Chokusen wakashu were compiled at the
command of the current emperor or retired emperor. In total, 21 chokusen wakashu
were made between 905 and 1439. The most famous of these are Kokin Wakashu,
Gosen Wakashu ( 後 撰 和 歌 集 ), Shui Wakashu ( 拾 遺 和 歌 集 ), and Shin Kokin
Wakashu (新古今和歌集).
7. During the Heian period (794-1185), waka were an important part of aristocratic
life. Aristocrats took part in poetry competitions, and even in everyday life they
composed spontaneous poems about nature and beautiful things. Aristocratic men
and women also communicated by sending love poems to each other. Aristocrats
who were good at composing poetry were respected by their acquaintances, favored
by their superiors, and popular with the opposite sex.

8. Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (小倉百人一首) is a collection of 100 masterpieces of waka

poetry, each by a different poet. It was compiled in 1235 by Fujiwara no Teika (藤原
定家). It has also become a popular card game played at New Year’s and in
competitions.

9. In the Muromachi period (1338-1573), a type of poetry entertainment called

renga (連歌) became popular. Two people would compose a tanka together – one
person would compose the first three lines of the poem (5-7-5), and another person
would complete the tanka (7-7). In the Edo period (1603-1868), renga became
simpler and more informal and were called haikai renga (俳諧連歌) or simply haikai.
Eventually, people started composing poems consisting only of 5-7-5, the first part of
a tanka poem. These were called hokku (発句) and later came to be known as haiku
(俳句). Haiku are generally about natural themes and contain seasonal words. The
most famous haiku poets are Matsuo Basho (松尾芭蕉 1644-1694), Yosa Buson (与謝
蕪村 1716-1784), Kobayashi Issa (小林一茶 1763-1828), and Masaoka Shiki (正岡子
規 1867-1902). Matsuo Basho’s travel and poetry diary Oku no Hosomichi (おくのほ
そ道) is considered a masterpiece.

10. With the modernization of the Meiji era (1868-1912), some poets began to write
modern tanka with new themes and language. Yosano Akiko ( 与 謝 野 晶 子
1878-1942) became famous with Midaregami (みだれ髪), a collection of tanka about
women’s love and sexuality, while Ishikawa Takuboku (石川啄木 1886-1912) took
an interest in society and human hardship. Other poets, like Hagiwara Sakutaro (萩
原朔太郎 1886-1942) and Takamura Kotaro (高村光太郎 1883-1956), abandoned the
traditional 5 and 7 syllable structure and wrote in free verse.
Ogura Hyakunin Isshu tournament