is a

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

of classical

Japanese poetry Japanese poetry is poetry typical of Japan, or written, spoken, or chanted in the Japanese language, which includes Old Japanese, Early Middle Japanese, Late Middle Japanese, and Modern Japanese, as well as poetry in Japan which was written in th ...

and one of the major genres of

Japanese literature Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japa ...

Etymology

Originally, in the time of the influential poetry anthology (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to distinguish "short poems" from the longer . In the ninth and tenth centuries, however, notably with the compilation of the '' Kokinshū'', the short poem became the dominant form of poetry in Japan, and the originally general word became the standard name for this form. Japanese poet and critic

Masaoka Shiki , pen-name of Masaoka Noboru (正岡升), was a Japanese poet, author, and literary critic in Meiji period Japan. Shiki is regarded as a major figure in the development of modern haiku poetry, credited with writing nearly 20,000 stanzas during ...

revived the term ''tanka'' in the early twentieth century for his statement that ''waka should be renewed and modernized''. ''

Haiku is a type of short form poetry that originated in Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases composed of 17 Mora (linguistics), morae (called ''On (Japanese prosody), on'' in Japanese) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern; that include a ''kire ...

'' is also a term of his invention, used for his revision of standalone

Hokku is the opening stanza of a Japanese orthodox collaborative linked poem, '' renga'', or of its later derivative, '' renku'' (''haikai no renga''). From the time of Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694), the ''hokku'' began to appear as an independent poem, ...

, with the same idea.

Form

Tanka consist of five units (often treated as separate lines when romanized or translated) usually with the following pattern of '' on'' (often treated as, roughly, the number of syllables per unit or line): :5-7-5-7-7. The 5-7-5 is called the , and the 7-7 is called the . Sometimes the distinction between

Waka WAKA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Selma, Alabama, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Montgomery area. It is owned by Bahakel Communications alongside Tuskegee-licensed CW+ affiliate WBMM (channel 22); B ...

and Tanka are drawn on where the division is placed, either after the first

couplet In poetry, a couplet ( ) or distich ( ) is a pair of successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (closed) couplet, each of the two lines is end-stopped, implying that there ...

or after the first

tercet A tercet is composed of three lines of poetry, forming a stanza or a complete poem. Examples of tercet forms English-language haiku is an example of an unrhymed tercet poem. A poetic triplet is a tercet in which all three lines follow the same r ...

, but sources disagree. Even in early classical compilations of these poems, such as the ''

Ogura Hyakunin Isshu is a classical Japanese anthology of one hundred Japanese ''waka'' by one hundred poets. ''Hyakunin isshu'' can be translated to "one hundred people, one poem ach; it can also refer to the card game of ''uta-garuta'', which uses a deck compos ...

'', the form is often broken to suit the poet's preferences.

History

Modern

During the Kojiki and Nihonshoki periods the tanka retained a well defined form, but the history of the mutations of the tanka itself forms an important chapter in

haiku is a type of short form poetry that originated in Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases composed of 17 Mora (linguistics), morae (called ''On (Japanese prosody), on'' in Japanese) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern; that include a ''kire ...

history, until the modern revival of tanka began with several poets who began to publish literary magazines, gathering their friends and disciples as contributors.

Yosano Tekkan Yosano Hiroshi (与謝野寛; 26 February 1873 – 26 March 1935), known by his pen name was a Japanese author and poet active in late Meiji, Taishō, and early Shōwa era. His wife was fellow author Yosano Akiko. His grandson was politicia ...

and the poets that were associated with his ''

Myōjō was a monthly literary magazine published in Japan between April 1900 and November 1908. The name ''Myōjō'' can be translated as either Bright Star or Morning Star. History and profile The magazine was established in 1900. It was the organ ...

'' magazine were one example, but that magazine was fairly short-lived (Feb. 1900 Nov. 1908). A young high school student, Otori You (later known as

Akiko Yosano , known by her pen name Yosano Akiko (Shinjitai: , Kyūjitai: , ), was a Japanese author, poet, feminist, pacifist, and social reformer, active in the late Meiji era as well as the Taishō and early Shōwa eras of Japan. She is one of the most ...

), and

Ishikawa Takuboku was a Japanese poet. Well known as both a tanka and or poet, he began as a member of the Myōjō group of naturalist poets but later joined the "socialistic" group of Japanese poets and renounced naturalism. He died of tuberculosis. Major ...

contributed to ''Myōjō''. In 1980 the ''New York Times'' published a representative work:

's (1867–1902) poems and writing (as well as the work of his friends and disciples) have had a more lasting influence. The magazine '' Hototogisu'', which he founded, still publishes. In the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

(1868–1912), Shiki claimed the situation with waka should be rectified, and waka should be modernized in the same way as other things in the country. He praised the style of as manly, as opposed to the style of ''

Kokin Wakashū The , commonly abbreviated as , is an early anthology of the '' waka'' form of Japanese poetry, dating from the Heian period. An imperial anthology, it was conceived by Emperor Uda () and published by order of his son Emperor Daigo () in abou ...

'', the model for waka for a thousand years, which he denigrated and called feminine. He praised

Minamoto no Sanetomo was the third ''shōgun'' of the Kamakura shogunate. He was the second son of the Kamakura shogunate founder, Minamoto no Yoritomo. His mother was Hōjō Masako and his older brother was the second Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoriie. His child ...

, the third ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

'' of the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yori ...

, who was a disciple of

Fujiwara no Teika was a Japanese anthologist, calligrapher, literary critic,"The high quality of poetic theory (''karon'') in this age depends chiefly upon the poetic writings of Fujiwara Shunzei and his son Teika. The other theorists of ''tanka'' writing, st ...

and composed waka in a style much like that in the . Ceremony of the Utakai Hajime around 1950

Following Shiki's death, in the Taishō period (1912–26),

Mokichi Saitō was a Japanese poet of the Taishō period, a member of the Araragi school of tanka, and a psychiatrist. Mokichi was born in the village of Kanakame, now part of Kaminoyama, Yamagata in 1882. He attended Tokyo Imperial University Medical Sc ...

and his friends began publishing a magazine, '' Araragi'', which praised the . Using their magazine they spread their influence throughout the country. Their modernization aside, in the court the old traditions still prevailed. The court continues to hold many ''utakai'' (waka reading parties) both officially and privately. The utakai that the Emperor holds on the first of the year is called '' Utakai Hajime'' and it is an important event for waka poets; the Emperor himself releases a single tanka for the public's perusal. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, waka began to be considered out-of-date, but since the late 1980s it has revived under the example of contemporary poets, such as

Machi Tawara is a contemporary Japanese writer, translator and poet. Tawara is most famous as a contemporary poet. She is credited with revitalizing the tanka for modern Japanese audiences. Her skill as a translator consist of translating classical Japanes ...

. With her 1987 bestselling collection ''Salad Anniversary'', the poet has been credited with revitalising the tanka for modern audiences. Today there are many circles of tanka poets. Many newspapers have a weekly tanka column, and there are many professional and amateur tanka poets;

Makoto Ōoka , Poetry International, 2006 () was a Japanese poet and literary critic. He pioneered the collaborative poetic form renshi in the 1990s,"Why Millions in Japan Read All About Poetry" ''New York Times''. March 6, 2000. Awards Source: *1993: Cult ...

's poetry column was published seven days a week for more than 20 years on the front page of ''

Asahi Shimbun is a Japanese daily newspaper founded in 1879. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. The ''Asahi Shimbun'' is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan along with the ''Yom ...

.'' As a parting gesture, outgoing PM

Jun'ichirō Koizumi Junichiro Koizumi ( ; , ''Koizumi Jun'ichirō'' ; born 8 January 1942) is a Japanese retired politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics in 200 ...

wrote a tanka to thank his supporters. The

Japanese imperial family The is the reigning dynasty of Japan, consisting of those members of the extended family of the reigning emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present constitution of Japan, the emperor is "the symbol of the State ...

continue to write tanka for the New Year.

Poetic culture

In ancient times, it was a custom between two writers to exchange waka instead of letters in prose. In particular, it was common between lovers. Reflecting this custom, five of the twenty volumes of the Kokin Wakashū gathered waka for love. In the Heian period the lovers would exchange waka in the morning when lovers met at the woman's home. The exchanged waka were called ''Kinuginu'' (後朝), because it was thought the man wanted to stay with his lover and when the sun rose he had almost no time to put on his clothes on which he had lain instead of a mattress (it being the custom in those days). Works of this period, ''

The Pillow Book is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Fujiwara no Teishi, Empress Consort Teishi during the 990s and early 1000s in Heian-period Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002. The wor ...

'' and ''

The Tale of Genji is a classic work of Japanese literature written by the noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu around the peak of the Heian period, in the early 11th century. It is one of history's first novels, the first by a woman to have wo ...

'' provide us with such examples in the life of aristocrats.

Murasaki Shikibu was a Japanese novelist, Japanese poetry#Age of Nyobo or court ladies, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial Court in Kyoto, Imperial court in the Heian period. She was best known as the author of ''The Tale of Genji'', widely considered t ...

uses 795 waka in her ''The Tale of Genji'' as waka her characters made in the story. Some of these are her own, although most are taken from existing sources. Shortly, making and reciting waka became a part of aristocratic culture. They recited a part of appropriate waka freely to imply something on an occasion. Much like with

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

, there were a number of rituals and events surrounding the composition, presentation, and judgment of waka. There were two types of waka party that produced

occasional poetry Occasional poetry is poetry composed for a particular occasion. In the history of literature, it is often studied in connection with orality, performance, and patronage. Term As a term of literary criticism, "occasional poetry" describes the work ...

: ''Utakai'' and ''

Uta-awase , poetry contests or '' waka'' matches, are a distinctive feature of the Japanese literary landscape from the Heian period. Significant to the development of Japanese poetics, the origin of group composition such as ''renga'', and a stimulus to ...

''. Utakai was a party in which all participants wrote a waka and recited them. Utakai derived from Shikai, Kanshi party and was held in occasion people gathered like seasonal party for the New Year, some celebrations for a newborn baby, a birthday, or a newly built house. ''Utaawase'' was a contest in two teams. Themes were determined and a chosen poet from each team wrote a waka for a given theme. The judge appointed a winner for each theme and gave points to the winning team. The team which received the largest sum was the winner. The first recorded Utaawase was held in around 885. At first, Utaawase was playful and mere entertainment, but as the poetic tradition deepened and grew, it turned into a serious aesthetic contest, with considerably more formality.

Poets

* Ochiai Naobumi (1861–1903) *

(1867–1902) *

Yosano Akiko , known by her pen name Yosano Akiko (Shinjitai: , Kyūjitai: , ), was a Japanese author, poet, feminist, pacifist, and social reformer, active in the late Meiji era as well as the Taishō era, Taishō and early Shōwa eras of Japan. She is one ...

(1878–1942) *

(1886–1912) * Saitō Mokichi (1882–1953) *

Itō Sachio was the pen-name of , a Japanese '' tanka'' poet and novelist active during the Meiji period of Japan. Biography Itō was born in what is now Sanmu city, Chiba prefecture, as the younger son to a farming family. He attended the ''Meiji Hōrit ...

(1864–1913) *

Kitahara Hakushū Kitahara (written: ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aiko Kitahara (born 1982), Japanese former pop singer and songwriter * Aiko Kitahara (novelist) (1938–2013), Japanese novelist * Fumi Kitahara (1968–2025), ...

(1885–1942) * Suiko Sugiura (1885–1960) * Nagatsuka Takashi (1879–1915) *

Okamoto Kanoko , born , was the pen-name of a Japanese author, tanka poet, and Buddhist scholar active during the Taishō and early Shōwa periods of Japan. Early life Kanoko's maiden name was Ōnuki Kano. She was born in Aoyama, Akasaka-ku (present day Mina ...

(1889–1939) * Wakayama Bokusui (1885–1928) * Orikuchi Shinobu (1887–1953) under the pseudonym Shaku Choku * Jun Fujita (1888–1963) *

Kenji Miyazawa was a Japanese novelist, poet, and children's literature writer from Hanamaki, Iwate, in the late Taishō and early Shōwa periods. He was also known as an agricultural science teacher, vegetarian, cellist, devout Buddhist, and utopian social ...

(1896-1933) * Terayama Shuji (1935–1983) * Tawara Machi (born 1962) *

Yukio Mishima Kimitake Hiraoka ( , ''Hiraoka Kimitake''; 14 January 192525 November 1970), known by his pen name Yukio Mishima ( , ''Mishima Yukio''), was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, Ultranationalism (Japan), ultranationalis ...

(1925–1970) *

Akiko Baba (born January 28, 1928) is a Japanese tanka poet and literary critic. Her real name is . Overviews She also has an interest in Noh drama, and her works have been performed at the National Theatre of Japan. ''Heavenly Maiden Tanka'' is a colle ...

(born 1928) *

Fumiko Nakajō Fumiko Nakajō (中城ふみ子 ''Nakajō Fumiko'', real name 野江富美子 ''Noe Fumiko'', November 25, 1922 in Obihiro, Hokkaidō – August 3, 1954 in Sapporo) was a Japanese tanka poet. Life Fumiko Nakajō attended the Tokyo Academy of Home ...

(1922–1954) *

Nakajima Utako Nakajima Utako (; 14 December 1844, Tokyo – 30 January 1903) was a Japanese ''Waka (poetry), waka'' and ''tanka'' poet and conservatory founder. Associated with Keien court poetry, she founded the Haginoya poetry school (萩の舎, "House of Bus ...

(1844–1903) *

Chūya Nakahara , born , was a Japanese poet active during the early Shōwa period. Originally shaped by Dada and other forms of European (mainly French) experimental poetry, he was one of the leading renovators of Japanese poetry. Although he died at the young ...

(1907–1937)

References

Bibliography

*Keene, Donald, ''Dawn to the West: Japanese Literature of the Modern Era - Poetry, Drama, Criticism (A History of Japanese Literature, Volume 4)'', Columbia University Press, 1999

Modern anthologies

*Nakano, Jiro, ''Outcry from the Inferno: Atomic Bomb Tanka Anthology'', Honolulu, Hawaii, Bamboo Ridge Press 1995 04 pp. 103 tanka by 103 poets*Shiffert, Edith, and Yuki Sawa, editors and translators, ''Anthology of Modern Japanese Poetry'', Rutland, Vermont, Tuttle, 1972 * Ueda, Makoto, ''Modern Japanese Tanka: An Anthology'', NY: Columbia University Press, 1996 cloth pbk 57 pp. 400 tanka by 20 poets

Modern translations

. ''100 Poems by 100 Poets''. Trans. Clay MacCauley
Appendix
* Baba, Akiko. ''Heavenly Maiden Tanka.'' Trans. Hatsue Kawamura and Jane Reichhold. Gualala CA:AHA Books, 1999 * Nakajō, Fumiko. ''Breasts of Snow.'' Trans. Hatsue Kawamura and Jane Reichhold. Tokyo:The Japan Times Press, 2004 *Saito, Fumi. ''White Letter Poems.'' Trans. Hatsue Kawamura and Jane Reichhold. Gualala CA: AHA Books, 1998 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tanka (Poetry) Japanese poetic forms Japanese literary terminology Waka (poetry)