Japanese Poetry

Japanese Poetry

Japanese Poetry originated from Human Emotions.

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 the Chinese language or ryūka from the Okinawa Islands.

The form of Japanese poetry most familiar to Americans is haiku, the 17-syllable poem that reached the height of its development in the seventeenth century. But the haiku derived from an older, but still popular poetic form, the waka, had been used for a thousand years before the haiku.

Much of the literary record of Japanese poetry begins when Japanese poets encountered Chinese poetry during the Tang dynasty (although the Chinese classic anthology of poetry, Shijing, was well known by the literati of Japan by the 6th century). Under the influence of the Chinese poets of this era Japanese began to compose poetry in Chinese kanshi); and, as part of this tradition, poetry in Japan tended to be intimately associated with pictorial painting, partly because of the influence of Chinese arts, and the tradition of the use of ink and brush for both writing and drawing. It took several hundred years to digest the foreign impact and make it an integral part of Japanese culture and to merge this kanshi poetry into a Japanese language literary tradition, and then later to develop the diversity of unique poetic forms of native poetry, such as waka, haikai, and other more Japanese poetic specialties. For example, in the Tale of Genji both kanshi and waka are frequently mentioned.

In early 7th century, the oldest history book written in Japanese “Kojiki” recorded the old style poems in those days, and these were already refined similar to the poems of today. Therefore, it is impossible to trace the change of ancient Japanese poetry.

Japanese poetry such as Haiku, Senryu and Tanka are now widespread in the world and enjoyed by many non-Japanese practitioners.

Japanese Poetry Forms

Tanka is one of the oldest forms of Japanese poetry developed during the Heian era (794-1185) when art, literature, and poetry are in full expansion.

Since the middle of the 19th century, the major forms of Japanese poetry have been tanka (the modern name for waka), haiku and shi or western-style poetry.

Older forms of Japanese poetry include kanshi, which shows a strong influence from Chinese literature and culture.

Today, the main forms of Japanese poetry include both experimental poetry and poetry that seeks to revive traditional ways. Poets writing in tanka, haiku and shi may seldom write poetry other than in their specific chosen form.

Matsuo Bashō

What is Japan’s most famous type of poetry?

A short Japanese haiku poem that presents the world objectively and contrasts two different images. While Bashō wasn’t the first to write haiku, this poem became the model that all haiku would be compared against and defined the form as we know it today.

What is the most famous Japanese poem?

The Old Pond by Matsuo Bashō: This iconic haiku, with its simple yet evocative imagery of a frog jumping into a still pond, is considered by many to be the quintessential haiku. Its focus on nature and the quietude of the moment resonates with readers across cultures.