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This article is about modern Japanese poetry. For the classical genre of Japanese poetry sometimes called "tanka", see Waka (poetry). For tanka poetry written in English, see Tanka in English. For other uses, see Tanka (disambiguation).

Tanka (短歌 "short poem"?) is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature.[1]


Originally, in the time of the Man'yōshū (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term tanka was used to distinguish "short poems" from the longer chōka (長歌?, "long poems"). 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 waka became the standard name for this form. [2] Japanese poet and critic Masaoka Shiki revived the term tanka in the early twentieth century for his statement that waka should be renewed and modernized.[citation needed] Haiku is also a term of his invention, used for his revision of standalone hokku, with the same idea.




The 5-7-5 is called the kami-no-ku (上の句 "upper phrase"?), and the 7-7 is called the shimo-no-ku (下の句 "lower phrase"?).



The modern revival of tanka began with several poets who began to publish literary magazines, gathering their friends and disciples as contributors. for example:

Riding in the wind
this white wings will carry us
i shall go with you
border of the sky and sea
isle in summer ceaselesslyres

"In Japan, Almost Everyone Seems Well Versed; Once 'Infused With Melancholy',"] New York Times. January 20, 1980.

Masaoka Shiki'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 (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 Man'yōshū as manly, as opposed to the style of Kokin Wakashū, the model for waka for a thousand years, which he denigrated and called feminine.[citation needed] He praised Minamoto no Sanetomo, the third Shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, who was a disciple of Fujiwara no Teika and composed waka in a style much like that in the Man'yōshū.

Ceremony of the Utakai Hajime, about 1950

Following Shiki's death, in the Taishō period (1912–26), Mokichi Saitō and his friends began publishing a magazine, Araragi, which praised the Man'yōshū.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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, waka began to be considered out-of-date, but since the late 1980s it has revived under the example of contemporary poets, such as Tawara Machi. With her 1987 bestselling collection Salad Anniversary, the poet has been credited with revitalizing 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 Ooka's poetry column was published seven days a week for more than 20 years on the front page of Asahi Shimbun.[4] As a parting gesture, outgoing PM Junichiro Koizumi wrote a tanka to thank his supporters.

The Japanese imperial family continue to write tanka for the New Year. [1]

Poetic culture[edit]




See also[edit]


  1. ^ Ueda, Makoto. Modern Japanese Tanka. NY: Columbia University Press, 1996. p1. ISBN 978-0-231-10433-3
  2. ^ Keene, Donald. A History of Japanese Literature: Volume 1. NY: Columbia University Press, 1999. p98, 164. ISBN 978-0-231-11441-7
  3. ^ Carter 1991, Translator's Note, p.xiii
  4. ^ Honan, William H. "Why Millions in Japan Read All About Poetry," New York Times. March 6, 2000.


  • 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[edit]

  • Nakano, Jiro, Outcry from the Inferno: Atomic Bomb Tanka Anthology, Honolulu, Hawaii, Bamboo Ridge Press 1995 ISBN 0-910043-38-8 [104 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 ISBN 0-231-10432-4 cloth ISBN 978-0-231-10433-3 pbk [257 pp. 400 tanka by 20 poets]

Modern translations[edit]

  • Baba, Akiko. Heavenly Maiden Tanka. Trans. Hatsue Kawamura and Jane Reichhold. Gualala CA:AHA Books, 1999
  • Nakajo, 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