Japanese poetry

The best-known forms of Japanese poetry (outside Japan) are haiku and senryu. The classic traditional form is in fact waka. Much poetry in Japan was written in the Chinese language, so it is more accurate to speak of Japanese-language poetry. For example, in the Tale of Genji both kinds of poetry are frequently mentioned. When Japanese poets first encountered Chinese poetry, it was at its peak in the Tang dynasty and Japanese poets were totally fascinated. It took them several hundred years to digest the foreign impact, make it a part of their culture and merge it with their literary tradition in their mother tongue, and begin to develop the diversity of their native poetry. Waka and Kanshi, Chinese poetry including Japanese works written in (sometimes corrupted) Chinese, were the two greatest pillars of Japanese poetry. From them many other forms, such as renga, haiku or senryu, arose.

Related Topics:
Haiku - Senryu - Waka - Chinese language - Tale of Genji - Tang dynasty - Renga

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A new trend came in the middle of the 19th Century. Since then the major forms of Japanese poetry have been tanka (new name for waka), haiku and shi.

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Nowadays the main forms of Japanese poetry can be divided into experimental poetry and poetry that seeks to revive traditional ways. Poets writing in tanka, haiku and shi move in separate planes and seldom write poetry other than in their specific chosen form, although some active poets are eager to collaborate with poets in other genres.

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Important collections are the Man'yōshu, Kokin-wakashu and Shin-kokin-wakashu.

Related Topics:
Man'yōshu - Kokin-wakashu - Shin-kokin-wakashu

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The headline should be shortened. Now it is too long to serve as a headline. Shorten and add chronological division. See talk:Waka.

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General disciplines

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Both works and criticism should be described.

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notable poets, works and sometimes magazines are mentioned

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Items are ordered following by time.-->

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