Waka

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Waka ( Japanese 和 歌 Japanese poem), more rarely also called Yamato-uta ( 大 和 歌 ), is a genre of Japanese poetry . The term was coined in the Heian period to distinguish the poem form developed in Japan from the kanshi , poems written in the Chinese language and in Chinese forms of poetry .

description

Waka is therefore a collective term for several styles:

  • Tanka (短歌 , short poem, 5-7 5-7 7)
  • Chōka (長 歌 , long poem, 5-7 5-7… 5-7-7)
  • Bussokusekika ( 仏 足 石 歌 , Buddha footprint poem, 5-7 5-7 7-7)
  • Sedōka ( 旋 頭 歌 , 5-7-7 5-7-7, poem with repeated head)
  • Katauta ( 片 歌 , incomplete poem, 5-7-7)

The latter three forms, however, lost their popularity in the early Heian period (9th century), and the Chōka form was also discontinued soon afterwards.

This occurred during the middle of the Heian period

  • Imayō (今 様 , modern style, 7-5 7-5 7-5 7-5) on.

The distinctions were no longer necessary, and tanka were more commonly referred to as waka.

In the middle of the 19th century the term tanka was redefined. The Japanese poet and critic Masaoka Shiki called for the waka to be renewed and modernized, like everything in Japan back then, and referred to this new form as tanka. He also coined the term haiku as a modernized form of hokku .

In contrast to classical Chinese poetry, the waka has neither a rhyme nor a division into lines. Instead of lines, the poems were divided into units ( 連 ) and sentences ( 句 ). However, when translating waka into European languages, these classifications become lines.

Utaawase

Utaawase ( 歌 合 ) denotes the Japanese betting density. Period from around the 9th century to the modern age of the ancient Japanese aristocracy of the Japanese imperial court. It consisted of tanka thematic competing according to fixed rules under the supervision of judges.

Tanka in France

Tanka authors in France are Jacques Roubaud and Nicolas Grenier .

See also

literature

  • RH Brower, E. Miner: Japanese court poetry. New edition. Stanford, California 1988.
  • Setsuko Ito (Ed.): An Anthology of Traditional Japanese Poetry Competitions. Uta-awase (913-1815) . Brockmeyer Verlag, 1992, ISBN 3-88339-948-5 .
  • K. Vollmer: Medieval Japanese shokunin poetry contests. In: Bonner Z. f. Japanology. 12 (i. Dr.)
  • A. Waley: Japanese poetry. The uta. Oxford, 1919. (Reprinted in London 1946)
  • W. Gundert et al. a. (Ed.): Lyrik des Ostens. New edition. 1982.

Web links

Commons : Waka  - collection of images, videos and audio files