What Is A Tanka?

What Is A Tanka?

 The answer to this question is not as easy as it may seem. Tanka is a poetic form that requires 31 onji, and is divided into 5 lines of 5-7-5-7-7 onji each. A Tanka is further divided rhythmically; the earliest Tanka were divided at the end of the 12th onji with a new rhythm beginning at the 13th and continuing to the end of the poem. Later, the trend became to divide the poem rhythmically at the end of the 17th onji and begin a new rhythm from the 18th onji to the end (or the last two 7 onji lines). Modern Tanka utilizes either rhythm break position, but though the break point is less important today than earlier times, rhythm and rhythm changes as an integral part of the structure of Tanka is of primary importance still.

 As the rhythm break points have changed over the years; so, the function and basic content of Tanka has also changed. Therefore, to answer the question, "What Is A Tanka?" properly, a trip back in time to the very beginning is essential with a slow return to the present occasionally stopping at different periods along the way. I will do my best to answer all of the questions a beginner to reading and writing Tanka may have in the paragraphs that follow. I hope that this brief essay will help them begin enjoying Tanka right out of the blocks. If I succeed, then all the time and energy used to piece this discussion together will have been worth the effort. If I do not succeed, then it has still been a pleasurable experience for me.

 In 712 AD, the Kojiki, the oldest Japanese anthology of poems, was presented to the Emperor's court. In it, the god Susanoo is alleged to have written the first poem to appear on the opening pages of this book. This poem was written in the Tanka form or "Uta" or "Waka" as it was called then. This poem is presented below in Japanese and in English for bilingual readers:

 yakumo tatsu
Izumo yaegaki
tsumagomi ni
yaegaki tsukuru
sono yaegaki wo

 Eightfold rising clouds
Build an eightfold fence
An eightfold Izumo fence
Wherein to keep my bride--
Oh! splendid eightfold fence.

 The interpretations of this poem vary from its being a wedding song to a poem denoting the building of a newly wedded couple's home to an incantation to the Izumo gods for protection of the newly married couple. However, it is not the meaning of this poem that is most notable today; it is, instead, the exact use of metrics that would be the prescribed format for what would later be called "Classical Uta, Waka or Tanka". This classical form consists of 5 lines as stated above in the now standard form of 5-7-5-7-7 onji with appropriate rhythm and rhythm changes. Whether or not this form was written by a god or not may still be in dispute by some Japanese scholars and readers familiar with the Kojiki, but of even greater debate is whether or not this poem was actually written in the Tanka form, or whether it is, in fact, a re-write of some older form or forms also found in the Kojiki from primative times to fit the aesthetics of the current time when the Kojiki was compiled.

 The Kojiki also contains other forms of poetry that read as incantations with obscure meanings as well as pieces with rhythmic units and fixed structures. There are also pieces in the Kojiki that have no specific overall structure and irregular line lengths. These are classified by the Japanese as "Utterances"; short statements, poetic or otherwise, spontaneous in word sequence and emotive in nature that last about one breaths' length. An example of perhaps the simplest of these can be found in a book by Kenneth Yasuda on Haiku in the history of Japanese poetry section of his book:

 How happy I am! I have met a handsome man.
How happy I am! I have met a lovely maid.

 --Translator unknown/undocumented in the book

 The above is recorded in the Nihonshoki (720 AD) as greetings exchanged between two gods. Recordings such as this one above are followed or recorded along-side poetic forms with a similar nature in terms of functional structure called Katauta. Katauta are also listed in the Kojiki. Though, on inspection these two poems appear different in format and presentation, they have more similarities than differences. The one above may be dissected to conclude that each line has two parts: the first part is an exclamatory question, the second part a response. Each line has a specific rhythm with a change in that rhythm where the change from question to answer occurs. Each takes about one breath length to recite.

 The Katauta was a specific form of Japanese poetry 19 onji in length that was written in three lines of 5-7-7 onji (approximately one breath length) each with a specific rhythm and in the form of either a question or an answer. Once thought to represent primative songs, the Katauta is now believed to be a means of conveying a question and an answer among primitive people.

 These Katauta are believed to have developed in primative societies, as stated above, as part of spring festivals similar to the fertility rites and planting/harvesting rituals of other primative societies and cultures. However Katauta, by themselves, may be interesting, when placed together with an answer following a question, they become even more interesting poetically. For example:

 Katauta #1:

 Passing across
The new land of Tsukuba,
How many nights did we sleep?

 Katauta #2:

 Counting my fingers,
It has been nine times by night
And will be ten times by day.

 Putting the two together we get:

 Passing across
The new land of Tsukuba,
How many nights did we sleep?
Counting my fingers,
It has been nine times by night
And will be ten times by day.

 The above is called a Mondo and structurally consists of two parts: a question part and an answer part, each 5-7-7 onji making the total poem length 38 onji, structured 5-7-7-5-7-7 onji per line. A distinct rhythm break occurs in the middle of this structure where the question and answer join; however, it is common for rhythm changes to occur at the end of the 12th onji of the first (question) part of the poem, and occasionally at the end of the 31st as well. The reasons for this rhythmic pattern is quite interesting:

 The unique part of the Katauta is that "it is a poem consisting of 3 lines of 19 onji/syllables; one short (5 onji/syllables), one long (7 onji/syllables) and a third line equal in length to the second used primarily as a prop to *help harmonize the rhythm*." This has been described by recorders in the ancient books and by researchers studying Japanese poetry over their life-times as the *basic unit of poetry*.

 So, what we have in the Kojiki, the oldest book of Japanese poetry, is a poetic form described as the basic unit of Japanese poetry, consisting of approximately 19 onji (or about one breaths length to recite), with a stress on the importance of rhythm as inherent in this basic unit, and, therefore, one could conclude--all Japanese poetry. Other characteristics found within the Katauta are the use of ellipsis, condensation of thought or image, spontaneity or intuitive intonations and/or a nakedness of treatment in general.

 For those interested, the Mondo above was composed by two men; Takeru Yamato crossed the eastern country of Japan to a place called Kai and recorded the first or question part of the mondo. The second or reply part of the mondo was recorded by an old man responsible for tending the fires.

 So, here we move back to the beginning of the discussion, to the first poem in the Kojiki which was recorded as a Uta, Waka, or Tanka: Is it possible that this poem is really a rework of an Utterance or a pair of Utterances? Is it possible that this poem is really a rework of a Katauta or Mondo? As stated earlier, this question is still being debated by students and Japanese poetry historians today. The possibility of taking a poem originally written in 5-7-7-5-7-7 onji and restructuring it to meet the current aesthetic 5-7-5-7-7 at the time of the Kojiki is an interesting question to ponder in light of the essential nature of both poetic structures, essential rhythm requirements and the tying together of two thoughts or components (question to answer; statement or observation to response e.g.. a lovers approach and a maidens reply: commonly seen in older Tanka)) Unfortunately, I can not answer this for you; since, I am far less an expert than those who argue poetic history.

 Before going into the Tanka form itself, there are two other forms that should be understood, or at least discussed. These two forms and the others already discussed, again point to the significance of alternating line lengths of odd numbered onji, specifically, 5-7-7 or 5-7-5 to the Japanese aesthetic. The first form is called a Sedoka; the second is called a Choka.

 A Sedoka is similar to a Mondo in that it also consists of two parts or one pair of Katauta. The difference is that Sedoka were written by a single author and did not generally consist of a question and answer part. Incidentally, while the norm for writing Katauta was 5-7-7 onji, it was also acceptable and common to see them in 5-7-5 format. Remember, the last line was used to fill out the poem, and while this was generally done with 7 onji, 5 onji (also an odd numbered line) was considered a pleasant variant from the norm. This (Katauta) poetic form was respected for it's variance as well as its conformity. So, it can be said that the Mondo and Sedoka were written by combining two Katauta. Each Katauta consists of three parts (lines) with two separate rhythms, a consistent overall form length of 17-19 onji and each line carries an odd number of onji. The major difference between the Mondo and Sedoka was that the Mondo was written by two authors and the Sedoka was written by a single author.

 The next form is the Choka or the Japanese long poem. This poem was structured 5-7-5-7-5-7-5-7-5........7-7 onji in line length, and could be of any overall line total; many of which exceeded 100 lines. As stated earlier, the Katauta could be called the basic unit of Japanese poetry. Here in the Choka, the 5-7-5 or 5-7- 7 (17-19) onji pattern is easily found. It seems the preference for ending Japanese poetry in these early days was with the 5-7-7 onji pattern; however, as stated earlier, 5-7-5 was often used as a substitute and was equally acceptable in terms of aesthetics and appreciation. In fact, as time passed, the 5-7-5 onji ending became more prevalent rather than less in forms other than the Tanka, though never quite exceeding the originally preferred ending format in these older poetic form. With all of this in mind, it is easy to see why the Katauta is believed by some poetic historians to be the original basic unit of Japanese poetry, either as a 17 onji unit or a 19 onji unit. This is important to remember, not only for understanding and writing Tanka poems, but in understanding and writing in any Japanese poetic form, including Haiku.

 Below is a Choka taken from Kenneth Yasuda's book, "The Japanese Haiku".

 O palace maiden
the daughter of my subject,
Do you bring a wine holder?
If you hold it up,
Oh, hold it in your hands;
oh, hold it firmly,
ever firmly in your hands;
O you wind holding maiden.

 In the above, this Choka appears to be written in a 5-7-7-5-7-5-7-7 onji format, varying from the norm in only line three. Actually, what we have here is a Choka composed by combining a Katauta in the form of a question with a Tanka poem in amplifying expression. This is considered to be a Choka, but within this Choka, one can find evidence that the early Japanese poets were not averse to combining poetic forms; so long as the basic unit of structure remained within the 17-19 onji range. So the answer to the question of whether or not Tanka arose from some other poetic form seems to be--quite possibly so; however, there are no records that concretely say that this is the case.

 Now, with a historical background established, we can look at the Tanka itself , and , hopefully, be in a position to appreciate it as a separate poetic art form, and as an evolutionary piece of the much larger Japanese literary aesthetic. Of all the poetic forms ever written by the Japanese, Tanka is clearly the most rigidly adhered to form in terms of structure. It is constructed by 5 lines or units, each odd in number of onji, and ending in the traditional 7-7 onji pattern. Further, on the whole, Tanka consist of two separate divisions in terms of rhythm structures, each of about one breath length to recite. The earlier pattern for this rhythm change was:

 rhythm unit 1: 5-7 onji---rhythm unit two: 5-7-7 onji.

 Later, the dominant rhythm pattern changed to:

 rhythm unit 1: 5-7-5 onji---rhythm unit two: 7-7 onji.

 Of course, there were other variant tried and successfully used, such as:

 rhythm unit 1: 5---rhythm unit 2: 7-5---rhythm unit 3: 7-7 onji

 or:

 rhythm unit 1: 5-7---rhythm unit two 5-7---rhythm unit three: 7 onji, and so on with other attempts.

 In the earliest Tanka poems, the last line was used primarily as a repetition or summary line to rhythmically fill out the poem keeping the preferred odd number of lines, odd onji count structure, and rhythmic divisions associated with the aesthetics of the Japanese poets of that period:

 Many clouds unfurled
rise at cloud-decked Izumo;
Round you spouse to hold
raise many folded barriers
like those barriers manifold.

 While this poem seems to consist rhythmically of two parts divided 5-7; 5-7-7, it actually has three units, 5-7; 5-7; 7, with the last unit being used as a repetition and/or summary line common in the earliest of recorded Tanka. In the poem above, there are two distinct main rhythmic parts separated by a major stop at the end of the 12th onji. From there the rhythm starts out again and continues to the end of the poem; however, the repetition of the last line causes it to stand out in isolation from the remainder of the second part; thereby, giving the second part a technical second internal rhythm found by the ear. Remember that Japanese poetry is syllabic by nature and not metrical or rhymed. This is because, like the French language, the Japanese language lacks stress accents where the uniform stress on the last syllable of each word makes it impossible for poets to observe the kinds of metrical patterns favored by Western poets since the ancient Greeks. Rhyme is not used in Japanese poetry, not because it is too difficult, but, on the contrary, because it is too easy. Japanese words, for the most part, all end in one of 5 open vowels; therefore, without trying, a poet has a 20% likelihood of achieving rhyme. The other European metrical scheme based on quantity is also not possible since in *classical* Japanese vowels all end with equal weight. This may be a possibility in modern Japanese which has both long and short vowels, but has rarely been attempted. This left the Japanese with syllabics as the only true choice and has remained so ever since.

 So, how does one write Tanka in English? This depends on how closely one wants to stay faithful to the Japanese model. The language differences between Japanese and English, touched on slightly above, are vast and complex. For this reason, most writers feel that converting onji to syllables is not a one for one process. English syllable are far too long and carry too much information to equate to the Japanese onji. English lacks the flexibility inherent in the Japanese language and this difference makes keeping strict adherence to a rigid form shorter than 5-7-5-7-7 English language syllables too highly restrictive. Therefore the trend is to write somewhat less than 31 syllables with some consistency in form, even if that form is only the expression of two separate rhythms divided by a full or major stop each of about one breaths length. A structure close to this would be on the order of 3-5-3-5-5. With rare exception, a Tanka written in English would be difficult to recite properly (in proportion to Japanese speaking lengths) in two breath lengths. Haiku written in 17 syllable would be as difficult to recite using the same comparatives as 17 onji and for this reason, similar variances in opinion regarding form and structure are ongoing in this poetic genre as well.

 These differences should not deter Western poets who would like to write in a Tanka style from using English syllables in a one for one format, or from using rhyme, meter, or accent weighting or other such technique or structural form. Again, this is a matter of personal taste and is reflective only as to whether one wishes to stay close to the Japanese model, or stray from it for personal reasons or aesthetics to incorporate the heritage of the West into their poetic works. If you are concerned with your English based Tanka being translated to the Japanese language in a format that readers in that language are accustomed to, then one may wish to stay closer to the Japanese model and modify the structure somewhat to make it work. If this is not your choice, then in order to keep the poem resembling Tanka, one must, as a consequence of using freer choice in language, become more restrictive in tone and theme to have ones poems recognizable as Tanka in the Japanese tradition. Of course, other possibilities exist, but making a claim that the outcome is in fact a Tanka poem becomes much more difficult to defend the further one strays.

 Tanka, at least in the classical sense, was used to touch on all sorts of subjects; especially after the decline of the Choka. However, the tone of Tanka poems has always reflected the tone of the Japanese Imperial Court and its courtesans. This tradition is carried forward today in Japan for the most part, although there are exceptions. So, if one were to emulate the Japanese aesthetic, one would write Tanka in an elevated tone (one should note that this is not the same as elevated or sophisticated use of language) in English, avoiding harsh epithets, vulgarities and themes of a similar nature. Like Haiku, the language of Tanka is simple and common for the most part. It carries with it a sense of poverty as well. Some may find keeping an elevated tone too restrictive and wander from the established tone of Tanka, or find simple language too boring to use for the most part; however, these and other differences are purely a matter of choice and personal taste. Either way, one can work in relative freedom and originality, and achieve remarkable results in just 5 short lines of poetry. Tanka is a wonderful medium of expression, and because of its short form, it is a poetic form in which poets can produce highly memorable and memorizable works.

 Tanka is also, but not always, used in a manner that includes nature in the expression of thought or feeling, similar to haiku, but because of its extra length, Tanka allows for deeper thought and expression of themes that would be too burdensome for haiku to carry. Again, the decision to use nature as a backdrop for expression is a personal choice. Those who think staying close to the Japanese model is important will do so with a great sense of commitment; while others who choose to stray will argue their view points with equal vigor. Whatever choice you make, it should be a choice that you are happy with, and one that provides you the means of expression that you seek. Whatever choice others make should be viewed as simply an alternative choice and not an attack on the traditions of Tanka. Like Haiku, Tanka is in its infancy in the West and its development will be determined by those who utilize its heritage and manner of presentation to greatest impact on readers BOTH in the East and West, in my view. By trying to appreciate the aesthetic of Japanese poetry and thinking, and incorporating elements of this aesthetic into the West, we bring the two cultures closer in terms of understanding and fellowship. There is nothing to lose in this process. All can only gain by the experience. So, when embarking on this journey, remember the goal is fellowship and learning how to best live our lives by incorporating poetic experiences into them regardless of the source or manner of expression of those experiences.

 In conclusion, I sincerely hope that this introduction to Tanka has achieved its goal of enabling writers, previously unexposed to Tanka to appreciate it as a poetic form and as a remarkable expression of the Japanese aesthetic. The only true way to begin seriously writing Tanka poems is to first understand what Tanka was, how it developed and changed, and what it is now by reading as many Tanka poems as you can: both classical Tanka and modern Tanka. Hopefully this piece will encourage others to try their hand at Tanka and to share their feelings and insights into the living world of which we are incorporated, and help to promote better understanding and achievable peace on the planet by expanding fellowship throughout.

 -Richard MacDonald