One Thousand Summers

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Showing posts from August, 2012

A story stays forever--if it is good and finds a place in the hearts of the right people. — Haruki Murakami: In pursuit of new realism

The world order that had existed collapsed, and a situation like a kind of chaos appeared. I think that (my novels became popular overseas) because their contents match the chaos of the world. In a well-established order, the novels will not be accepted. — Haruki Murakami, somewhere in Asahi newspaper, probably

Principal Collections of waka

as discussed on this blog

・Man’yōshū 万葉集

Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves; around 759 (not an imperial anthology)

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

・Kokinshū 古今集

Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern; 905

・Gosenshū 後撰集

Later Collection; 953

・Shūishū 拾遺集

Collection of Gleanings; 1005−1007

・Goshūishū 後拾遺集

Later Collection of Gleanings; 1086

・Kin‘yōshū 金葉集

Collection of Golden Leaves; 1127

・Shikashū 詞花集

Collection of Verbal Flowers; 1151

・Senzaishū 千載集

Collection of a Thousand Years; 1187

・Shinkokinshū 新古今集

New Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern; presented in 1205, finished by 1216

・Shinchokusenshū 新勅撰集

New Imperial Waka Collection; 1235

Main Genres of Classical Japanese Literature

Waka 和歌 or Japanese poems, are most often 31-syllable short poems in the patter of 5-7-5-7-7, that are also called tanka 短歌or short poems, but waka also encompasses long poems or chōka 長歌, written in a pattern 5-7-5-7...5-7-7.

Monogatari 物語 or tales encompass a wide variery of Japanese vernacular prose. Although monogatari are mostly prose, they frequently have poetic inserts.

Nikki 日記 means a diary, but the genre encompasses many works that are closer to memoirs than diaries.

Zuihitsu 随筆 is a genre close to essays.

For a more detailed list, see the dedicated Main Genres of Classical Japanese Literature page.