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Renga (連歌 renga?, collaborative poetry) is a form of Japanese collaborative poetry. is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together toward an intersection of common goals — for example an intellectual A renga consists of at least two ku (句?) or stanzas, often many more. The opening stanza of the renga chain, called the hokku (発句?), later became the basis for the modern haiku style of poetry. is a form of Japanese poetry. Previously called

The most favored form of renga in the Edo period was the kasen (歌仙?), a chain consisting of 36 verses. The, also referred to as the Tokugawa period (徳川時代 Tokugawa-jidai) is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 As a rule, kasen must refer to flowers (usually cherry blossoms) twice, and three times to the moon. These references are termed hana no za (花の座? "the seat of flowers") and tsuki no za (月の座? "the seat of the moon").

By one reckoning, the earliest recorded renga appeared in the late Heian period, and was in fact a waka composed by two poets. The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. See Waka and Tanka (disambiguation for other usages Waka (和歌 or Yamato uta is a genre of Japanese poetry This style is called tan-renga (短連歌? "short renga"). Other styles are called chō-renga (長連歌? "long renga"). However, Yoshitomo pointed to songs in the older Kojiki about the god Izanagi and the goddess Izanami as earlier examples. is a deity born of the seven divine generations in Japanese mythology and Shintoism, and is also referred to in the roughly translated Kojiki as "male who invites" In Japanese mythology, is a Goddess of both creation and death as well as the former wife of the god Izanagi.

Two of the most famous masters of renga were the Buddhist priest Sōgi (1421 - 1502) and Matsuo Bashō (1644 - 1694). was a Japanese Poet. He came from a humble family from the province of Kii or Ōmi, and died in Hakone on September 1 1502 was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan During his lifetime Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form today

In Western literature, the term "renga" has been applied to alternating accretive poetry, not necessarily in the classical Japanese form. Examples include Octavio Paz and Charles Tomlinson's sonnet-renga "Airborne", 1979, and to the work of Canadians P. K. Page and Philip Stratford, whose collaboration between 1997 and 1999 became the sonnet collection "And Once More Saw The Stars", 2001. Octavio Peazy Paz " ( March 31, 1914 – April 19, 1998) was a Mexican Writer, Poet, and diplomat Alfred Charles Tomlinson, CBE (born 8 January 1927) is a major British poet and translator and also an academic and artist Patricia Kathleen Page, CC, OBC, DLitt (born November 23, 1916) commonly known as P The largest collection of English-language renga is Werner Reichhold's online book, [Symbiotic Poetry. ]http://www.ahapoetry.com/zaindex.htm

Contents

History

The earliest renga recorded is in the Man'yōshū, where Otomo no Yakamochi and a Buddhist nun (尼 ama?) made and exchanged poems with sound unit counts ("on") of 5-7-5 and 7-7. is the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry, compiled sometime in the Nara or early Heian periods The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's (c 718 &ndash October 5, 785) was a Japanese statesman and waka poet in the Nara period. On (音 is a Japanese word corresponding to a sound onji （音字）corresponds to "sound symbol" Around the time the Shin Kokin Wakashū was published, the renga form of poetry was finally established as a distinct style. The, also known in abbreviated form as the or even simply the Shin Kokin, is the eighth in a series of 21 imperial anthologies of waka poetry compiled by the Japanese court This original renga style, hyakuin renga (百韻連歌? "100-stanza linked poem), used only utakotoba (standard poetic diction), used sound unit counts of 5-7-5 and 7-7, and finished with two lines of 7 sound units each. At this time, poets considered the use of utakotoba as the essence of creating a perfect waka and considered the use of any other words to be a deviation. See Waka and Tanka (disambiguation for other usages Waka (和歌 or Yamato uta is a genre of Japanese poetry

Many rules or shikimoku (式目?) were formalized in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods specifying a minimum number of intervening stanzas before a topic or class of topics could recur[1]. The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 by the first Kamakura Shogun The Muromachi period ( Japanese: 室町時代 Muromachi-jidai, also known as the Muromachi era, the Muromachi bakufu, the Ashikaga era Renga was a popular form of poetry even in the confusion of Azuchi-Momoyama period. The came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place Yet by the end of this era, the shikimoku had become so complicated and systematic that they stifled the active imagination that had been a part of the renga's appeal. During the medieval and Edo periods, renga was a part of the cultural knowledge required for high society.

In the Edo period, as more and more ordinary citizens became familiar with renga, shikimoku were greatly simplified. The, also referred to as the Tokugawa period (徳川時代 Tokugawa-jidai) is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 The 36-verse Kasen became the most popular form of renga, and commonly spoken words as well as slang and Chinese words (漢語 kango?) were allowed. Sino-Japanese or Kango (ja [[wikt漢語 漢語]] in Japanese, refers to that portion of the Japanese vocabulary that originated in the With this relaxation of the rules, renga were able to express broader humor and wit. This style of renga came to be called haikai no renga (俳諧の連歌 "comical linked poem"?) or simply haikai (俳諧?), and Matsuo Bashō is known as the greatest haikai poet. was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan During his lifetime Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form today

The first stanza of the renga chain, the hokku (発句?), is the forebear of the modern haiku. is a form of Japanese poetry. Previously called The stand-alone hokku was renamed haiku in the Meiji period by the great Japanese poet and critic Masaoka Shiki. The, or Meiji era, denotes the 45-year reign of the Meiji Emperor, running in the Gregorian calendar, from 23 October 1868 to 30 July was the Pen-name of a Japanese author, Poet, Literary critic, and Journalist in Meiji period Japan Shiki proposed haiku as an abbreviation of the phrase "haikai no ku" meaning a verse of haikai[2].

For almost 700 years, renga was a popular form of poetry, but its popularity was greatly diminished in the Meiji period. Masaoka Shiki, although himself a participant in several renga, claimed that "(Renga is) not fit as modern literature" (「文学に非ず」). The renga's appeal of working as a group to make a complete work was not compatible with the European style of poetry gaining popularity in Japan, where a single poet writes the entire poem.

Recently, with the rise of the internet, renga is once again becoming a popular form. People from anywhere at anytime can easily contribute to a work. The first online collaborative renga, done by many writers on the fly was White Roads led by Jane Reichhold in 1996. There have even been special renga events where poets can contribute via their mobile phones. Live renga are being conducted increasingly in the West, including in the UK where artist/poets including Alec Finlay, Gavin Wade, Gerry Loose, and UK-based renga master Paul Conneally explore and develop the form further. Paul Conneally (born 1959 in the United Kingdom) is a Haiku poet and artist based in Loughborough, UK Finlay has also created two dedicated renga platforms for renga days, at the hidden gardens, Glasgow, and Garden Station, near Hexham. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom Hexham New South Wales|Hexham (constituency Hexham is a Market town in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne. His press has published two collections of renga, Verse Chain and Shared Writing (published by platform projects). Finlay has also collaborated with a number of renga poets to expand the renga form, composing word-map renga for specific locations, some shaped to follow the line of the coast, river or a skyline; hyakuin renga 24 hour renga; and, with Linda France, solo and duet year long renga.

How to write a renga

As a renga is collaborative poetry, it is important that there be enough people to participate. Although solo renga have always been and continue to be written, three to four is considered the minimum number for a renga group, called an ichiza (一座?), and upward of fourteen to fifteen may be possible under an experienced sōshō (宗匠? "renga master"). For online renga collaborations, the sōshō would be the one to select a verse from among those posted or sent.

The essence of renga is in the idea of "change" (変化 henka?). Bashō described this as "newness (新み atarashimi?), and as "refraining from stepping back". The fun is in the change, the new, the different, and the interesting verses of others.

In Japan a renga starts with a hokku of 5-7-5 sound units by one of the guests - usually the most honored or experienced. This is followed by the second verse of 7-7 sound units, called the waki (脇? "side"), and then by the third verse of 5-7-5 sound units, called the daisan (第三? lit. , "the third"). The next verse will be 7-7 sound units, and this pattern is repeated until the desired length is achieved. It is common in English to use forms that show the number of the verse, how long it is to be, whether the moon or flowers should be mentioned, when one author takes two links at once. Since the renga of different lengths have different schemes for how many verses are given to each season and non-seasonal verses, it is easiest to use one of the available forms so that everyone understands and follows the same program. The kasen renga, favoured by Basho because it was easier to complete 36 verses in one night than the normal 100-link renga, has three sections of development. The beginning, called the jo should reflect the atmosphere of the beginning of a social evening - everyone is very polite, restrained, cautious and referring to the reason for the gathering. The middle part of the kasen renga (verses 7 - 29) are more loose, and will include themes not allowed in the beginning and end such as love, religion, and laments. This reflects the conversation flow during dinner when the wine has been consumed and the participants are feeling free and friendly. The kyu is the rapid finish and involves the last six verses. The speed in this section is much like the broken conversation of people as they prepare to leave the party and people are quickly winding up their conversations. This pattern of pacing the poem is taken from the classical music. The ageku is the final verse. It is considered fine if the final verse makes some reference or has a tie to the hokku or beginning verse. Renga are often hard for Westerners to read and understand (and therefore to write) because there is no narrative or chronological order. Even the links that are written are not to be impressive or informative. The whole object of renga is to show what happens between the links. A renga and its participants are judged on how well each link relates to the previous one. There is a whole study of the various techniques and methods of linkage. The most common one used by beginning English writers is simple stream of consciousness. The previous verse reminds the writer of something else and then adds that image to the poem. The book by Earl Miner and Hiroko Odagiri, a translation of The Monkey’s Straw Raincoat Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1981 is the best book to study these subtle changes in this famous work done by Basho and his students. It is recommended to take turns (膝送り hizaokuri?) for a small ichiza so that everyone participates equally. For larger ichiza, the dashigachi (出勝ち? "the outgoing one wins") rule is recommended so the best verse would be selected. The renga master, or person with the most experience with renga, guides the participants, making sure the seasons and themes are correct and will be responsible for the correction of errors.

Formats of Renga

Here follows a list of the most common formats in which renga have been written, both ushin (orthodox) renga, and mushin (haikai no renga)[3][4]

Name of format Number
of stanzas		 Number of kaishi
(writing sheets)		 Number
of sides		 Originator Date of origin U (ushin)
M (mushin)
Hyakuin[5] 100 4 8 unknown 13th century UM
Senku 1000 40 80 unknown U
Gojûin 50 2 4 unknown U
Yoyoshi 44 2 4 unknown U
Kasen 36 2 4 unknown 17th century UM
Han-kasen (i. e. half-kasen) 18 1 2 unknown 17th century M
Shisan 12 2 4 Kaoru Kubota 1970's M
Jûnichô 12 1 1 Shunjin Okamoto 1980's M
Nijûin 20 2 4 Meiga Higashi 1980's M
Triparshva[6] 22 1 3 Norman Darlington 2005 M

Renga terms

These words are presented as a shikimoku and variations of rule may exist.

Resources

The first magazine devoted completely to renga in English was started by Jim Wilson of Monte Rio, California, in 1986. It was called APA-RENGA because it was a continuation of the Amateur Press Association model magazines in which all members could post whatever they wanted. This meant that the members would read the renga being offered and then could write a connecting link. These links were tabulated by Jim and then all the possible links were sent back to the participants. This meant that instead of having linear links, the renga could blossom outward so there were many versions of the same poem. When Jim passed APA-RENGA on to Terri Lee Grell in 1989, she renamed the magazine Lynx and added short stories and other poetry and published quarterly. In 1992 Terri passed Lynx on to Jane and Werner Reichhold. They added haiku and tanka to the renga written by subscribers and carried on the project of participation renga. In 2000 Lynx went online where it remains today at [AHApoetry. ]http://www.ahapoetry.com Narrow Road to Renga by Twenty Pilgrims and Jane Reichhold, AHA Books, 1992 contains not only examples of many varieties of renga, but also has the forms for kasen renga as well as the very unusual "net renga. "

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Carter, Steven D. is a text on Renga poetics It was written by Nijō Yoshimoto around 1349. The Road to Komatsubara, Harvard University Press, 1987, ISBN 0-674-77385-3, pp. 33-72.
  2. ^ Miner, Earl. Japanese Linked Poetry. Princeton University Press, 1980. ISBN 0-691-01368-3 pbk.
  3. ^ Miner, Earl. Japanese Linked Poetry, Princeton University Press, 1979, ISBN 0-691-06372-9.
  4. ^ Carley, John E. Common types of renku sequence. [1]
  5. ^ Carter, Steven D. The road to Komatsubara, Harvard University Press, 1987, ISBN 0-674-77385-3.
  6. ^ Darlington, Norman. Triparshva, A trilateral pattern for renku, in Simply Haiku vol. 3, no. 2, 2005

External links

Dictionary

renga

-noun

  1. a form of Japanese verse in which short poems are connected together. Encompasses haikai, the origination point for haiku.
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