古典短歌講座
Classical Tanka composition in English
宿谷睦夫
Mutsuo Shukuya

Preface
Recommendation to compose haiku & tanka
古典短歌講座 序文
俳句・短歌の勧め


Preface
Recommendation to compose haiku & tanka
by Mutsuo Shukuya


SINCE the mist of the times, most Japanese, not only the upper class, such as Emperors, but also lower class common folk, have loved to compose haiku or tanka constructed with the combination of five and seven syllabic lines, which we are apt to regard as a typical Japanese form although it is not.
Most Japanese also take it for granted that Europeans compose poetry using alliteration or rhyme without fail. But this is not always true. They also compose syllabic verse which is common to Western poetry, as well as Japanese and Chinese.
For example, each line of a sonnet, which has fourteen lines, is constructed of ten-syllabic lines in English and twelve-syllabic lines in French.
European aesthetic sense prefers symmetry, as we can confirm when we admire buildings like Chateau de Versailles. But since the French chemist, Louis Pasteur (1822-95), declared that beauty exists not only in symmetrical forms but asymmetrical ones as well, they have also recognized this. So, Westerners sometimes divide lines into 5 & 7 syllables like tanka, as well as 6 & 6.
This form is called the French Alexandrine, which James Kirkup first introduced to me. Incidentally he showed me the following example which the English poet, Ernest Dowson (1867-1900), who was much influenced by French symbolist poetry, composed:

I have forgot much,/ Cynara! gone with the wind,
Flung roses, roses/ riotously with the throng..!

Undoubtedly, there are some differences compared to the Japanese on the point that they have recognized and loved to compose these syllabic verse with asymmetrical combinations with 5 and 7 syllables. But this last century there has been an increase in the number of international exchanges and not a few poets in the world have been fascinated by and tried to compose syllabic verse like haiku and tanka which is divided into 5 and 7 syllable lines.
Incidentally, the Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), loved to compose haiku and became the first president of the India Haiku Society. When a few Japanese with John Manjiro (1827-98) happened to visit New York, the American poet, Walt Whitman (1819-92), wrote this prophetic article in The New York Times: in the near future, some Americans would learn syllabic verse, such as haiku and tanka, from Japan and compose it.
My friend Kristen Deming told me that as soon as she read this when she was a senior high school student, she began to long for Japan and Japanese culture, especially haiku poetry.
When her husband arrived in his new post as American Ambassador to Japan, she also came to Japan and stayed Tokyo for four years. While here, she won the first prize in a Haiku Contest in Japan and did her best to promote cultural interchange on a personal, as well as political and economic, level between Japan and the USA. After she went back to America she accepted the post of president of The Haiku Society of America.
So it has become necessary, I think, to let people around the world know how we enjoy composing haiku and tanka more and more. And we Japanese have a mission to do so because we learned first the legacy of poetry left by those predecessors who mastered the method of composition of haiku and tanka.
I have studied how to compose tanka for twenty years under my mentor, Fumiko Reizei, former head of the Reizei Family who have maintained through succession the traditional theory of tanka composition.
I have composed more than three thousand tanka and more than five hundred choka(long poems). And I have been writing poetry in English also more than twenty years, more than one thousand tanka and a hundred choka.
Based on this experience, I am going to explain what tanka is and how to compose it referring to its history with examples and anecdotes.
Kino Tsurayuki was the first poet who showed how to compose tanka. In the preface to the tanka collection Kokinwakashu which he compiled in obedience to an Imperial command, he says, "Who doesn't compose poems when he hears the warbler sing among the blossoms and frog in the fresh waters?"
Furthermore, he says, "It is tanka that moves gods of heaven and earth without putting forth strength." as an appreciation of its effect. It is said that a famous poet, monk Saigyo (1118-1190), composed and recited tanka to Heaven in an attempt to stop the rain after it had continued to rain heavily while he was traveling around the Tohoku area. After several minutes had passed, it stopped raining.
Some people think that everything evolves without fail, but this is not always true. In the field of Japanese poetry, poets from the olden times, called the age of the gods, seem to be superior to modern ones.
I can compose acrostic tanka easily. An acrostic is a poem or series of lines in which certain letters, usually the first in each line, form a name, motto or message when read in sequence. But I have never tried to compose tanka called "Mawariuta" or 'circling song', which is a poem that reads the same even if you read it in reverse.
Returning to what I mentioned before, poet Kino Tsurayuki says, "It is tanka that softens the relations between men an women without putting forth strength" as another effect of tanka. So the poetess, Wakahime composed the following extremely skillful and excellent tanka in order to propose to her sweetheart, Omoikane no Mikoto.
I wonder if you can recognize the arrangement of the letters which are completely symmetrical around the center of the letter, "(ne)":

Ki shi i ko so/ tsu ma wo mi ki wa ni
ko to no (ne) no/ to ko ni wa ki mi wo
ma tsu so ko i shi ki

(As your lifelong wife/ I would like to be with you
if possible, so/ I will wait playing Koto
until you come to my room.)

Her sweetheart, Omoikane no Mikoto accepted her proposal and married her. Tajikarao no Mikoto, who opened the door of the cave from which Amateru-kami is said to have escaped according to the old legend, was born as their son.
As poetry like haiku or tanka has such miraculous powers as I mentioned above, it is quite good and suitable to compose in order to delight, celebrate, comfort, encourage, or praise others but it is neither suitable nor ever permitted to curse others, envy others' success or hurt others feelings.
That is to say, it is permitted only to those who are right-minded to compose such poetry as haiku or tanka. So, it is not always permitted for us to compose tanka about anything and we must learn how to compose verse before we compose such poetry as haiku or tanka, at least in Japanese.
The theory of how to compose tanka poetry called "Kokin-denjyu", has come down from the mist of the times in Japan. But it was permitted only to Emperors to learn it in certain olden times.
Here is one famous curious anecdote. When Hosokawa Yusai (1534-1610), who was one of the samurai warriors in the Age of Civil War, was dying due to the fall of his castle to Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616), who was destined to conquer all Japan, the Emperor ordered Ieyasu not take the castle in which Yusai was held because he had received instruction in tanka called "Kokin-denjyu".
That is a representative anecdote of how Emperors in certain olden times made a great deal of the theory on the composition of tanka.
Now, let me explain the theory on the composition of tanka, called "Kokin-denjyu". First of all, I will refer to why haiku or tanka should be composed with the combination of five- and seven-syllabic lines. Of course, I will discuss it in this lecture.
Some poets insist that it is proper to compose haiku with three lines and tanka with five lines only regardless of the syllable count, especially in English or other languages. Perhaps they take it for granted that syllabic verse such as haiku and tanka is a typical form in Japan. So, they assume that it is not necessary to observe the regulations when tanka is transplanted into English or other languages.
They may not know that syllabic verse is common in Europe as, for example, the French Alexandrine. It is not a coincidence that this has the same form, composed with 5 and 7 syllabic combinations.
In the ancient legends of Japan there is an explanation why haiku or tanka should be composed with 5 and 7 syllabic combinations. We must go back to the past when Izanagi (male) and Izanami (female) lived. When they were going to be married, they exchanged the following verses in order to confess their love to each other.

Female: "What a handsome man/ you are indeed!"
Male: "How happy I am,/ to hear your words! "

The baby, which the female conceived after their first dialog, could not be born healthy and normal. Their grandfather, Toyoke-gami said to them, "The combination of the number i-yo (5/4) is not a suitable verse form as a proposal of marriage, because of this, you cannot achieve your purpose. Moreover, the female should follow after the male."
So, they tried again, with the following verses. After that, they were able to have healthy and normal babies.

Male: “How happy I am,/ to happen to meet you, who
are pretty!”
Female: “Happy am I too,/ to happen to meet you, who
are handsome!”

This episode shows us the importance of the strict tanka form. The strict tanka and haiku forms have miraculous powers to accomplish those matters which we want to do in addition to being the verse as music which we sing to ourselves or recite to some melody.
While some insist that it is not necessary to keep the strict syllabic form when we compose haiku or tanka in order to compose verse in which we express our whole motif as it impressed itself on our mind or heart, skilled poets are able to compose such verse in which they are able to express their whole motif as it impressed itself on their minds or hearts as if the form were no limitation.
Anyway, you can understand why we should compose verses under the theory of composition called "Kokin-denjyu" in Japan, because such syllabic verse as haiku or tanka with 5 and 7 syllables have certain miraculous powers.
Modern haiku is composed with 5/7/5 syllables because this follows from hokku of renga. So, haiku was called hokku at first. But an original form is composed with 5/7/7 syllables and this is called katauta.
That is, this form is constructed with 5 and 7 syllabic combination plus 7 syllables. Incidentally, tanka is constructed with 5 & 7 syllabic combination repeated two times plus 7 syllables and furthermore, choka is constructed with 5 & 7 syllabic combination repeated more than three times plus 7 syllables.
So I would like to introduce the following original example of haiku or hokku called katauta to you. These poems become one dialogue between Yamatotake no Mikoto and Hitaki no Okina that they composed at Sakaori no Miya (northern area in Japan):

How many days and/ nights have you spent since you left
the new palace, Tsukuba?  by Yamatotake no Mikoto

I have spent nine nights/ and also ten days in all
before we got here today. by Hitaki no Okina

To compose tanka is called "Shikishima no Michi" or 'Way of life' in Japan, while to compose haiku is called "Tsukuba no Michi": haiku dates from this dialog, which the authors composed about Tsukuba.
I would like readers to pay attention to how Hitaki no Okina replies not only promptly but also includes the total number (19) of syllables (5/7/7) which are used in this haiku (katauta). This gives us good evidence of how excellent skills olden poets had, I think.
Some treat this only as word-games but from the spirit of words view, these kinds of skills give verses their miraculous power.
Each verse is often shown or performed not only as "Letters" written on paper but also as "Sounds" recited to some tune. So, what requires us as poets is not only to write down our verse on paper but also to recite it to some tune.
Good poets can compose verse which looks and sounds pretty, as well as moving others' hearts. So, fundamentally, in the case of Japanese, we replace thick voiced consonants (ji) with clear voiced ones (shi) when we write down our verses. Furthermore, poets are required to compose verse without faltering.
Recently I read that The Poetry Archive was established in November, 2005 by many poets such as British poet, Andrew Motion and British writer Harold Pinter, awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature for whom I composed tankacrostic.
In this society they have their many poetry collections recited by poets themselves. These activities would be welcomed by people who want to appreciate poetry.
Up to now I have discussed the rightful point of view about composing haiku or tanka, but for beginners these are almost unnecessary. No one can step immediately into this world and compose.
Beginners are better off not knowing the theories or strict regulations. I hope everybody, however, keeps it in mind that there are deep domains which nobody can reach. Everybody must be content to remain at an early stage if he or she ignores the theories or strict regulations of haiku or tanka composition.
Recently my friend, Boye Lafayette De Mente, who has published more than fifty books, including thirty books about Japan and Japanese culture, published a book, THE JAPANESE SAMURAI CODE (Dec. 2004) in compliance with the wishes of his publisher― since the film, "Last Samurai" was put on the screen, many Americans have wanted to know more about Japanese samurai warriors.
When De Mente was writing his book, he asked me my comments about Japanese samurai warriors. So, I told him that they had often practiced composing tanka, especially renga, in which authors are required to compose spontaneously, together with other members, in order to compose their mind or heart or spirit. Samurai warriors, especially generals, are required to make decisions quickly on the battlefield.
In the kabuki-story of Japan’s famous 47 ronin (masterless samurai) who took revenge against the haughty court official who caused the death of their lord, there is a scene which shows how the ability to compose tanka (haiku) is useful.
In this scene, a famous poet, Takarai-kikaku (1661-1707), who was going to attend a kukai (haiku-composing gathering) at his lord's residence, Matsuura, which was near the residence of Kira- Kozukenosuke(1641-1702), meets a righteous person, Otakagengo (1672-1703) of Chushin-gura, to whom he had sent a hokku (haiku) to Otakagengo in order to set the time for the 47 samurai to attack the Kira-residence.
Otakagengo replied promptly with the verse below. When Takarai-kikaku reported this dialog to his feudal load, Matsuura, Matsuura was able to make out that the time for the 47 samurai to attack the Kira residence would be the following morning. As soon as he saw it, the sounds of the soldiers beating the drums in order to signal the start of attack could be heard:

How about your fate/ like the flow of a river
reaching these last days? by Takarai-kikaku

If treasure ships should arrive,/
wait for them just tomorrow. by Otakagengo

The more the number of international exchanges increase, the more Japanese also should learn about themselves in order to associate with foreigners on equal terms. We must learn the background under which we have lived and practice the skills themselves, not learn them as book knowledge.
The Japanese used to compose tanka as “Jisei no ku” or ‘a farewell poem composed on the eve of their death’.
We had been brought up to be able to compose tanka promptly before World War II. In the present day when there has been an increase in the number of international exchanges, so composing tanka seems to be one of the things we Japanese are required to do for people in the world who want to compose Japanese poems strictly formed with 5/7/5/7/7 syllables. I hope the readers will step into this world and compose haiku or tanka.
                22nd February 2010
古典短歌講座 序文
俳句・短歌の勧め

宿 谷 睦 夫


 俳句・短歌の持つ五七からなる定型詩は日本古来から、上は天皇から下は庶民に至るまでどの階層の人にも愛好されてきた。これは一般に日本固有の詩歌形式であると思いこんでいる人も多いが、必ずしもそうではない。ヨーロッパの詩と言えば直ぐに韻を踏んで作るものだと思う人もいるが、日本や中国の詩歌と同じように音節数で詠まれる詩もある。ソネット(フランスではソネ)と呼ばれる十四行詩は各行を十音節(フランスでは十二音節)で詠まなければならないということだが、そのことを畏友の英国詩人・ジェイムズ・カーカップ氏が私に最初に教えてくれた。ベルサイユ宮殿のような建築物でも知られているようにヨーロッパの美意識は左右対称にある。しかし、十九世紀になってから化学者のパスツールの提唱によってヨーロッパでも非対称性の美が認知されるようになったというのだ。そこで、ソネの場合であるが、十二音節を半分に割って六・六で区切る詩歌と日本の詩歌形式と同じように五・七で区切る詩歌も愛好されるようになった。この形式をフレンチ・アレクサンドリンと呼ぶ。因みに、ロマン派の詩人・ドーソンは次のような詩歌を詠んでいる。

吹く風に/去りしシナラよ!/ 思ひ出も/はや薄らきぬ
人群れに/投けられしバラ/ 騒かしく/投けられしバラ・・

確かに、日本人は五・七で区切る詩歌形式を早くから愛好していたというところに違いがあるかもしれない。しかし、近年海外との交流が盛んになり、日本の五七からなる俳句・短歌に触発されて世界の多くの国々で自ら持っていた詩形に目覚め、俳句・短歌形式は今や国際的なものとなった。因みに、インドの有名な詩人タゴールは俳句を愛好し、インド俳句協会初代会長を務めている。又、アメリカの詩人・ホイットマンはジョン万次郎一行がニューヨークを訪れた時、ニューヨーク・タイムズ紙に「将来アメリカ人は日本から詩歌を学ぶことになるだろう」という予言的記事を認めたという。その記事を高校生時代に読んだ畏友のクリステイン・デミング夫人は日本に憧れるようになり、夫が駐日米国公使になったことをきっかけに来日された。英文俳句コンテストで優勝しただけでなく、全米俳句協会会長も勤めた。日本滞在中は経済・政治面だけでなく文化人との交流に力を入れた。
 そんなことが重なって、私は「俳句・短歌をどう楽しむか」を世界の人々にもっともっと知ってもらうことが益々必要になってきていると判断するようになった。その使命は積み重なる先人の智恵を逸早く学んでいる我々日本人にあるのかもしれない。私は日本の詩歌の伝統を八百年以上に渡って継承してきた歌の師範家・冷泉家の門を叩いて二十数年になる。これまでに詠んだ短歌は三千首を超え、長歌は五百首を超える。又、英文短歌を作るようになって同じく二十年数になる。これまでに詠んだ英語短歌は千首を超え、長歌は百首を超える。このような経験を踏まえて、歌とは何かをその歴史を遡って解説し、その醍醐味をご披露させて戴きたいと思う。
 「歌をどう詠むか」という歌論を一番初めに示した人に紀貫之がいる。彼は自身が編集した「古今和歌集」の序文で、先ず人が歌を作る動機を「花に鳴く鶯、水に住む蛙の声を聞いて、歌を詠まないことがあるだろうか」と述べている。そして、歌がどんな効果を及ぼすかについては「歌は力を入れずして天地をも動かすもの」と述べているのだ。これを知った有名な歌人・西行は東北旅行をして雨に降り続けられていた時、ふとこのことを思い出したのだろう。天に向かって雨が止むように詠んだ歌を朗唱すると雨が止んだという経験をしている。
 「物事は全て発展するもの」と思い込んでいる人もいるかもしれないが、歌に関しては神代と呼ばれた昔の方が優れていたようだ。私は今、歌の技巧の中で、詩歌の各行の先頭の文字を読み進んでいくとある意味を持った言葉になる「折句」までは即座に詠めるようになったが、更に高度な技法である「回歌」までは作ることが出来ていない。神代と呼ばれた昔の歌人の中にはこの「回歌」をいとも簡単に詠みこなしている人がいる。「回歌」というのは、歌を初めから読んでも、終わりから読んでも同じ歌になるという歌である。
 話しが戻るが、紀貫之が歌の効用として、いま一つ「歌は力を入れずして男女の仲を取り持つ」とも述べている。そこで、神代の昔、和歌姫という人は自分の想う人に歌を詠んで、自分の申し出を必ず聞き届けてもらおうとして、次のような「回歌」を詠んだと言われている。中央の文字「ね」を中心に左右が完全に同じ文字で詠まれていることにお気付きでしょうか。

「きしいこそつまをみきはにことの ね のとこにはきみをまつそこいしき」

この歌を自分が想う人・思兼神に送ったのである。すると、その思いは見事叶えられ二人は結ばれたのである。そして、子供に天の岩戸を開いた多力男神を授かるのである。
このように、歌には不思議な力が宿る訳であるから、人を喜ばせたり、祝ったり、慰めたり、励ましたり、讃えたりする為に歌を詠むのは良いが、人を呪ったり、妬んだり、傷つけたりすることは許されない。つまり、歌を詠むことは心の正しい人にしか許されないことになる。心に思ったことを何でも詠めば良いというものでもないのだ。必ず、歌を詠む法則を学んで詠むことが必要である。そこで、日本では古来から「古今伝授」という作歌法を伝承してきたのだ。しかし、昔は天皇だけにしか許されなかった時代もあった。有名な話がある。戦国の武将に細川幽斎という人がいた。彼は当時、この「古今伝授」が許された人であった。しかし、天下を手中に収めつつあった徳川家康に包囲され、もう少しで落城かという所に来ていた時のことである。「幽斎を包囲している兵を解くように」という勅命が家康に下された。幽斎のいる城を落城させたら歌の伝統が消えてしまうというのだ。昔の天皇は「歌は作歌法を学んで詠むべきもの」ということをここまでして守ったことがこの逸話からも伺える。
本文で詳説するが、「古今伝授」の各論に迫っていきたい。先ず、和歌や俳句はなぜ五七で詠む必要があるのだろうか。俳句は三行、短歌は五行で詠めば良いではないかといって五行詩なるものを考案した人もいる。特に外国語で詠む場合には五七の定型にする必要がないという人もいる。五七の定型が日本固有のものであって、それを外国語に移植した場合、五七の定型までを適応させる必要がないという考えなのだ。五七の定型が「フレンチ・アレクサンドリン」と呼ばれ、西洋の伝統の中にあることを知らないのだろう。西洋でも日本でも古来から五七からなる定型詩が存在したことは偶然ではないのだ。日本の古記には俳句・和歌を五七の定型で詠むべきである理由が記されている。それは伊奘諾・伊奘冉の時代に遡る。最初、女神である伊奘冉尊は男神である伊奘諾尊に向かって、次の歌を詠み、男神はその返歌を詠んだ。

伊奘冉尊「あなにえや・ゑおとこ」
伊奘諾尊「わなうれし・ゑおとめ」

そして、二人が結ばれて子供を生むと「ひる子」と呼ばれる意志薄弱な子供が生まれてしまった。そこで、伯父にあたる豊受神に相談すると、「五四(イヨ)で歌を詠んだのでは、物事は成就しない。又、女が先立ってはいけない」と諭される。そこで、再び次の様に歌問答をして二人が結ばれると完全な子供が生まれたという。

伊奘諾尊「あなにゑや/うましおとめに/あひぬ」
伊奘冉尊「わなにやし/うましおとこに/あひぬ」

つまり、五七の定型にはリズミカルな音楽的な要素があるだけでなく、「力を入れずして天地をも動かす」と言わしめた力の根拠があったのだ。「自分の詠みたいと思う内容を十二分に表現する為には五七の定型に囚われる必要は無い」と豪語する人もいる。しかし、如何なる制限があろうとも自分の思いを十二分に表現するのが優れた詩人であり、プロの詩人というものだ。それはさておき、五七の定型で作る詩歌には呪術的な力が込められているのだ。歌が何故「古今伝授」と呼ばれる作歌法に基づいて詠むようにしなければならないかがここでお解り戴けると思う。
現在の俳句は五七五に定着しているが、これは連歌の発句から分離独立したためだ。それ故、俳句は当初、発句と呼ばれていた。本来の形式は五七七で、片歌とよばれていた詩歌形式である。つまり五七の基本形に七を添えて歌の一形式となったものだ。因みに、五七を二回重ねて七を添えると短歌形式となり、さらに、五七を三回以上重ねて七を添えると長歌形式となる。ではその片歌と呼ばれていた時代の俳句(発句)をご紹介しよう。それは倭武尊が酒折宮を通過する折に詠んだもので、火焚翁との問答歌になっている。

倭武尊:「新治つ/筑波を過ぎて/幾夜か寝つる」
火焚翁:「日夜並べて/夜には九の夜/日には十日を」

短歌のことを「敷島の道」というのに対して、俳句のことを「筑波の道」という理由はここに由来する。筑波のことを詠んだこの句からこう呼ぶようになったのだ。火焚翁はこの句を即座に詠んだばかりでなく、句中に五七七の総数である十九の文字も織り込んで詠んでいることにご注目戴きたい。古代の人が如何に歌の技巧に秀でていたかが伺える。これを言葉遊びと片付ける人もいるかもしれないが、言霊の観点から見ると、歌にある力が付与されているのである。歌はその内容が「文字」として表現されるだけでなく、朗唱によって「音」としても表現される。そこで、歌人たる条件として、自分が詠んだ歌は筆で紙に書き記すだけでなく、ある節を付けて披講することが求められた。歌の内容が人の心を打つものであるだけでなく、目で見て美しく、耳で聞いても美しく人の心を打つ歌にしなければならないからである。そこで、基本的に歌を紙に認める場合、濁音の文字も清音で認め、歌が披講される時、耳に流れるように聞こえる歌を詠むことが求められた。
これまで、歌の本来の姿について述べてきたが、これから歌を学ぼうとする人にとってあまり堅苦しいことは必要ない。むしろ本来あるべき姿など知らない方がいい場合がある。初期の段階では堅苦しい規則に則って詠まなければ、歌が作れないとなれば歌の道に入ることが出来なくなってしまうからだ。ただし、歌の世界も限界の無い深い世界があることだけを心得て進んでもらいたいものだ。法則を無視してしまうと入り口で満足してしまうことになるからだ。
私のアメリカの友人・ボイエ・デイ・メンテ氏は最近(平成十六年2006十二月)「武士道」という本を出版した。映画「ラーストサムライ」が余りにも評判になってアメリカ人が日本の武士の生き方に関心を持ってきたからだ。それが原因で、出版社が友人に執筆の依頼をしてきたのだ。彼はすでに五十冊以上の本を出版しているが日本に関するものだけでも三十冊を下らない。「武士道」執筆にあたって私は助言を求められた。そこで、私は武士は戦場での咄嗟の判断が求められる為に、その訓練として歌を勉強していたこと、その内でも特に即興で詠むことが要求される連歌を修練し、心の艶を磨いていたことを伝えた。武士が連歌を嗜んでいた最も有名な事例「松浦の太鼓」の中に見られる。つまり、松尾芭蕉の高弟・宝井其角が吉良上野介の屋敷の隣家・松浦邸で開かれる句会に行く途中で、忠臣蔵の四十七士の一人・大高源吾に会って巻いた次の連歌である。源吾は其角の詠んだ発句に対して脇句(挙句)を即座に詠んでいる。其角が松浦の主人にこの連歌を報告すると、彼は四十七士の討ち入りの時刻が明朝であることを察知する。そう思った瞬間、討ち入りを告げる陣太鼓が鳴り響いたのである。

宝井其角「年の瀬や/水の流れと/人の身は」
大高源吾「明日待たるゝ/その宝舟」

海外との交流が激しくなればなるほど、日本人は益々日本人らしくならねば外国人と対等な付き合いは覚束ない。自分がどのような文化的土壌の中で育ってきたのか、知識としてだけでなく日本人が培ってきた技を身につけていなければならない時代に来ている。昔の日本人は誰でも臨終の折「辞世の句」を詠んできたものである。咄嗟の時には歌の一首も詠めるように教育されてきたのだ。海外との交流が益々激しくなっていく現代、歌の一首も詠めるようにすることはこれからの日本人に求められているものの一つなのではなかろうか。読者の皆様方は私のこの「古典短歌講座」をご覧になったことをきっかけに歌の道に踏み入って戴けたらと思う次第である。
 
 

古典短歌講座(第1版)
Classical Tanka composition in English (1)


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