1. Tanka and Haiku
English II

2. Tanka
Short verse form that began early in Japanese history and still survives today
Has to do with social needs, obligations and past times
Defining feature is syllable count- 31 syllables (5,7,5,7,7)

3. English example Snow upon the hills Ice along frozen rivers
These for you I trod
Yet for all that never lost
The way to be lost in you

4. Haiku Shorter verse form of Tanka
Consists of only 17 syllables (5,7,5- the 1st half of the tanka)

5. Famous Japanese poets
Ki Ysurayuki (died 945c.)- chief aid of emperor Diago
Assembled one of the largest anthologies of Japanese poetry, the Kokinshu
Ono Komachi ( )- early tanka poet whose poems are characterized by passion and energy
Priest Jakuren ( )- Buddist priest and prominent tanka poet whose poems are filled with beautiful yet melancholy imagery

6. Poets continued Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)- greatest Japanese haiku poet
Yosa Buson ( )- widely regarded as the second-greatest Japanese haiku poet
Kobayashi Issa ( ) considered to be on the same level as Buson, after his death, wrote haikus that reflect appreciation for the hardships faced by the common people

7. Literary Analysis
Tanka- most prevalent verse form in traditional Japanese literature
Most include at least one caesura or pause
Both haikus and Tanka poems use vivid imagery- language that appeals to the senses