While reading about the Kokinshū japanese poems, I found the comparison between this and haikus interesting, which is another form of japanese poetry. Kokinshū poems usually consisted of 31 syllables, arranged in a pattern of 5-7-5-7-7, with themes like seasons, love, and mourning. The kokinshū poems were meant to be read aloud, and were often accompanied by music or dance. Haikus are a more recent form of Japanese poetry that consist of 17 syllables arranged in a pattern of 5-7-5, with common themes of nature and seasons. Haikus are more minimalist than kokinshū poems, using simple and direct language describing a specific moment or image, whereas kokinshū poems are more elaborate and literary. Kokinshū poems were written by courtiers and aristocrats and haikus were widespread, written and read by many. Both kokinshū poems and haikus are forms of Japanese poetry that explore similar themes, they differ in terms of structure, style, and accessibility. The earliest Japanese piece of literature written in kana is the Taketori Monogatari. The message that the writer is trying to send to the aristocracy is that they should have noble traits which the aristocrats in the story didn’t have to be respectful of others [kaguya was stalked/spied] to be truthful and never deceive, and to never be greedy. Even the Emperor, Mikado, failed to see Kaguya, and his army was useless, but he still respected her space and only exchanged waka poems. His burning of the elixir of life and the feathered robe of heavenly beings and letter through the burning of these gifts; it can be interpreted that aristocrats should strive to be like Mikado— for he was not greedy like others. But it can also be interpreted that this was a bad omen, cause smoke came from the mountain [active volcano].
Shirane, Haruo, ed. Traditional Japanese Literature : An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600. Abridged ed. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia University Press, 2012. http://docs.tdh.bergbuilds.domains/267/hst267-5-1-kokinshi-selection.pdf
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “haiku”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Aug. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/art/haiku. Accessed 19 February 2023.
“The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter” (Taketori monogatari).In Traditional Japanese Literature : An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600. Abridged ed., edited by Haruo Shirane. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia University Press, 2012. https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/literature/Taketori%20Monogatari%20(The%20Tale%20of%20the%20Bamboo%20Cutter).html
