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Ono Yasumaro(太安万侶) was a civil servant and was a historian in ancient Japan.

Japanese Poetry and Ancient Writings

Poetry connotes romance and self-expression. It is an art form that some say even predates literacy. Some ancient poetry such as the Odyssey (800-675 BC) and the Indian Vedas (1700-1200 BC) seem to have been composed in poetic form to help in the memorization process for the oral recitation that was a main form of entertainment in ancient times. Other forms of poetry were derived from folk songs such as the Shijing, an ancient compilation of Chinese classic poetry.Ono Yasumaro(太安万侶) was a civil servant and was a historian in ancient Japan.

Japanese poetry is thought to be divinely created, as many ancient poetic works were credited to the kami. The earliest known Japanese literature is from the Kojiki (古事記, “Record of Ancient Matters”). It is the oldest known extant chronicle in Japan, dating back to the early 8th century.

Ono Yasumaro(太安万侶) was a civil servant and was a historian in ancient Japan.

The Kojiki is a compilation of poetic combination of history and mythology by Ō no Yasumaro, who wrote down the stories told to him by Hieda no Are, as told by his ancestors. It is believed that many of the stories in the Kojiki come from a time before any written Japanese existed.  The Nihon Shoki (日本書紀) was written eight years after the Kojiki. The second oldest book of Japanese classical history, it explains the origin of the world. The Nihon Shoki was under the editorial supervision of Prince Toneri. It is said to have accurately recorded the reigns of Emperor Tenji, Emperor Temmu, and Empress Jitō.

The Man’yōshū (万葉集, “Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves”) is the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry. It was compiled during the Nara period after 759 AD.  It is composed of 20 volumes with poems arranged in chronological order. Two of the most recognized poets in the Man’yōshū are Kakinomoto Hitomaro and Nukata no Ōkima.

Genryaku_Manyosyu

One of the most familiar traditional forms of Japanese poetry is the haiku (formerly hokku).

Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves at Tokyo National Museum. | ReijiYamashina

It is very short and is usually characterized by a verbal punctuation mark, 17 phrases (5,7,5 respectively), and it uses a a kigo (seasonal reference), which is drawn from a saijiki. In spite of its strict form, it is immensely popular among poetry enthusiasts around the world.

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Read all about Japanese immersion learning and studying abroad. Check out our eZasshi archives for more articles!