Session 02—Introductory lectures

Topics for this session

Introductory lectures: First of three

Briefly covered a portion of charts of Japanese literary history to highlight the place of the KKS, SKKS and haiku, the main topics of this course

Mentioned these types of poems:

• 短歌、たんか： 5-7-5-7-7
• 長歌、ちょうか：5-7, 5-7 .... 7-7
• 旋頭歌、せどうか： 5-7-7-5-7-7 (頭をふりまわせる）
• 仏足石歌、ぶっそくせきか： a special set of poems at 薬師寺、やくしでら in 奈良、なら that praises Buddha, in the 万葉集、まんようしゅう
• 連歌、れんが： a set of verses following the 5-7-5-7-7 pattern the came into their own late in the Middle period
• 俳句（俳諧の句）、はいく（はいかいのく）： 5-7-5, developed from the 発句、ほっく (initial verse) of 連歌

Covered some basic differences between the 古今集 and the 新古今集

• 古今集：理知的、機知をもてあそぶ・lean towards indirect expression ・ tend to break after the first or third verse・use frequently 掛詞 and 縁語 ・ have these emphatic structures: けり止め、つつ止め、体言止め、連体形止め、かな・かも・や止め
• 新古今集：感覚的／絵画的／幻想的・poetic polish ・ frequent use of 体言止め、倒置法（どうちほう、inversion, anastrophe） ・ 本歌取り is a common poetic technique of this collection

Discussed poems having context including context within a collection. Discussed how poems might relate to each other using some terms sometimes used to discuss the relationship of verses in 連歌:　匂（にほひ、fragrance), 響（ひびき、 reverberation), 移り（うつり、 reflection), 面影／俤（おもかげ、semblance)

Discussed these verses as an example of 匂：

いねのはのびの力なき風　　　　　珍碩　　　　　
発心のはじめにこゆるすずか山　　　芭蕉　

from 猿蓑、去来文　Web site: http://metrius.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-post_31.html

To read for this day (optional)

bSpace has an overview of the Kokinshu titled: Intro to the Kokin by Cook with additional notes 1208 [bSpace, PDF]

The wiki article on Shin-Kokinshu is sufficient:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_Kokin_Wakashū　(English)
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/新古今和歌集 (Japanese, not as good as the English version except the section on style includes Japanese terms of course)

Additional resources

bSpace has two charts of Japanese literary history, one in English and one in Japanese