Waka facts for kids
Waka (pronounced "wah-kah") is a special type of Japanese poetry. It's also sometimes called Yamato uta. The word waka simply means "Japanese poem" in the Japanese language.
Poets in Japan started using the word waka during the Heian Period (around 794 to 1185 AD). They wanted to show the difference between poems written in Japanese and poems written in Chinese, which were called kanshi.
At first, waka included several different poetry styles. The two main ones were tanka (pronounced "tahn-kah"), which means "short poem," and chōka (pronounced "choh-kah"), meaning "long poem." There were also other, less common forms like bussokusekika, sedōka, and katauta.
Over time, some of these forms stopped being used. By the Heian Period, bussokusekika, sedōka, and katauta were rarely written. The chōka form also disappeared later on. Because of this, waka mostly came to mean the same thing as tanka. Tanka is a very old form of Japanese poetry, even older than haiku.
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What Makes Waka Special?
Waka poetry does not follow strict rules about rhyming words or how many lines a poem should have. It is a more free style of poetry. This means poets could express themselves without needing words to sound alike at the end of lines.
Understanding Waka's Structure
Even though waka is a free style, the most common form, tanka, has a specific pattern of sounds. Tanka poems usually have 31 sounds, divided into five lines. The pattern is often 5-7-5-7-7 sounds per line. This makes them short and easy to remember.
A Famous Waka Example
Here is an example of a tanka poem written by a famous Japanese poet named Yamanoue no Okura (who lived from 660 to 733 AD). This poem shows how simple words can carry deep meaning in waka.
| 銀も | Shirogane mo | What are they to me, |
| Japanese: 金も玉も | Kogane mo tama mo | Silver, or gold, or jewels? |
| Japanese: 何せんに | Nanisen ni | How could they ever |
| Japanese: まされる宝 | Masareru takara | Equal the greater treasure |
| Japanese: 子にしかめやも | Koni shikame yamo | That is a child? They can't. |
This poem talks about how precious a child is, more valuable than any silver, gold, or jewels. It shows the poet's feelings about family and what truly matters.
Waka's Importance in History
Waka played a very important role in Japanese culture for many centuries. It was used for everything from expressing love and sadness to describing nature and daily life. Many emperors, empresses, and nobles wrote waka poems. They even had poetry contests!
One very famous collection of waka poems is called the Hyakunin Isshu. It's a collection of 100 poems by 100 different poets. These poems are still studied and enjoyed in Japan today.
