Since Commentaries on this blog appear in the order in which they were posted, with the latest one first, please read the Introductory Post [Post No. 1] first.
Post No. 2
Commentary by Mutsuo Shukuya
In Post No. 1, I noted that I have been writing tanka [tahn-kah] poetry for more than thirty years. However, unlike most of today’s tanka poets I have focused on writing tanka in the traditional style used by poets prior to the later years of the Kamakura Shogunate period [1185-1333], when the traditional style of tanka gave way to haiku/haikai [5-7-5 syllable verse] and renga [rane-gah]—long poetry with 31 to as many as 100 stanzas the norm.
Furthermore, I explained that in my lifetime there have been four major figures who influenced my desire and efforts to master the composition of tanka. One of these individuals was the famous poet Akahiko Shimaki who composed the poem it reminded me of the beautiful village where I spent my childhood. Another of the poets who was philosopher/professor Tsuyoshi Nara, who let me know that anybody could compose tanka as well as famous poets.
The third individual who has been my tanka mentor is Fumiko Reizei, president of Reizei Family group, the 26th descendant of Teika Fujiwara (1162-1241) who mastered the art of composing aesthetic tanka. And the last one is pioneer poet Machi Tawara, who let us know that anybody can compose tanka without an extensive learning period.
This time, I must tell you that two other great authors encouraged me to translate Japanese tanka into English.
One of these individuals was Englishman James Kirkup (1916-2009.5.10) who was one of Europe’s greatest contemporary poets. The second individual who encouraged me to translate tanka poetry into English was the internationally known American author-Japanologist Boyé Lafayette De Mente who has been intimately involved with Japan since the late 1940s. He has published more than fifty books, including more than 30 pioneer books on Japan, including “The Japanization of America” and “KATA - The Key to Understanding & Dealing with the Japanese,” both of which I have reviewed extensively for Japanese publications.
These works by De Mente reveal his meticulous analysis and wide and deep understanding about Japan as a whole and various aspects of Japanese culture. His books, especially “The Japanization of America,” gave me a powerful incentive to translate tanka into English.
In this book De Mente maintains that poetry is one of the ultimate expressions of the emotional, spiritual and intellectual capacity of human beings, and provides a means for judging how the composer has improved himself/herself while at the same time bringing a special joy to those hearing poetry read. He recommended that the widespread Japanese custom of composing and reading poems at various ceremonies should be adopted by all Americans, rather than the very small percentage that now enjoy its amazing benefits.
As soon as I read the above comments I became enthusiastic about introducing Japanese culture, especially tanka poetry, to readers in the world. Since then I have continued to translate Japanese tanka into English, primarily traditional tanka printed in such anthologies as Kokin-shu or Shin-kokin-shu, which were compiled more that 1000 years ago, as well as my own original tanka.
But recently my elder brother Tsuneo Shukuya sent me a tanka by modern poet Utsuho Kubota that especially impressed me. Tsuneo, who had earlier suffered a painful bout with cancer, included a letter with the poem saying that reciting the poem repeatedly had helped ease the pain. Now, ten years later, he has recovered and is again enjoying life. Here is the poem he sent me:
I wander along a road
through the meadows,
finding only pieces
of tiny flowers.
—Utsuho Kubota—
In my first Post I introduced Yoshihiro Kuromichi as the fifth person who has influenced me so much in my efforts to compose tanka and then to master it, since he prompted me to release all of my lectures about tanka composition under the traditional theory on my website for anyone who wants to learn how to compose tanka.
Here are two more tanka poems by Kuromichi that I believe express the feelings he wants to share with the world through his tanka—feelings that everyone experiences in their youth and often lose as they become adults.
In his poetry he attempts to retain the innocence and goodwill of youth, and help adults regain this feeling in their view and relations with the adult world—a concept that is apparent in his use of the phrase “a few secrets.”
On a very practical level it is obvious that adults can learn from young people, with computers and other high-tech devices being one example, just as in my own case I have learned from my daughters how to use computers, play electronic games, and so on. Mothers take care of their babies but their babies provide them with immeasurable joy.
On the broadest level, as Kuromichi expresses in his poetry, human beings are dependent upon each other and should not be obsessed with selfish feelings that prevent true understanding and cooperation.
(秘め事の一つや二つあるんだよ優等生のあの娘にだって)
I would like to declare
to everyone in the world
a few secrets which
I keep in my own heart
as diligent girls do.
The next tanka appears to have been composed on the theme of lying—based on the fact that when young people meet members of the opposite sex they often attempt to appear to be better than what they really are—that is to say they often tells lies about themselves.
The use of the sentence “I used to dream of/ future happiness with you” in this poem seems to express his desire to gently reveal this “secret” to the reader.
(君のつく嘘のすべてが輝いて僕の未来を照らしてたんだ)
Hearing your stories,
I used to dream of
future happiness with you,
but all of them were lies you told
long ago in our childhood.
I hope these two poems by Yoshihiro Kuromichi will contribute to his dream of everybody in the world learning to communicate with each other sincerely and deeply.
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