“5,7,5” or “5,7,5,7,7”.
If there are people abroad who know what these numbers mean, they must be quite familiar with Japan. Because in recent years, even among Japanese people, there are fewer and fewer people who can guess what these numbers mean…
“5,7,5 / Five-seven-five” This is a ‘syllable pattern of poetry’ from old Japan.
Since the beginning of time, countries and peoples around the world have developed their own unique cultures of poetry and song.
Today, when universal music is available worldwide, these traditional poems and songs are not as popular as they once were, but they are still an important asset that reflects the culture and history of each ethnic group.
In the case of Japan, the traditional poetry is known as ‘和歌 / waka’. Its beginnings can be seen in the 7th and 8th centuries and were established during the long aristocratic period known as the Heian period.
It’s a ↓ era that has been the subject of several stories on this website.
Waka’ is one of the poems generally known as “tanka” and is an extremely short form of writing. It is a poem that uses the number of letters (monosyllables) “5,7,5,7,7” with “5,7,5” as the base letter.
As an example, see the following single waka poem.
『春の野に すみれ摘みにと 来し我そ 野をなつかしみ 一夜寝にける』
『Haru no noni Sumire tsumi nito Kishi wareso No wo natsukashimi Ichiya nenikeru』
The single tones are divided into different colours. Can you see that they are ‘5,7,5,7,7’?
The meaning of the sentence translates as follows.
「I came to pick violets in the spring fields and was so impressed by the beautiful and peaceful appearance of the fields that I finally stayed the night…」
Riding on the lilting tempo of ‘5,7,5,7,7’, the song expresses, as far as possible, the majestic beauty of nature and the stirring of the heart in a total of just 31 characters.
Since it took a certain amount of ability to write these waka and tanka poems well, it was an essential education for the aristocracy of the time. Those who composed waka poems that would go down in history often had an advantage in their career. Waka schools also formed factions and influenced politics.
Waka poems were not only published as works of art, but also served as a basis for communication (especially between men and women), and sometimes functioned in the form of a pair of ‘贈歌 / gift poem’ and ‘返歌 / reply poem’.
In the waka that have been handed down to the present day, we can see the modest and sometimes coquettish exchanges between men and women more than a thousand years ago.
Waka’ is written as one of the “tanka”, but there are also other forms called “haiku” and “senryū”. Both were formed in a newer period than waka.
Both ‘haiku’ and ‘senryū’ are poems based on the number of characters ‘5,7,5’ or ‘5,7,5,7,7’, but they differ from ‘waka’ in the following ways.
『和歌 / Waka』
・The theme is nature in each of the four seasons.
・Use simple language as much as possible, but reflect the subtleties of the heart, such as joy and loneliness.
・The traditional customs and forms are to be observed.
『俳句 / Haiku』
・Always use “kigo”. （“kigo” = Single keyword evoking the season.)
・The subject matter varies from social to personal events.
・Compared to waka poetry, the individual’s creative intentions take precedence over the traditional form.
『川柳 / Senryū』
・The poems are not limited to the seasons or natural scenery, but are created with a free spirit.
・They reflect personal feelings on social situations and are often written as ironic poems.
・Often written in spoken language.
Waka poetry and other aspects of Heian-period literature and culture are integrated into high school courses in Japan. However, they are not regarded as important among the many classes, probably due to the tendency to consider them less useful in the structure of modern society, and most of the time students see them as just another task to be performed.
However, it is also true that human society and culture are based on the history that has been built up over time. I think it is meaningful to look again at the traditional culture that our ancestors developed 1,000 or 2,000 years ago.
These cultures of poetry and song exist in all countries and peoples of the world, each with its own unique brilliance. What light does the ancient poetry of your country transmit to the present day…?
『春の夜の 夢の浮橋 とだえして 峰に別るる 横雲の空』
『Haru no yono Yume no ukihashi Todaeshite Mineni wakaruru Yokogumo no sora』
「Like a floating bridge on the water, when the dream of a fleeting spring night is suddenly interrupted, the sky at dawn, when the transverse clouds are leaving around the mountain peaks…」