[Shinchosha Publishing Co., Ltd.] Recommended by Tawara Machi and Homura Hiroshi! Poet Saegusa Akiyuki, who serves as a judge for the Imperial Court Poetry Contest, has selected and explained 105 poems representing modern and contemporary times in a unique introductory book to tanka poetry, “One Hundred Years of Tanka,” which will be released on October 22nd! Image
URL: Shinchosha Co., Ltd. Press release: October 22, 2025 To Members of the Press Recommended by Machi Tawara and Hiroshi Homura! Poet Saegusa Akiyuki, who serves as a judge for the Imperial Court Poetry Contest, has selected and explained 105 poems representing modern and contemporary times in a unique introductory book to tanka poetry, “One Hundred Years of Tanka,” which will be released on October 22nd! Mori Ogai, Higuchi Ichiyo, Ishikawa Takuboku, Yanagita Kunio, Miyazawa Kenji, Nakajima Atsushi, Dazai Osamu, Kita Morio, Terayama Shuji, Empress Michiko… These masterpieces reveal the true faces of their beloved poets. This book also features masterpieces by some of the most representative poets of modern and contemporary times. It features 105 beautiful melodies to cherish in your heart, along with concise and to-the-point commentary from a leading figure in the world of poetry.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47877/2417/47877-2417-b1e208fa4602f4213cbe3a315ac457fe-536×800.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47877/2417/47877-2417-8fb6b96b25a7c13a2ccbe9136608b152-1260×689.jpg [Message from the author] Tanka has a history of over 1,300 years and is the oldest form of poetry in existence. At the same time, it is also cutting-edge poetry, spreading with the tanka boom in today’s internet society. It is old yet new. It is a literary form, yet it goes beyond literature. We hope you will experience its endless appeal in this book. ■Book Contents Tanka is the home of the Japanese heart! Mori Ogai, Higuchi Ichiyo, Yanagita Kunio, Saito Mokichi, Nakajima Atsushi, Tsukamoto Kunio, Okai Takashi, Kono Yuko, Tawara Machi, Homura Hiroshi… Starting with the tanka innovation of Masaoka Shiki, and expanding into the avant-garde tanka movement and colloquial tanka, tanka has remained a poetic form closely connected to everyday life. By carefully appreciating the masterpieces of 105 poets, you can learn concrete hints for composing tanka. This unique introductory book is finally presented to the world by one of Japan’s leading poets, who was the first judge of the Imperial Court Poetry
Association and is known for his numerous works on the history of tanka. ■Author Information: Takayuki Saigusa
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/47877/2417/47877-2417-cf332cf02870aa31c349df18a8b3a0e3-1051×1500.jpg Poet and critic. Born January 3, 1944. Graduated from the School of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University. Publisher of the poetry magazine “Rhythm.” Advisor to the Japan Poets Club. Director of the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Literature. He was the inaugural judge for the Imperial Poetry Society. He has received the
Contemporary Tanka Association Award, the Contemporary Tanka Grand Prize, and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette. His poetry collections include “Rekigaku,” “Nocho,” and “Shisoku Ari,” and his poetry books include “The Spiritual History of Showa Tanka,” “Maekawa Samio,” and “Sasaki Nobutsuna and One Hundred Years of Tanka.” ■Book data “One Hundred Years of Tanka” [Author name] Hiroyuki Saegusa [Release date] October 22nd (Wednesday) [List price] 1,200 yen (tax included) [JAN code] 978-4-10-603936-2
[URL]https://www.shinchosha.co.jp/book/603936/