A fantastical tanka anthology by the guardian deity of poetry. Kinokuniya Shinjuku Main Store’s Umezaki Mina’s first publication, “Crows Dance on Glass Frills,” featuring 147 of her favorite poems, goes on sale October 28th! Image
URL: Kawade Shobo Shinsha Press release: October 28, 2025 To Members of the Press A fantastical tanka anthology by the patron saint of poetry. Mina Umezaki of Kinokuniya Shinjuku Bookstore’s Shinjuku Main Branch releases her first book, “Crows Dance on Glass Frills,” featuring 147 of her favorite poems, on sale October 28th! I want to capture a world of fantastical tanka poems—this tanka anthology is like a treasure chest, filled to the brim with the “favorites” of a bookseller who has been in charge of poetry for over 10 years. The book design and illustrations were done by Hanayama Shuuko.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1074/12754-1074-d508d4bd7af7062d452fcebd16558a3d-3900×2925.jpg Kinokuniya Bookstore Shinjuku Main Store Poetry Section Umezaki’s fantasy tanka anthology, “Crows Dance with Glass Frills,” has finally been completed. When Umezaki looked back at the tanka that captivated her in the selection process, she found that many of them were fantasy-like works. Returning to the origins of “love,” this book contains 147 poems carefully selected with particular passion. Poet and book designer Shuko Hanayama praises it as “like a modern version of Teika’s Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.” It’s a rich collection of poems. One of the great attractions of this volume is the collection of poems by leading contemporary tanka poets, including Minami Ishikawa, Mei Kawano, and Naoko Azuma, all condensed into one volume. It’s no exaggeration to say that this volume is a selection of contemporary tanka poets who write about fantasy, and it can also be enjoyed as a guide to tanka poetry. The book’s design and illustrations were done by Shuko Hanayama. Please also take note of the beautiful binding, which reflects the love shared between the bookseller and the artist. Please look forward to the release of the first tanka anthology, “Crows Dance with Glass Frills,” by Umezaki Mina, the guardian deity of poetry who is respected by all poetry lovers!
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1074/12754-1074-9fc4827047d703636ffa439135463e6a-3900×2925.jpg Kinokuniya Shinjuku Main Store: “Crows Dance with Glass Frills” on the first day of release
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1074/12754-1074-2cfda012ee36a76ac61e62a5891360b0-3900×2925.jpg Kinokuniya Shinjuku Main Store – “Crows Dance with Glass Frills” on sale for the first time
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1074/12754-1074-9c5f4277873d395d8154516612267ebc-2025×2700.jpg Kinokuniya Shinjuku Main Store: “Crows Dance with Glass Frills” on the first day of release ●List of Poets Featured in “Crows Dance on Glass Frills”td> Honorific titles, alphabetical order Nobuo Ishikawa / Minami Ishikawa / Akemi Itsuji / Kyoko Inaba / Noriko Inoue / Shota Uchiyama / Kazuko Otaki / Torahiko Otsuka / Tamiko Onishi / Nami Obara / Shizuka Omori / Katsumi Kato / Mei Kawano / Kou Kinoshita / Megumi Kino / Shigekazu Kusayagi / Seiei Kusunoki / Taeko Kuzuhara / Sumiyo Koike / Aiko Kono / Hideyuki Konaka / Fumito Saito / Hiroyuki Sasai / Yayoi Satake / Yumi Sato / Tsuneo Sugisaki / Taka Yoshiko Ki / Yuriko Tanigawa / Toru Tamaki / Masahiko Dozono / Kyoko Toda / Yoko Nagai / Fumiko Nakajo / Mariko Hattori / Akiko Baba / Itaru Hamada / Naoko Azuma / Hiroshi Hirai / Naoko Hiraoka / Samio Maekawa / Toshio Mae / Yutaka Masaoka / Mieko Manabe / Shion Mizuhara / Hiroki Mitsumori / Sadaka Morioka / Shihoko Morita / Satoko Yamazaki / Izumi Yamashita / Chieko Yamanaka / Chise Yamanaka / Matsuo Watanabe ●From Shuuko Hanayama (poet, painter, book designer) This book is like a jewel box, collecting tanka poems that Umezaki Mina, a bookstore clerk, has long loved. In a sense, it’s like a modern version of the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, collected by Teika. Even today, Hyakunin Isshu karuta is loved by people of all ages, from small children to the elderly, even if they don’t understand the meaning. They enjoy playing the cards, getting excited, and appreciating the pictures and characters. Above all, I believe Teika’s personal obsession with the poems continues to convey their appeal to so many people. While many modern Hyakunin Isshu-like books have been created in the past, I personally believe this is the first Hyakunin Isshu book to be a modern version in the true sense of the word (though it’s neither a hundred poets nor a single poem). Its compact, square shape and timing of release make it a popular Christmas gift for friends, lovers, family, and children, and I believe it will become a book that will be loved for a long time to come as a special book to have on one’s own bookshelf. ●Editor Mina Umezaki
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1074/12754-1074-745ddd526493bbaa4dcd659dbe974d67-3900×2603.jpg Mina Umezaki Born in Tokyo in 1983. Bookstore clerk. Has been in charge of the poetry section since 2012. In addition to writing a series of poetry collection reviews for the tanka magazine “Nemuranai Ki” (Shōshi Kankanbo), she also contributes to numerous literary magazines. ●New publication information
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/12754/1074/12754-1074-388b2d077d9b911ea1deb95e4417ca91-2500×2500.jpg Title: Crows Dance on Glass Frills Editor: Umezaki Mina Design and Illustration: Hanayama Shuko Specifications: 46-size variant / hardcover / 148 pages Release date: October 28, 2025 Price: ¥2,530 (¥2,300 excluding tax) ISBN: 978-4-309-03233-7 URL:
https://www.kawade.co.jp/np/isbn/9784309032337/ *There are no plans for an e-book release. [Table of Contents] prologue Act I: The Raven Drops a Ribbon of Nuts Act II: The Raven Flys a Brass Star Act III: The Raven Sleeps on a Skull of Thorns Act IV: The Crow Looks into the Mirror of Afterglow Epilogue Afterword