Carpe Diem's Tanka Kukai One "winter love"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

First this ... I hope to open the judging for our "autumn" - kukai later today. I am looking forward to the results and the selection you will made through your votes, but that's for later today.

Welcome at a new feature here at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai. In November all our prompts had to do with tanka and the Ten Tanka Writing Techniques by Teika ... so I think we have improved our tanka writing skills ...
Today I love to challenge you to write tanka on the theme "Winter Love" and share it through the linking widget as we do always here. You have one week to respond. Than after that week I love to ask you to point out one participant of whom you think he / she has written the best tanka. You have to email me the number of the link of whom you think is the best tanka.

You can email your choice, just one participant, to our email address: carpediemhaikukai@gmail.com Please write "tanka kukai winter love" in the subject line and tell me which linked poet you find best. For that voting you have only three days. I will keep you posted of course.

The winner of this tanka kukai will be featured in a new feature here at Carpe Diem which I have titled "Tanka Splendor".

I am looking forward to your tanka themed "winter love".

You can link your tanka until December 15th 10.00 PM (CET).

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #30 pilgrimage

!! The first seven (7) prompts for December 2016 Let The Music Inspire You are NOW ONLINE you can find them in the menu above !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Well ... this is it ... our last episode of our Tanka Splendor month. This month I hope you had a lot of fun and that you have learned something. Through the Ten Tanka Writing Techniques by Teika we explored the beauty of Tanka. It was a real adventure and a journey, because tanka isn't easy and as you all know not really my "cup of tea".

As I started this Tanka Splendor month I introduced to you a tanka which I had written and I asked myself the question if this tanka would change after this month ... well let's look at that tanka again.

lost in the woods
searching for a new path
between ferns
the early light of day
points the way to leave

© Chèvrefeuille

This tanka wasn't strong but it was the "scene" to explain why I choose to do a Tanka month. It gives words to my struggle with tanka, to me tanka is a new path, because I am a "real" haiku poet. This month was the light that poiinted me the way to leave the safe grounds of haiku and I hope that I have improved my tanka writing skills.

This tanka I will not change, but I will try to create a new tanka here with our theme for today ... pilgrimage ...

Sakura

Maybe you can remember our journey back in 2014, our two month pilgrimage following in the footsteps of Kobo Daishi on Shikoku Island were we visited the 88 temples. This pilgrimage is a once in a lifetime must for the Buddhists and we made that pilgrimage virtually. We were two months on our way on Shikoku and almost on the same time we walked to Santiago De Compostela together with Paulo Coelho (one of my favorite authors).

Here is the tanka which I wrote inspired on "pilgrimage" :

pilgrims transformation
as buds burst open in spring
flowering cherry trees

dancing naked to honor them
the beauty of the Sakura

© Chèvrefeuille

I think this tanka is close to the beauty of the real tanka written by a lot of you. It has the beauty of nature, but also the beauty of love. I think this tanka is one of my best. Did I succeed to find my path to tanka writing? Tanka ... it still isn't really my "cup of tea", but it is a poetry form which I will try more often ...

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 4th at noon (CET). I will try to post our first episode of December later on ...

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #29 autumn's voice

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the penultimate episode of our Tanka Splendor month. It was really a joy to create this special Tanka month and I am so glad that I dare to do it, because (as you all know) I am not a great tanka-poet. Haiku is more my "cup of tea", but I just had to do this month, not only for myself, but also for you and most of all for Jane Reichhold. Jane once said to me "you are a very sensitive guy and tanka is your kind of poetry, go on try it ..."

Today our prompt is autumn's voice, but what do I mean by that? With this prompt I hope to challenge you to create tanka in which you are listening to autumn's voice. Autumn's voice ... is the tough wind, the rustling of the fallen leaves, the hard smashing rains, the sound of birds on their way to warmer places and more.

A wonderful piece of music created by Nujabes in which he has tried to bring the voice of autumn. Maybe this music can help to awaken your muse.

just the wind
the rustling of fallen leaves
and the soft rain
together with the one I love
I discover the voice of autumn

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope you did like this episode and of course I hope that it will inspire you to create tanka. This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until December 3rd at noon (CET). I will (try to) publish our new episode, the last of this Tanka Splendor month, pilgrimage, later on. During lack of time, I have a very busy week, I will not publish a Universal Jane episode this Wednesday. So only the regular prompt.

I am busy with the new prompt-list for December and I hope to publish it on time. As you all know in December we will explore classical music of all times. I am looking forward to this new month. I also hope to launch a new challenging kukai.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #28 Teika's Tenth Tanka Writing Technique "Demon-quelling" (prompt: autumn departs)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

This is the last Tanka Writing Technique by Teika, it's very specific for that time as I look at the "name" for this Tanka Writing Technique "demon-quelling". It will not be an easy task to explain this Tanka Writing Technique, but I will give it a try together with Jane Reichhold.

Demon-quelling - onihishigitei (or kiratsu no tei), characterized by strong or even vulgar diction and terms

Because its methods are at odds with the classical poetical values of beauty, elegance, and grace, Teika said the style to be "more difficult" and should be attempted only when the student has become proficient in the other methods. One of Teika's examples is taken from the Man'yoshū, #4:503 which is a more violent version than a similar poem in the Shinkokinshū, #10:911:

kamikaze ya / Ise no hamaogi / orishikite / tabine ya suran / araki hamabe ni

divine winds
reeds on the Ise beach
are broken
to make a traveler's bed
on this rough shore

The operative words to demonstrate the demon-quelling style are "divine winds" the breaking off of reeds, and the rough seacoast. Teika taught that even though the poet put these elements into a poem, they should be treated with sensibility and gentleness however, it seems this has been most easy to ignore.

Let me try to explain this idea. As you maybe know in ancient Japan, as in many other ancient cultures, there were stories about demons, devils and ghosts, but in Japan and for example China they made these "oni" look like monstrous creatures.

Oni are a kind of yōkai from Japanese folklore, variously translated as demons, devils, ogres, or trolls. They are popular characters in Japanese art, literature and theater.

Oni (demons) woodblock print

Depictions of oni vary widely but usually portray them as hideous, gigantic ogre-like creatures with sharp claws, wild hair, and two long horns growing from their heads. They are humanoid for the most part, but occasionally, they are shown with unnatural features such as odd numbers of eyes or extra fingers and toes. Their skin may be any number of colors, but red and blue are particularly common.

They are often depicted wearing tiger-skin loincloths and carrying iron clubs called kanabō. This image leads to the expression "oni with an iron club", that is, to be invincible or undefeatable. It can also be used in the sense of "strong beyond strong", or having one's natural quality enhanced or supplemented by the use of some tool. In addition to this, it can mean to go overboard, or be unnecessarily strong or powerful.

It's the looks of these "oni" which Teika uses to describe this "demon-quelling" Tanka Writing Technique.

So the goal is to create a tanka characterized by strong or even vulgar diction and terms. Not easy I would say, because my goal for tanka (and haiku) is elegance and beauty and not anti-beauty or anti-elegance. But I have given it a try:

broken wings a butterfly crushed under my feet fragile beauty gone leaving me with a broken heart

© Chèvrefeuille

Huh ... the idea of this "anti-beauty and anti-elegance" is really not my "cup of tea", but I think this tanka fits the Tenth Tanka Writing Technique. As you can read the prompt for today is "autumn departs", so I have tried to create a tanka with that prompt too:

broken branches

last leaves ripped apart

autumn departs

the first snow starts to fall

cuddling in front of the hearth

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until December 2nd at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, autumn's voice, later on. For now ... have fun!

PS. I had a CD Special Japanese Poetry In The Lowlands planned, but during lack of time I have decided to drop that episode, maybe I will publish it next month.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #27 decay

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today my mom and I have seen the definite version of the grave-stone for my dad's grave. They will place it next Monday or Tuesday. Finally we can start with our real mourning after such a long time. I cannot imagine that it has been almost nine months ago that my dad died.

Today our prompt is decay and it is a bit rare to see this prompt on this day (thinking about what I wrote above), but ... I had planned this prompt for today so I couldn't change that anymore.

the scent of autumn
that sweet smell of decaying leaves -
after the rain - stronger makes me think of days past and my first real love ...

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until December 1st at noon (CET). I will try to publish our next episode, the last Tanka Writing technique by Teika, later on.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #26 meditation

Dear haijin, visitors and travelers,

This wonderful CDHK Tanka Splendor month is running towards its end and we have still a few days to improve our Tanka writing skills. Today I have a nice prompt for you which is a nice theme for tanka. Today our prompt is meditation.
We all know what meditation is I think, so no need to explain that further. Let's go and try to create tanka with this prompt, but first I have a few haiku for you which maybe can inspire you.

dervishes whirling
seeking a higher consciousness -
third eye opens

chanting their mantra
broomstick and rake in hand
true meditation

peace of mind
lotuses reach for the sun
growing from the dark

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... enough haiku to inspire you. I couldn't come up with something new at first, but I found a beautiful cascading haiku in my archive which I have re-worked into a tanka that fits the scene and even fits the "love" angle of tanka.

deep meditation
high up in the mountains
a Buddhist monk
even he violates chastity
watching a geisha

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until November 30th at noon (CET). I will publish our next episode, decay, later on.

!!! Soon to come a new challenging kind of kukai !!!

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor 25th Teika's 9th Tanka Writing Technique "Exquisite Detail" (prompt: charcoal)

!! I have replaced the e-books of CDHK to our Carpe Diem Library and I created a new page for our own E-zine Souchou!!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor. This month our main goal is to improve our tanka writing skills through the Ten Tanka Writing Techniques by Teika. Today I will introduce to you Teika's 9th Tanka Writing Technique "Exquisite Detail" and I will try to create a tanka with it prompted "charcoal".

Let me first take you back in time to the century in which the tanka was known as waka. In ancient times, it was a custom between two writers to exchange waka instead of letters in prose. In particular, it was common between lovers. Reflecting this custom, five of the twenty volumes of the Kokin Wakashū gathered waka for love. In the Heian period the lovers would exchange waka in the morning when lovers met at the woman's home. The exchanged waka were called Kinuginu, because it was thought the man wanted to stay with his lover and when the sun rose he had almost no time to put on his clothes on which he had lain instead of a mattress (it being the custom in those days). Works of this period, The Pillow Book and The Tale of Genji provide us with such examples in the life of aristocrats. Murasaki Shikibu uses 795 waka in her The Tale of Genji as waka her characters made in the story. Some of these are her own, although most are taken from existing sources. Shortly, making and reciting waka became a part of aristocratic culture. They recited a part of appropriate waka freely to imply something on an occasion.

Illustration from the Tale of Genji (woodblock print)

Much like with tea, there were a number of rituals and events surrounding the composition, presentation, and judgment of waka. There were two types of waka party that produced occasional poetry: Utakai and Uta-awase. Utakai was a party in which all participants wrote a waka and recited them. Utakai derived from Shikai, Kanshi party and was held in occasion people gathered like seasonal party for the New Year, some celebrations for a newborn baby, a birthday, or a newly built house. Utaawase was a contest in two teams. Themes were determined and a chosen poet from each team wrote a waka for a given theme. The judge appointed a winner for each theme and gave points to the winning team. The team which received the largest sum was the winner. The first recorded Utaawase was held in around 885. At first, Utaawase was playful and mere entertainment, but as the poetic tradition deepened and grew, it turned into a serious aesthetic contest, with considerably more formality. (source:wikipedia)

Okay back to our episode.

Exquisite detail - komayaka naru tei

This style is indicated by exact and precise details with often complex imagery. In Teika's anthology of tanka styles he has 29 examples. One of which is one from the Kokinshū, #4:193, written by Ōno Chisato (890-905):

tsuki mireba / chiji ni mono koso / kanashikere / waga ni hitiostu no / /aki ni wa aranedo

gazing at the moon
a thousand sad things
overcome me
not only I feel this
in autumn alone

This "exquisite detail" technique we can imagine quit well I think, because we are all haiku poets and are proud on the details we can use in our haiku. For example think about the haiku by Basho on "shepherd's purse", which we have seen here earlier:

if you look closely
a sheperd's purse flowering
underneath the hedge

© Basho

I have tried to create a tanka with "charcoal" and with the use of this "exquisite detail" technique. I don't know if it has become a good one.

in the meadow
peeling the leaves of daisies,
does she loves me?
dreaming In front of the fireplace
I look into the charcoal

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until November 29th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, meditation, later on.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #24 Black Earth

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at this belated episode of Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor. Yesterday I hadn't time to publish there were some serious circumstances that needed my attention. So my excuses for being late.

This month it is all about tanka as you all know and I have decided to re-create one of my WP weblogs into Tanka Splendor. Our WP weblog formerly known as Haiku Shuukan is now called Tanka Splendor and I will publish there every week a Tanka Challenge for you.

Today here at CDHK I have a bit strange prompt black earth and I think this will be a tough one to create tanka with.

black earth
covered with fresh fallen snow
awaits spring
I lay down and rest a while
in front of the fireplace

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 29th at noon (CET). I will publish our new episode, Teika's 9th Tanka Writing Technique, later on.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #22 Teika's 8th Tanka Writing Technique - Novel Treatment (prompt: blues)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our Tanka Splendor month. Today the Tanka Writing Technique by Teika is Novel Treatment and the prompt to use is blues.

I will give you a short description of this technique and an example of a tanka in which this technique is used.

Novel treatment - Using an unusual or original poetic conception

Among the 26 examples is the poem by Fujiwara Motozane (ca 950) from the Shinkokinshū, #11:1060:

namidagawa / mi mo uku bakari / nagaruedo / kienu wa hito no / omoi narikeri

a river of tears
floats my body off
on its current
but it cannot quell the fire
you have set in my heart

As we look closer to this tanka (or waka) we can see in the first lines what is meant here "a river of tears floats my body off" This sounds unusual, but it is used for poetic conception to make the emotion stronger in this tanka.

River of Tears

I couldn't come up with a tanka for this Tanka Writing Technique, so today no tanka written by me. Maybe later.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 27th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our next episode, crows, later on. For now ... have fun!

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #21 Spider's Web

Dear Haijn, visitors and travelers,

My excuses for being late with publishing, I am on the nightshift, so time isn't on my side. Today I hope to inspire you all with a nice autumn prompt, spider's web, to create a tanka. To inspire you I also will share a haiga with the following haiku:

deep silence
the beauty of a cobweb
morning Sunrise

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope I was a source of inspiration with this (very) short episode.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 26th at noon (CET). I will (try to) publish our new episode, the 8th Tanka Writing Technique by Teika, later on.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #20 Chrysanthemums

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor. Yesterday we had the 7th Tanka Writing Technique by Teika, "clever treatment" and today We have just a prompt for you, a prompt that fits the time of the year, Chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums are the flowers of autumn, but they can also be used as a "kigo" (season word) for winter.

The Chrysanthemum has a special message hidden in it. That special message is:

" Support your friends with loyalty and love, especially when they’re facing an obstacle or recovering from a life-changing event. Remember to honor the cycle of life, both at its end and with new beginnings".

A short episode, but I think you can work with it. I hope the special message of the Chrysanthemum can inspire you.

Chrysanthemums were introduced into Japan around the 8th century AD, and Emperor Gotoba (1180-1239) adopted this flower as his official seal.

Let's pluck and wear you,
O chrysanthemum flower,
while there's still dew --
that never-aging autumn
must then abide forever.

© Ki no Tomonori

A wonderful "waka" I think and I had to share it here with you.

Chrysanthemum

Here is my attempt to create a Tanka with this theme:

white chrysanthemum
stands proud between falling leaves
autumn has arrived
sharing its everlasting promise
there will be a new beginning

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 25th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, Spider's Web, later on.

carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #19 Teika's 7th Tanka Writing Technique "clever treatment" (prompt: fragile beauty)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at this new episode of our Tanka Splendor month. I know I am a bit late, but I am on the nightshift so time isn't at my side the upcoming days. This month it is all about tanka and how to create them. Through the ten Tanka Writing Techniques by Teika I hope to inspire you all to create tanka or to improve your skills in writing tanka.

Today I will introduce to you Teika's 7th Tanka Writing Technique "clever treatment".

Clever treatment, a witty or ingenious treatment of a conventional topic

The style must have been popular because Teika gave 31 poems in his anthology of style examples. This one is by the Archbishop Jien (1155-1225) on the topic of "snow" from the Shinkokinshū, #6:679:
niwa no yuki ni / waga ato tsukete / idetsuru o / towarenikeri to / hito ya miruran

in the snow only
I was in the garden
leaving footprints
will people think someone brought
comfort to my loneliness?

As you can read in the above tanka (or waka) the poet brings a scene of someone in a garden covered with snow, but in that scene he just mentioned the ordinary way of walking through the snow and what kind of feeling it gives. I think the tanka shows you how important the ordinary snow can be to create a sophisticated scene.

Koya San monastery in the snow - only women were allowed to enter this monastery

In this tanka you can feel the loneliness in a very strong way. With the prompt "fragile beauty" I think we can create a tanka with this technique.

hands full of snow
the Great Buddha still smiles
with compassion
an old beggar and his bowl
bows in honor sharing his bread

© Chèvrefeuille

What an awesome technique this is. I hope I have inspired you.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until November 23rd at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode, Chrysanthemums, later on. 

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #18 depression

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today I have another prompt for you to work with. Today our prompt is depression and that's maybe not a theme for tanka, as it is mostly a poetry form for love poems, but I think this prompt can challenge you to think out of the box.

Depression? In this prompt I mean the "mood", because in tanka "mood" plays a big role. Let me first try to explain what depression can be.

Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity or apathy that can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings and sense of well-being.
People with a depressed mood can feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, angry, ashamed or restless. They may lose interest in activities that were once pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions, experience relationship difficulties and may contemplate, attempt or commit suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, aches, pains, digestive problems or reduced energy may also be present. (source: wikipedia)

depression

A lot to cope with if you have a depression. I remember that I had a depression back in 2008. All things in my life went wrong. I had problems at work, but also in my relationship. It took a while before I found my joy of life back, but not after a lot of tears and even suicidal thoughts. In that time I didn't write a lot of haiku or did something else. It really felt as if my life was over. But I survived because of the strong love of my colleagues and my family. After that period of depression I started to appreciate life more than ever and found my way of life back.

garbage 

the rotting remains of life

take my breath away

a broken heart and more, but ... 

the sun started to shine again

© Chèvrefeuille

I hope you will not become depressed through this prompt. This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until November 22nd at noon (CET). I will try to publish our next post, Teika's 7th Tanka Writing Technique, later on.

Carpe Diem Tanka Splendor #17 loneliness

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another day has come and I was very busy with CDHK as you have noticed I think. I had a lot of spare time today, but now there are other things who need my attention. So this Tanka Splendor episode will be a short one.

Today our prompt is loneliness and I think that is a great theme for tanka.

all alone
after the quarrel with her
I sit down
trying to forget her
with a bottle of scotch

© Chèvrefeuille

A strong feeling of loneliness in this tanka and that's the beauty of tanka. You can tell a lot within just five lines.

As I re-read the above tanka a haiku I wrote several years ago came in mind. It's a haiku in which the loneliness is enclosed in very strong way.

wandering
through the city park near by
just the wind and me

© Chèvrefeuille

Loneliness (painting by Hans Thoma; National Museum Warsaw)

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until November 21st at noon (CET). I will try to post our next episode, depression, later on. For now ... have fun!