Yukiko Inoue-Smith - A shawl of mist: tanka: expressing the modern soul in an ancient poetic style = 霧のショール;霧のショール

Yukiko Inoue, Ph.D., a member of the faculty of the School of Education at the University of Guam, has been extensively involved in work with tanka , which is Japans oldest and most esteemed poetry genre. While presenting and promoting tanka at conferences and workshops, she has written her own tanka poems, which have been published regionally, nationally, and internationally. Many of her tanka poems have received awards. She has also taught a course in tanka poetry in the Universitys Language and Literacy program. She wants to emphasize tanka s special role in English-speaking literary communities: expressing the modern soul in an ancient Japanese poetic style. In Guam, where she currently lives, she has participated in a variety of poetry events and activities, including contributing her tanka poems to a local weekly newspaper, the Guam Shinbun . She is a Professor of Educational Psychology and Research, and considers poetry an equally important element of her lifes work.

There is no single theory as to the language family in which nihongo (the Japanese language) linguistically belongs. Its structure is completely different from that of the Indo-European languages, to which English and French belong, and this is one reason that many native speakers of Indo-European languages find Japanese difficult to acquire.

Modern Japanese consists of three kinds of characters: Chinese characters known as kanji , and the phonetic characters known as hiragana and katakana . Currently, katakana is mainly used for foreign words, and kanji and hiragana for composing sentences. It should be noted that nihongo was formed within a comparatively stable environment for a long time, and so, on matters already known to them, Japanese speakers could have understood one another without using pronouns. One typical example of abbreviating certain parts of what might ordinarily be spoken occurs in Japanese poetry. In nihongo , the subject is often-times not stated in haiku and tanka, just as the subject is omitted in daily conversation in nihongo . This is essentially because it is expected that the other person will realize what one wants to say, strong assertions are avoided. On this point, interestingly enough, Western people sometimes are tied into the misunderstanding that Japanese people generally do not clearly express their own opinions. This might help to explain why Japanese people are oftentimes characterized by Westerners as being mysterious, peculiar, inscrutable, and low in self-disclosure, both verbally and nonverbally. This subject has been researched intensively, and thus, numerous books have been published on topics, for instance, in intercultural communication styles and conflict resolutions: including books by sociolinguists, conflict resolution theorists, policy analysts, anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, and philosophers.

Through my personal and professional experiences and observations as a Japanese American who lived in the United Sates and Guam for many years, I can say with confidence that the Japanese communication style represents a difficulty that amounts to more than a simple language barrier (that is, most Japanese people cannot speak English fluently). At the same time, however, I have to accept the following argument by Sakai and DAngelo: Japan needs to develop pride and confidence in its own form of educated English... to play a role on the international stage, and to be able to engage in debates and to exchange of ideas on an equal footing with those from all over the world.

It is important to note that beginning in the 5th and 6th centuries AD., Japan adopted many Chinese customs and institutions (including Confucianism), along with the Chinese system for a written language. From the 12th century to the mid-1800s, Japan was a feudal country led by clans of warriors known as the samurai . After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan adopted many Western customs and institutions. Japanese culture today therefore includes a mixture of these influences and more uniquely Japanese practices.

It is also important to note that although modern Japan was founded on a plan developed by the U.S. military, many traditional Japanese cultural practices, including the Japanese language itself, have retained their strength and are accorded high levels of respect. This has significant consequences for Japanese communication styles. Confucianism, which emphasizes a social hierarchy, remains highly influential in Japan: Observe how Japanese people bow to each other. The person lowest in the hierarchy will bow first and will bow lowest.

In summary, the Japanese language retains a tradition of indirectness. It is true: In Japan, they are reluctant to say no. Yes to them means only that they heard you.... When the Japanese say, it will be difficult, they mean no.... In a culture that values tact and courtesy over honesty, words do not always mean what they appear to mean. Dawson is likely correct to an extent. In my opinion, however, his comparison is not entirely accurate. To some extent, Americans are also reluctant to say no. And this is a universal difficulty, I would say.

Of all the nations of the world, it is recognized that only China has a longer continuous literary history than Japan. Japanese literature traces its beginnings to oral traditions that were first recorded in written form in the early 8th century, after a writing system was introduced from China. In the Heian Period, the basis for phonetic characters (that is, hiragana and katakana ) was established. Events in Japan prior to the 3rd century are considered portions of Primitive Times. In the 3rd century, Japanese people mastered the art of rice cultivation and spoke of their country as the land blessed with rice, reflecting the important role of rice not only as a staple food for the Japanese but also as the foundation of Japanese life and culture. In Ancient Times (the 4th to 12th centuries), a constitutional form of government modeled after that of China (Tang) was introduced to Japan. The Middle Times (12th to 19th centuries) were marked by rapid cultural and educational advances. From the mid-19th century onwards, Japans efforts to modernize greatly enhanced the countrys power internationally.

Japanese literature as such began during Ancient Times, and can be divided into the Nara Period (710-794), the Heian Period (794-1185), the Kamakura-Muromachi Period (1185-1573), the Edo Period (1603-1868), and the Meiji Period (1868-1912), leading up to the present. The Sengoku Period (1555-1615) or the period of warring states in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict. Ninja people provided with special techniques and were responsible for spying on the enemys war tactics and assassinating enemy leadersflourished especially during Japans Sengoku Period. There are no known ninja in todays Japan.

Kojiki (the Record of Ancient Matters) and Nihon Shoki (the Chronicle of Japan) were completed in 712 and 720, respectively, as government projects. The former is an anthology of myths, legends, and other stories, while the latter is a chronological record of history. However, Manyoshu (the Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves), an anthology of 4,500 poems composed by people ranging from unknown commoners to emperors and compiled around in 759, represents the most brilliant literary product of this period. Manyoshu demonstrates that a verse form known as tanka, comprising 31 syllables (5-7-5-7-7), had already emerged during that time. In 905, Kokin Wakashu (the Collection of Poems from Ancient and Modern Times) was published as the first poetry anthology commissioned by an emperor. Kokin Wakashu was complied based on the vision that the Japanese poetry grows out of peoples feelings to become leaves of words for everything in the world and tankas main feature is that: