Senryū Explained

is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 (or, often translated as syllables, but see the article on for distinctions). tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious.

Like haiku, senryū originated as an opening part (hokku) of a larger Japanese poem called renga.[1] Unlike haiku, do not include a (cutting word), and do not generally include a, or season word.[2] [3]

Form and content

is named after Edo period poet,[1] whose collection launched the genre into the public consciousness. A typical example from the collection:

This, which can also be translated "Catching him / I see the robber / is my son," is not so much a personal experience of the author as an example of a type of situation (provided by a short comment called a or fore-verse, which usually prefaces a number of examples) and/or a brief or witty rendition of an incident from history or the arts (plays, songs, tales, poetry, etc.).

Senryū in the United States

The first senryū circle in the United States was reportedly started by Japanese immigrants in Yakima, Washington during the early 1900s. Over time, other senryū circles were established in Seattle and other Japanese communities in the Pacific Northwest. In 1938, the Los Angeles–based Kashu Mainichi Shimbun published its first senryū section.[1]

During the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, senryū was a popular activity in the camps.[1]

English-language publications

In the 1970s, Michael McClintock edited Seer Ox: American Senryu Magazine. In 1993, Michael Dylan Welch edited and published Fig Newtons: to Go, the first anthology of English-language .[4]

Additionally, one can regularly find and related articles in some haiku publications. For example, the World Haiku Review[8] has regularly published . regularly appear or appeared in the pages of Modern Haiku, Frogpond, Bottle Rockets, Woodnotes, Tundra, Haiku Canada Review, Presence, Blithe Spirit, Kingfisher, and other haiku journals, often unsegregated from haiku.

American awards

The Haiku Society of America holds the annual Gerald Brady Memorial Award for best unpublished .[9]

Previous Winners of the Gerald Brady Memorial Award include: [10]

Since about 1990, the Haiku Poets of Northern California has been running a contest, as part of its San Francisco International Haiku and Senryu Contest.[11]

Bibliography and further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Teruko . Kumei . 2006 . "A Record of Life and a Poem of Sentiments": Japanese Immigrant "Senryu," 1929-1945. Amerikastudien . 51 . 1 . 29–49 . 41158196 .
  2. Smith. Adrian. Senryu Definition. dictionary.com. 2013-02-11.
  3. Web site: Anon. What are Haiku, Senryu, and Tanaka?. 25 April 2009 . Akita International Haiku Network. 11 February 2014.
  4. William J. Higginson, Frogpond XXV:1, Winter–Spring 1994, pages 103–105.
  5. http://prunejuice.wordpress.com/ Prune Juice
  6. https://failedhaiku.com/ Failed Haiku
  7. http://simplyhaiku.com/ Simply Haiku
  8. http://worldhaikureview.googlepages.com/ World Haiku Review
  9. Web site: Gerald Brady Memorial Award.
  10. Web site: Gerald Brady Memorial Award.
  11. Web site: San Francisco International Competition, Haiku, Senryu, Tanka and Rengay.

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