Modern means of transport in tanka and haiku poetry of the Meiji and Taishō eras

  • Sylva Martinásková Palacký University in Olomouc
Keywords: modernization, tanka, haiku, poetry, Meiji, Taishō, means of transport, train, railway, Masaoka Shiki, Ishikawa Takuboku

Abstract

In this article, the author focuses on the modernization of Japan dur- ing the Meiji and Taishō eras, as it was reflected in the traditional Japa- nese poetic forms of tanka and haiku. Emphasis is put on the thematic shift in poems at the turn of the century, and selected examples of po- ems are presented to demonstrate primarily the application of terms referring to the modern means of transport which were becoming more common in Japan at that time, and thus gradually penetrating even into literature, including the sphere of lyric poetry. The author believes that at the turn of the century, the objects of modern society – being part of the new Japanese state – also became a form of the “new nature” depicted in modern Japanese poetry.

Author Biography

Sylva Martinásková, Palacký University in Olomouc

An assistant professor at the Depart- ment of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts, Palacký University Olomouc (Czech Republic). My academic interests include Japanese literature (especially traditional Japanese poetry in modern-period Japan, and Ueda Akinari-related topics), Japanese history, and classical Japane- se language.

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Published
2017-12-31
How to Cite
[1]
Martinásková, S. 2017. Modern means of transport in tanka and haiku poetry of the Meiji and Taishō eras. Perspectives on Culture. 19, 4 (Dec. 2017), 37-52.
Issue
Vol. 19 No. 4 (2017): Fascination With Otherness. Cultural Meetings of Japan and the Western World
Section
Fascination With Otherness

Copyright (c) 2017 Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow

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