hokku

Japanese linked poetry

Hokku is the opening verse of a collaborative linked-verse poem in Japanese tradition, consisting of seventeen syllables in a 5-7-5 pattern.

This opening stanza eventually became an independent poetic form—what is now called haiku.

Some poets and scholars prefer hokku when emphasizing the traditional form or its connection to seasonal imagery and nature.

Japanese

tanka

Classical Japanese verse form

wakaMāori boat or verse form
senryuWitty Japanese three-liner

nature

seasons

Year's four divisions

cherry blossomOrnamental Prunus flower
autumn moonFall season's lunar display
frogTailless leaping amphibian

cicada · snow · plum · bamboo · pine · crow · dragonfly · dew · mist · harvest

structure

syllable

Unit of pronunciation

tercetThree-line verse unit
5-7-5Haiku syllable count
moraProsodic duration unit

juxtaposition · pivot · fragment · phrase · pause · caesura · brevity · compression · ellipsis · concision

aesthetics

simplicity

Lack of complexity

understatementIntentional diminishment for effect
suggestionIdea proposed for consideration
resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency

wabi-sabi · quietude · subtlety · restraint · evocation · ambiguity · openness · transience · pathos · depth

Zen

satori

Sudden spiritual awakening

koanBuddhist mind-puzzle
ZenMeditative Buddhist school
zazenZen seated meditation

enlightenment · mindfulness · Buddhism · mu · aware · contemplation · insight · spontaneity · beginner's mind · presence

Opposites

poetic form length/structure

hokkuepic

Impressively grand in scope

collaborative vs. independent

hokkuhaiku

Japanese seventeen-syllable verse

Family

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