Japan: Its Culture and Heritage
Japanese Poetry

Choka "Long poem" (5-7-5-7-7 / 5-7-5-7-7...)

Tanka "Short poem" (5-7-5-7-7 syllables)*

Nigitazu ni Funanori semu to Tsuki mateba Shio mo kanainu Ima wa kogi ide na

While at Nigitazu we await the moon to put our ships to sea, With the moon the tide has risen; Now let us embark! (Man'yoshu, 1:8)

*a.k.a. Waka "Japanese poem." Waka literally means "Japanese poem," and in the widest sense is all Japanese rather than foreign poetry, especially Chinese. In the more usual restricted sense, it designates Japanese poetic kinds predating renga (linked verse from the 12th century), especially tanka. Given the dominance of tanka over the centuries, it is often synonymous with that.

Haiku (5-7-5 syllables):

Samidare ya Aru yo hisoka ni Matsu no tsuki

Early summer rain Faint one evening The moon among the pines (of waiting)

Matsu can mean both "pine" and "wait," and is a kakekotoba (pivot word).

Other important poetry terminology/elements:

Makura kotoba "Pillow Word":

A word or phrase conventionally fixed by meaning, association, or sound to one or more words.

In most Japanese poetry, there is a seasonal referent. It could be a flower, a tree, an animal, or other item which is specifically associated with a certain time of year. For example, a chestnut indicates autumn, a chrysthanthemum indicates winter, a plum indicates spring, and a lily indicates summer.