Utakai Hajime
The Utakai Hajime (歌会始, First poetry competition) is an annual gathering, convened by the Emperor of Japan, in which participants read traditional Japanese poetry on a common theme before a wider audience.[1] It is held on 1 January at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, and is broadcast live on the NHK General TV and abroad on NHK World Premium.
History
[edit]The exact origins of the tradition are unclear, though it is known that the Emperor Kameyama convened a January poetry reading, at the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, as early as 1267.[1] Sometime during the Edo period the practice became more regular, and since the Meiji restoration of 1869, it has been held almost every year.[1]
Poems written by the general public were admitted for consideration for the first time in 1879.[1] Since 1946, any poet whose work is selected is invited to attend. In 1957 American poet Lucille Nixon became the first non-Japanese person to do so.[2]
Poetry
[edit]Poems read at the ceremony belong to the tanka genre.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Ceremony of the Utakai Hajime". The Imperial Household Agency. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
- ^ An Imperial Poetic Tradition Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, Japan Echo, Diplomatic Agenda, Vol. 26, Nr. 2
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