Exercises: Wakiokori
to add a wakiku to a hokku
2010 revision

Comments

Persons new to the terms hokku and wakiku are advised to refer to the article 'Beginnings and Endings' elsewhere in Renku Reckoner. Some aspects of the grammatical structure of English-language renku verses are discussed in the article 'Cut or Uncut?'.

In order to add a verse the poet must consider the verse to which they are linking in some detail. Is it set in a season? If so, which? Especially in the case of older Japanese works, is the verse set in the fifth season: New Year?

In so far as season words (kigo) often carry a palette of associations, what layers of reference are evoked in this particular case? Is any of the iconography quasi-figurative? And are there other forms of extra-textual reference or allusion - qualities sometimes referred to as 'vertical axes'?

In respect of this latter - does it make any difference if the verse in question was written as the head verse to a known sequence, the verse element of a haibun, as a free standing ji-hokku, or as a relatively contemporary haiku? For instance, the hokku of many classic kasen contain specific allusions to the circumstances of composition. If this is the case should the linking poet seek to answer in kind?

More generally - what is the register of the chosen head verse? What is is tone, its intent? Do its structural or phonic properties require a particular form of response? And what style of linkage does it invite?

Less obvious is the question of what one intends to achieve in adding a verse, for not all pairings function in the same way, or to the same end.

With varying degrees of popularity over the centuries the Tanrenga (linked verse pair) is often described as the shortest formal renga or renku sequence. Whilst each are written by a different author the two verses of a Tanrenga are intended to be more than complimentary; they aim to provide a poem that is complete in itself. The relatively primitive call-and-response nature of the earliest two voice poems became moderated in later Tanrenga by the influence of the tanka which, for all that they are the work of a single author and tend to a more unified tenor, were also conceived as having a strongly bipartite 5/7/5-7/7 structure. In a Tanrenga therefore the two verses form a single poem; the added verse gives a definite 'closure'.

Whilst stopping short of the intention to yield an entirely free-standing pair, these ideas of close proximity characterise the approach to hokku and wakiku in Edo period haikai-no-renga and in much contemporary renku, particularly sequences reflective of the 'classical' Basho style. Hokku and wakiku are a single unit. The two verses share the same season, the wakiku supplying further context or detail specific to the content of the hokku. As the name suggests, the wakiku supports; the pair are rarely contradictory in tone, almost never conflictual.

By contrast some current trends are more avowedly radical, especially those influenced by the advent of very short sequences such as the Junicho and Shisan. Here the wakiku may be simply a linking verse, going so far as to challenge and move away from the hokku in a manner more typical of a conventional daisan. In these circumstances far from generating 'closure' between the pair the intention may be to maximise 'opening'.

It should be mentioned in passing that Buson's gifted pupil Kito made a specific recommendation in respect of wakiokori. Given that the exercise draws on the work of an acknowledged master, Kito recommended that a form of conscious tribute should be present in the added verse. Whilst the direct textual echoes characteristic of honkadori were not obligatory, "We must [at least] embrace and express the distinction between those now living and the old master, making the wakiku in our own heart."

As Kito's closing remark suggests, once we have decided on our intention as to the effect of our added verse, for all our analysing, the real skill is to learn everything, and then forget it. The old master Basho was uncharacteristically specific in his advice on linkage - we must link through empathy, not reason. In the words of Kito, we must compose our wakiku: "in our own heart."

Caution

Please be aware of copyright issues in your particular jurisdiction when using the work of others. Where an exercise is conducted in a private space for purely personal reasons there is little possibility of conflict. If the workspace is shared and/or remote (i.e. virtual) issues of public access might need to be considered in order to avoid legalistic definitions of 'publication'. Group exercises, particularly in structured contexts which involve monetary gain, can be problematic. Whilst limited exceptions apply in academic contexts, the rules is that the work of others should not be offered for publication in any medium without the copyright holder's express permission. Please be aware that, in the case of translations, whilst the source text may be out of copyright, rights to the text of any given translation remain with the individual translator. Rights to the sample translations above are therefore held jointly by Yachimoto & Carley, or by Carley. Rights to the illustrative wakiku are held by Carley alone; as is the wider text of this article.