Waka and Kana

## introduction

Mukashi-Wotoko is etarnal as long as Japanese language exists.

He is still alive all over Japanese culture beyond the several tempestuous war periods, in spite of he appeared in the most peaceful age "Heian-period" in old Kyoto.

"Heian" means peaceful.

We, Japanese have kept one same worth as aesthetic sense accepted in war or peace times, central or local area, high or low class, old or young, male of female, all this while.

Mukashi-Wotoko is the very embodiment of the Japanese original worth after leaning from Korea, China, India, Persia, and so on.

## Who is Mukashi-Wotoko

The far east Japan was the gray terminal at the end of the Silk Road. A lot of various things arrived at the rubbish heap. Maybe old Japanese enjoyed to find the treasures, something new, rare, strange, unknown. Then they closed trading when they had good enough to play about them.

Mukashi-Wotoko was born in such a closing period.

His another name is "仮名:Kana(literally: temporary name/tentative name; the Japanese syllabary/mora matrix, contrast with 真名(Mana:true name/true character)/漢字(Kanji:Chinese Character) as public/official documents)"

##### **かな:Kana**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kana

One another is 和歌:Waka(Japanese poem with some mora/syllable pattern using Kana, contrast with Chinese Poem written in Mana). The literal translation of 和-歌:Wa-ka is peace song. The typical one is 短歌:Tanka(5-7-5-7-7 = 31 short syllable/mora).

##### **和歌:Waka**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waka\_(poetry)

Mukashi-Wotoko is the greatest Waka poet using Kana. He is the patchwork of various anonymous people on the famous poet, happy-go-lucky free fool vagabond Narihira who loved Waka and Kana.

## literacy in the early Japan

In the early Japan, literacy is to read/write Chinese Character. Usual speaking and Official/Public writing was another language. Literacy is hard to learn for busy people who should work hard to live. But Waka using Kana is easy to read, write. chant, memorize, tell, send, reply. Everyone can make it easily, another question well or not, in good or bad manner.

Maybe my English poem is not well in bad manner. So I'll sing my favorite song;

> In the event that this fantastic voyage
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> Should turn to erosion and we never get old
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> Remember it's true, dignity is valuable
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> But our lives are valuable too
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>

Note: my term of Waka (和歌:Japanese poem/peace song) is so wide that it is not appropriate as technical term, include the following (I like them);

> 今様:imayou (old pop song, in these days in those days): (7-5 mora)\*4, (8-5 mora)\*4
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>

> 童謡:douyou (children's song): (3-4 mora)\*n, (8-6 mora)\*n (4-4-3-3)(4-4-4-2)
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> 歌謡:kayou (pop song): (5-4 mora)\*n
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> 民謡:Minyou: forksong, country song, traditional Japanese music):
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> ・都々逸:Dodoitsu (7-7-7-5 mora)(3-4/4-3/3-4/5)
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> 琉歌調：Ryuuka-cho, Uta　(poem of Ryuukyu Kingdam, contrast with Waka): (8-8/8-6 sylable)(8 = 3+5 or 5-3, 6 = 3-3)
>
>

The repeat of these mora/syllable pattern sounds a poem/song in Japanese.

To the beginning, Kana was private use by female courtiers such as diary, love letter. Kana is soft and elegant lines round of square Kanji. Waka and Kana became popular among the people through the romantic and fantastic stories such as "The Tales of Ise" and then often used for leaning something difficult like Buddhism.

The literacy and knowledge became no more monopoly of high society or officials using difficult Chinese Characters.

## Card games of Waka and Kana today

I used to play card games, Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (a suit of 100 great Tanka, Ogura-version), Iroha-Karuta(a suit of 47 maxims using all Kana mora matrix) in childhood. Nintendo was the most famous maker of the playing cards in Kyoto.

My favorite game was "Bouzu-Mekuri", simple game played with Hyakunin Isshu picture cards, to compete getting many cards. Players open picture cards from the reverced whole stock each other. Player can get a man card in own stock. When the player open "Bouzu(priest)", the one give all cards in own stock to the pool stock. Then the one who open a women can get all cards in the pool stock.

https://www.shigureden.or.jp/multilingual/en.html

## **いろは:Iroha**

Iroha a poem which is simultaneously a perfect pangram and isogram, containing each character of the Japanese 47 syllabary(mora) exactly once. It is also used as an ordering for the syllabary, in the same way as the A, B, C, D... sequence of the Latin alphabet.

##### **いろは:iroha**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroha

Iroha-Poem meaning;

> Even the blossoming flowers
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> Will eventually scatter
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> Who in our world
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> Is unchanging?
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> The deep mountains of karma?
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> We cross them today
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> And we shall not have superficial dreams
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> Nor be deluded.
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They are easy essence of Buddism.

Iroha-Poem is also known as cryptograph, the last syllable of each line a hidden sentence, toka [=toga] nakute shisu (咎無くて死す), which means "die without wrong-doing".

This is considerd origin of the pupular drama title 仮名手本忠臣蔵(Kana-dehon-Chushingura), the revenge of the Forty-seven Ronin.

The pirate ships led by Whitebeard is 47.

47 is one of Concrete number in Japan.

The Prefectures of Japan consist of 47 prefectures.

##### **仮名手本忠臣蔵:Kana-dehon Chushingura**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%ABshingura

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