Recommended Readings in Tanka Studies

RECOMMENDED READINGS IN TANKA STUDIES

A Modern English Tanka educational supplement.

1. READ THESE FIRST – The most important books, selected from 3–8, below.

The Tanka Anthology. Edited by Michael McClintock, Pamela Miller Ness, Jim Kacian. Hardcover: 288 pages. Publisher: Weatherhill Inc. (December 2003). ISBN-10: 1893959406 ISBN-13: 978-1893959408.

Ferris Wheel: 101 Modern and Contemporary Tanka by Kozue Uzawa and Amelia Fielden (Editors and Translators). Paperback: 130 pages. Publisher: Cheng & Tsui; Bilingual edition (July 5, 2006). ISBN-10: 0887274943 ISBN-13: 978-0887274947.

Tangled Hair: Selected Tanka from Midaregami by Akiko Yosano (1868–1942; Author), Sanford Goldstein (Translator), Seishi Shinoda (Translator). Paperback: 192 pages. Publisher: Cheng & Tsui; Bilingual edition (Dec. 1, 2002). ISBN-10: 0887273734 ISBN-13: 978-0887273735.

The Pleasures of Japanese Literature by Donald Keene (Author). Paperback: 133 pages. Publisher: Columbia Univ. Press (Apr 15, 1993). ISBN-10: 0231067372 ISBN-13: 978-0231067379.

2. KEEP UP WITH THESE - Leading periodicals and updated resources, websites, etc.

Ribbons: Tanka Society of America Journal - Quarterly journal of the Tanka Society of America (since 2005; formerly TSA Newsletter, 2000-2004). Edited by an’ya, 2003-2007; Edited by Dave Bacharach, 2007–). Saddle-stitched. 40 pages; perfect bound, 40+ pages, 2007–. Publisher: TSA. 1636 Edwards Drive, Point Roberts, Washington 98281. Language: English. (No ISSN.) Non-members may purchase copies at www.tankasocietyofamerica.com.

Modern English Tanka. Quarterly journal. Denis M. Garrison (Editor), Michael McClintock (Contributing Editor). Paperback: 252 pages. Publisher: Modern English Tanka Press. (Volume 1: 2006–2007.) ISSN: 1932-9083. (Digital edition ISSN: 1930-8132 online at www.modernenglishtanka.com. Print edition www.modernenglishtankapress.com/MET/)

GUSTS: Contemporary Tanka. Biannual journal of Tanka, Canada (2005– ). Kozue Uzawa (Editor). 24+ pp., saddle-stitched. Publ.: Tanka Canada; Printed by Graphcom Printers, Lethbridge, Alberta. ISSN: 1715-3581. (people.uleth.ca/~uzawa/TankaCanada.htm).

Tanka Central & Tanka News – Internet resources for tanka studies; links to online tanka resources, webzines, discussion groups, etc.. www.tankacentral.com & www.tankanews.com. See tanka bibliographies at Tanka Central.

Tanka Online – an educational website on tanka by an international group of poets. Online at www.tankaonline.com.

3. MODERN ENGLISH TANKA ANTHOLOGIES.

The Tanka Anthology. Edited by Michael McClintock, Pamela Miller Ness, Jim Kacian. Hardcover: 288 pages. Publisher: Weatherhill Inc. (December 2003). ISBN-10: 1893959406 ISBN-13: 978-1893959408.

Fire Pearls. An anthology edited by M. Kei. Paperback: 164 pages. Publisher: Lulu.com (October 23, 2006). ISBN-10: 1430309997 ISBN-13: 978-1430309994.

The Five-Hole Flute : Modern English Tanka in Sequences and Sets. An anthology edited by Denis M. Garrison and Michael McClintock. Paperback: 116 pages. Publisher: Modern English Tanka Press, Baltimore, Maryland (January 12, 2007). ISBN-10: 0615137946 ISBN-13: 978-0615137940.

Full Moon Tide: The Best of Tanka Splendor 1990 - 1999 edited by Linda Jeannette Ward. Clinging Vine Press, P.O. Box 231, Coinjock, NC 27923: 2001. ISBN:0-9702457-1-8. $15.00.

Wind Five Folded: An Anthology of English-Language Tanka. Edited by Jane Reichold and Werner Reichold. Hardcover: 232 pages. Publisher: Aha Books (August 1, 1994). ISBN-10: 0944676219 ISBN-13: 978-0944676219.

Countless Leaves - Anthology of North American tanka on a CD arranged by Gerald St. Maur. Magpie Productions. Edna Lock, P.O. Box 52014, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2T5 Canada. Inkling Press. Online: http://www.inklingpress.ca/magpie.html

4. MODERN ENGLISH TANKA CRITICAL SCHOLARSHIP

New Moon: An Introduction to Issues in Contemporary American Tanka. Kenneth Tanemura (Editor). 56 pp, saddle-stitched. Published as Supplement #2 to Acorn. Redfox Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (http://home.earthlink.net/~missias/redfox.html). 2001. [Publisher's Notes: “This volume presents some 25 pages of new tanka, which show the range of subject and approach of contemporary English-language writers of tanka; a group of translations of first-generation Japanese-American writers; an unusual tanka-haibun; and interviews with several leaders in the field on how haiku and tanka present different challenges, and how the American tanka community is evolving. A starting-point for discussions that will last for decades!” “A rare theoretical resource on contemporary tanka, a genre of widening current popularity.”]

5. MODERN JAPANESE TANKA COLLECTIONS & ANTHOLOGIES

A Long Rainy Season: Haiku and Tanka (Contemporary Japanese Women's Poetry, Vol 1) by Leza Lowitz (Editor), Miyuki Aoyama (Editor), Akemi Tomioka (Editor). Paperback: 200 pages. Publisher: Stone Bridge Press (June 1, 1994). ISBN-10: 1880656159 ISBN-13: 978-1880656150.

Heavenly Maiden Tanka by Akiko Baba (Author), Hatsue Kawamura (Translator), Jane Reichhold (Translator). Paperback: 124 pages. Publisher: AHA Publishing (June 18, 1999). ISBN-10: 0944676421 ISBN-13: 978-0944676424.

Tangled Hair: Selected Tanka from Midaregami by Akiko Yosano (1868–1942; Author), Sanford Goldstein (Translator), Seishi Shinoda (Translator). Paperback: 192 pages. Publisher: Cheng & Tsui; Bilingual edition (December 1, 2002). ISBN-10: 0887273734 ISBN-13: 978-0887273735.

Red Lights Shakko: Selected Tanka Sequences from Shakko by Mokichi Saito (1882–1953; Author). Hardcover: 385 pages. Publisher: Purdue University Press (November 1, 1989). ISBN-10: 0911198903 ISBN-13: 978-0911198904.

Romaji Diary and Sad Toys: by Takuboku Ishikawa (Author, 1886-1912), Sanford Goldstein (Translator), Seishi Shinoda (Translator). Paperback: 279 pages. Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; New Ed edition (November 2000). ISBN-10: 0804832536 ISBN-13: 978-0804832533.

Songs from a Bamboo Village: Selected Tanka from Takenosato Uta by Shiki Masaoka (1867–1902; Author). Sanford Goldstein (Translator), Seishi Shinoda (Translator). Paperback: 488 pages. Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (May 1998). ISBN-10: 0804820856 ISBN-13: 978-0804820851.

6. MODERN JAPANESE TANKA CRITICAL SCHOLARSHIP

The Pleasures of Japanese Literature by Donald Keene (Author). Paperback: 133 pages. Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 15, 1993). ISBN-10: 0231067372 ISBN-13: 978-0231067379.

Modern Japanese Tanka by Makoto Ueda (Editor). Paperback: 288 pages. Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 15, 1996). ISBN-10: 0231104332 ISBN-13: 978-0231104333.

Modern Japanese Literature: From 1868 to the Present Day by Donald Keene (Author). Paperback: 448 pages. Publisher: Grove Press (January 31, 1994). ISBN-10: 0802150950 ISBN-13: 978-0802150950.

Dawn to the West by Donald Keene (Author). Paperback: 698 pages. Publisher: Columbia University Press (May 15, 1999). ISBN-10: 0231114397 ISBN-13: 978-0231114394.

Kitahara Hakushu: His Life and Poetry. Margaret Benton Fukasawa (Author), Hakushu Kitahara (Author, 1885-1942). Paperback: 282 pages. Publisher: East Asia Program Cornell University (April 1993). ISBN-10: 0939657651 ISBN-13: 978-0939657650.

7. EARLY JAPANESE TANKA HISTORY & ANTHOLOGIES

Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology by Steven Carter (Translator). Paperback: 536 pages. Publisher: Stanford University Press (April 1, 1993). ISBN-10: 0804722129 ISBN-13: 978-0804722124.

Anthology of Japanese Literature: From the Earliest Era to the Mid-Nineteenth Century by Donald Keene (Editor). Paperback: 448 pages. Publisher: Grove Press (January 11, 1994). ISBN-10: 0802150586 ISBN-13: 978-0802150585.

A Waka Anthology, Vol. One: The Gem-Glistening Cup by Edwin Cranston (Translator). Paperback: 1016 pages. Publisher: Stanford University Press; Reprint edition (March 1, 1998). ISBN-10: 0804731578 ISBN-13: 978-0804731577.

A Waka Anthology, Volume Two: Grasses of Remembrance (Waka Anthology) by Edwin Cranston (Translator). Hardcover: 1312 pages. Publisher: Stanford University Press (February 6, 2006). ISBN-10: 080474825X ISBN-13: 978-0804748254.

The Ink Dark Moon: Love Poems by Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu, Women of the Ancient Court of Japan by Jane Hirshfield (Translator). Paperback: 240 pages. Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (October 3, 1990). ISBN-10: 0679729585 ISBN-13: 978-0679729587.

Unforgotten Dreams by Shotetsu (Author), Steven D. Carter (Editor). Paperback: 240 pages. Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 15, 1997). ISBN-10: 0231105770 ISBN-13: 978-0231105774.

Conversations With Shotetsu (Michigan Monograph Series in Japanese Studies) by Shotetsu (Author). Hardcover: 223 pages. Publisher: Univ of Michigan Center for (October 1991). ISBN-10: 0939512432 ISBN-13: 978-0939512430.

Pictures of the Heart: The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua S. Mostow. [Hyakunin Isshu, selected by Fujiwara no Teika (1162–1241), is aka One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each] Hardcover: 552 pages. The University of Hawaii Press (October 1996). ISBN: 0824817052 ISBN-13: 9780824817053.

Fujiwara Teika’s ‘Superior Poems of Our Time’: A Thirteenth-Century Poetic Treatise and Sequence by Sadaie Fujiwara (Author, 1162–1241), Robert H. Brower (Translator), Earl Miner (Translator). Hardcover: 160 pages. Publisher: Stanford University Press (June 1, 1967). ISBN-10: 0804701717 ISBN-13: 978-0804701716.

Poems of a Mountain Home by Saigyo (Author, 1118-1190), Burton Watson (Translator). Hardcover: 240 pages. Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr (May 1992). ISBN-10: 0231074921 ISBN-13: 978-0231074926.

Kokin Wakashu: The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry: With `Tosa Nikki' and `Shinsen Waka' by Helen McCullough (Author). Hardcover: 400 pages. Publisher: Stanford University Press (October 1, 1985). ISBN-10: 0804712581 ISBN-13: 978-0804712583.

Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600 by Haruo Shirane (Editor), Sonja Arntzen (Translator), Robert Borgen (Translator), Richard Bowring (Translator), Karen Brazell (Translator). Hardcover: 1255 pages. Publisher: Columbia University Press (February 7, 2007). ISBN-10: 023113696X ISBN-13: 978-0231136969.

8. EARLY JAPANESE TANKA CRITICAL SCHOLARSHIP

World Within Walls by Donald Keene (Author). Paperback: 606 pages. Publisher: Columbia University Press; New Ed edition (October 15, 1999). ISBN-10: 0231114672 ISBN-13: 978-0231114677.

Seeds in the Heart: Japanese Literature from Earliest Times to the Late Sixteenth Century by Donald Keene (Author). Paperback: 1265 pages. Publisher: Columbia University Press (October 15, 1999). ISBN-10: 0231114419 ISBN-13: 978-0231114417.

An Introduction to Japanese Court Poetry by Earl Miner (Author). Paperback: 184 pages. Publisher: Stanford University Press (June 1, 1968). ISBN-10: 0804706360 ISBN-13: 978-0804706360.

Japanese Court Poetry by Robert H Brower (Translator), Earl Miner (Translator). Paperback: 544 pages. Publisher: Stanford University Press; Reprint edition (November 1, 1988). ISBN-10: 0804715246 ISBN-13: 978-0804715249.

The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey by Michael F. Marra (Editor, Translator). [Motoori Norinaga, 1730–1801.] Hardcover: 352 pages. Publisher: University of Hawaii Press (May 2007). ISBN-10: 0824830784 ISBN-13: 978-0824830786.

Waiting for the Wind: Thirty-Six Poets of Japan's Late Medieval Age by Steven D. Carter (Author). Hardcover: 353 pages. Publisher: Columbia University Press (June 1989). ISBN-10: 0231068549 # ISBN-13: 978-0231068543.

The original version of this document, Recommended Readings in Tanka Studies, was based on the reading recommendations of several members of the online private discussion list, Tanka Roundtable.

This document is version 1. April 28, 2007

To suggest additions, revisions, etc., please email us at DMG (at) TANKAPRESS (dot) COM
or write to us at: Modern English Tanka Press, P.O. Box 43717, Baltimore, Maryland 21236 USA.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.