Haikai als 'missing link'? Veränderungen in der Manuskriptpraxis japanischer Gemeinschaftsdichtung in Zeiten des Wandels

01.01.2026 bis 31.12.2028

This project explores written artefacts in Japanese renga poetry, a poetic form jointly
composed by several people. It focuses on innovations that occurred during two phases of
transition: the 16th/17th century on the one hand and contemporary practice since the 1980s
on the other.
The first phase of transition was marked by the emergence of a subgenre, the haikai no
renga, as a result of which the tradition of classical orthodox renga began to erode (it almost
disappeared completely in the late 19th century). In the second phase of transition, beginning
in the 1980s, classical orthodox renga saw a revival again.
The starting point of this project is the assumption that one of the strategies for the success
of the revival movement was filling the gaps in tradition by borrowing from haikai no renga
and thereby modernising processes that were no longer up to date. In particular, this
involved different ways of using paper as a medium for interaction and recording poetry.
Thus, haikai no renga can be considered a ‘missing link’ by which contemporary practices of
classical renga can be explained. At the time of its emergence, the practitioners of haikai no
renga had adopted the manuscript practices of classical renga, but then introduced new
paper formats, ultimately enabling the innovative practices on which contemporary renga
would later build. These developments will be systematically recorded, analysed and
presented in this study.
The project will contribute significantly to the elucidation of the material conditions of
Japanese literary history and break new ground in haikai research, in particular. Two aspects
suggest that the topic is also relevant to the sociology of culture and religion: Firstly,
producing poetry in a group was a particularly popular pastime in the medieval period and it
was one of the communal arts that played a significant role in shaping Japanese ‘civility’, i.e.,
civilised interaction. Secondly, linked verse has always had a strong connection with the
religious (sacred) sphere, especially regarding the culture of making votive offerings.
The project will contribute to the preservation of both tangible and intangible aspects of
Japanese cultural heritage by exploring previously untapped sources. In terms of
methodology, it will employ a variety of approaches, ranging from the philological and
manuscriptological analysis of original artefacts and facsimiles to the evaluation of poetic rule
books and comparative field research in contemporary poetry circles. Manuscripts will not
only be considered as objects in the practices of ritual performance, however. Rather, it can
be assumed that they helped to shape the processes and dynamics of change at the poets’
meetings in the sense of agency. With its focus on material history, the project also promises
to offer a new perspective on the genesis of Japan’s most popular lyric genre, the haiku,
which emerged from the haikai no renga.