What it Was Like in the Kenkadô Kanshi Poetry Group

In thinking more about Edo period literati, I was interested by Ibi's list of rules for Kenkadô 蒹葭堂, the kanshi poetry salon run by Kimura Kenkadô in Osaka. Here they are, summarized:


1. At meetings of the poetry group, it's important to read contemplatively and seriously. You must ask questions about places you don't understand; it's not good to remain vague about things. Strive to keep a relaxed attitude and don't cause conflict. Read texts again when you leave.

2. The poetry group meets in the afternoon in spring and summer, and in the evening in autumn and winter. Namely, in the afternoon it runs from 2 pm to 4 pm; in the evening it runs from 6 pm to 8 pm. It is desirable to not be late in starting and finishing.

3. When you have to miss a meeting of the poetry group because of a personal obligation, let the group leader know in advance, and let him know when you'll definitely be able to attend next.

4. Associations within the group are like conduct among siblings. Accordingly, during meetings it is not always necessary to treat the leader differently. If this is a meeting among usual members, rank people in terms of their age; if there's a guest of honor, treat rank accordingly.

5. When the group meets, in order to compose prose and verse, decide a topic, select a rhyme scheme; you must sit quietly and revise intensely, think carefully and express yourself with skill. Don't think you have to finish quickly; what we want is for you to compose word by word, line by line, without mistakes. Idle chatter is the biggest obstacle, so it should be criticized. Private talk not allowed until everyone is finished writing. Everyone is expected to remember this.

6. Every month, on the afternoon of the first and fifteenth days, we want to go visit some scenic place in the mountains or riverside outside the city, to enjoy elegance like Confucius's disciples, "I want to bathe in the Yi River, feel the wind on Rain Altar, and return home, composing poetry." However, on those times as well we will return at nightfall.


From Edo no bunjin saron: chishikijin to geijutsukatachi 江戶の文人サロン : 知識人と芸術家たち (Literati Salons in the Edo Period: Intellectuals and Artists) by Ibi Takashi 揖斐, Yoshikawa Kôbunkan 吉川弘文館 2009, pp. 23-24.

Literati Salons in the Edo Period

Today I'm reading Edo no bunjin saron: chishikijin to geijutsukatachi 江戶の文人サロン : 知識人と芸術家たち (Literati Salons in the Edo Period: Intellectuals and Artists) by Ibi Takashi 揖斐, Yoshikawa Kôbunkan 吉川弘文館 2009.

I was drawn to it because I've been thinking more about bunjin and wanted to learn more about how the term is understood. I often see it applied to Meiji intellectuals, for instance.

This book uses the word "salon" to link up the kind of social organization that educated people formed in early modern Japan with that of 18th century Paris and London (salons and coffee houses, respectively). Right away he concedes that there are some big differences -- the Japanese groups didn't admit women, and they didn't much talk about politics.

The groups he discusses include those related to the production of kanshi 漢詩 (poetry in Chinese written by Japanese people), of kyôka 狂歌 ("crazy" waka), rangaku 蘭学 (Western learning), collecting oddities, and a bit of painting as well.

It's a very serviceable introduction to/reference for important intellectuals and their associations. The comparison to salons is appropriate. I'm sorry there's not a bit more on haikai, as I really don't like kyôka very much, alas. It makes me want to find out more.

How does it relate to what I'm working on? In the most pedestrian terms possible, it's a good indication of what was going on in urban commoner culture in the 18th century. Most of the people named in the text are wealthy commoners -- shôyu brewers, merchants, etc. It helps to form a more detailed impression of what a life of creative inquiry might have been like for educated people in Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka. Haikai was part of it, but certainly not all of it.

First Day of Class Rituals | Inside Higher Ed

In part to get me psyched for the new semester, here's a repost from Inside Higher Ed about the first day of class.

First Day of Class Rituals | Inside Higher Ed