In Japanese poetry, is an

allusion Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly. It is left to the audience to make the direct connection. Where the connection is directly and explicitly stated (as ...

within a poem to an older poem which would be generally recognized by its potential readers. Honkadori possesses qualities of yūgen and in Japanese art. The concept emerged in the 12th century during the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

. Honkadori is one of several terms in Japanese poetry used to describe allusion, another being ."''anecdotal allusions to prose literature'

"''borrowing words and phrases from earlier prose works'

/ref>

Context

This style of quoting is a common trope in many ancient Japanese works of literature including stories such as '' the Tale of Genji'' and poems such as those found in the '' Kokinshū'' and the ''

Shin Kokinshū Shin may refer to: Biology * The front part of the human leg#Structure, human leg below the knee * Shinbone, the tibia, the larger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates Names * Shin (given name) (Katakana: シン, Hiragana: � ...

''. In a narrative story, honkadori are often found in the form of a poem spoken by one of the characters. In a

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

poem, this is usually the first line of the poem. Honkadori is not merely a reference to another poem even though lines are sometimes copied word for word. The use of honkadori attempts to affect the reader in the same way as the original poem, the only difference being in the meaning and atmosphere. Debates occur while interpreting poems over the difference between honkadori and seishi (lines from poetry which have already been used and are not allowed to be repeated.

Use in ''uta-awase''

Because poetry in Japan was often written for

utaawase , poetry contests or ''waka'' matches, are a distinctive feature of the Japanese literary landscape from the Heian period. Significant to the development of Japanese poetics, the origin of group composition such as ''renga'', and a stimulus to ...

, or poetry competitions, a “good” poem was not merely one that expressed emotions in a unique and beautiful way. Rather, poets were judged on their mastery of using their knowledge of existing poems and the way in which they placed honkadori and other poetic tropes into their poems. In this way, the use of honkadori added depth to the poem because the poet displayed his mastery of Japanese poetic tropes, signifying a mastery of Japanese poetry.

Fujiwara no Teika and his interpretation

Among Japanese poets,

Fujiwara no Teika , better-known as Fujiwara no Teika"Sadaie" and "Teika" are both possible readings of ; "...there is the further problem, the rendition of the name in romanized form. Teika probably referred to himself as Sadaie, and his father probably called ...

defined the use of honkadori. His specific interpretation of honkadori was limited to a selective audience of aristocrats and members of the Japanese court who were well versed in all Japanese poetry and tropes. Therefore, for Fujiwara no Teika the context and use of honkadori were dependent on the reader. The skilful use of honkadori is then found in the balance between not being plagiarism, and still evoking the context of the original poem.

References

Sources

*Brower, Robert H. ''Fujiwara Teika's Hundred-Poem Sequence of the Shoji Era'', Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 31, No. 3. (Autumn, 1976) pp. 223–249 * {{Japanese poetry Japanese poetry Japanese literary terminology Articles containing Japanese poems