Poetry Kanto
08/06/2007 @ 6:00 pm
POETRY KANTO is currently looking people who would like to try their hand at translating contemporary Japanese poetry and coming up with novel ways of bringing Japanese poetry to the attention of the English-speaking world.
According to Mythic Passages, The Magazine of Imagination . . .
First published in 1968, Poetry Kanto is Japan’s leading bicultural, annual bilingual poetry journal, featuring modern and contemporary Japanese poetry in English translation, as well as exciting contemporary English-language poetry from America, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Japan, etc.
poetry might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I have my moments.
I like that Poetry Kanto website. (much obliged)
rem.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:21 pmand I still like that site and I hope that one day they might do me the great honour of accepting some of my worthless tripe - god knows I’m trying hard enough to write something worthwhile…and if anybody ever says that Poetry is for sissies well just try producing some of the stuff - they call it a fine madness - well it might be that, but to me its really hard work especially with the intellectually-challenged equipment I’m using…
At least I pride myself on being ahead of that plonker Bono.
remora.
January 22nd, 2008 at 1:12 amI am an accomplished Japanese speaker with an interest in Japanese poetry. I think that the Poetry Kanto is of fundamental importance when trying to analyse Japanese Poetry. If translators are required visit me at UK Poet
February 3rd, 2008 at 6:37 amyour poetry is quite moving Ivor and thank you for those very nice words about Poetry Kanto, you echo my sentiments entirely.
As you might have noticed I am a bit of an aspiring Poet myself..your visit has cheered me up a lot.
thanks
remora
February 5th, 2008 at 7:26 amthis seems like the only place to deposit this strange aberration of reason.
(Why I wrote this for you robin..i’ll never know.)
remku for robin #27
a blue summer sky
above a troubled sapphire sea
bird & fish - that’s - you & I
*it could have ended (you & me) but that sounds dead common and pretty crummy rhyming and not what real poets would write..so it stands*
Don’t you think so Ivor?
(*_*)
March 4th, 2008 at 9:57 ami was thinking of stuttering through a few of my better compositions and sending them off for inclusion (maybe) on a future Japundit Podcast.
(Maybe thats not a good idea.)
March 4th, 2008 at 10:56 amonce again I am grateful to Poetry Kanto for guiding me to gems like this:
“China, and Ganges, and Japan
Are words my Papa taught my pen.
He says, they’re countrys to be found
In a strange world below the ground;
Where folks with feet erected tread,
And distant downward hangs the head:
Fearless, they topsy-turvey run,
With naught beneath—but skies and sun.”
Dr. Wenstanley of Dublin, from “The Answer,” Poems by Several Hands, Boston: B. Green, 1744.
http://themargins.net/archive.html
you might think that that’s a little amateurish cornball, but I most certainly do not - at the moment, just about the only entry point (on Japundit) to the topic of Japanese Poetry and possibly Poetry written by Foreign Expats in Japan (about Japan) is thru this post “Poetry Kanto”..that is partly the reason why I keep returning to it - the other reason being that I read and enjoy the magazine.
*sorry to be tedious - remora*
March 6th, 2008 at 10:13 amI was looking for a final quote to finish off with.
“Words may not be able to make any apparent difference in the world of politics and in society, but that does not mean that poetry is devoid of power. Poetry can quietly and softly penetrate our hearts and remind us that this world is still a wonderful place to live in, full of countless charms and things to love. In other words, poetry is an extremely delicate and intricate product of the human mind which can contribute immensely to harmonizing and regenerating the processes of the human mind.”
Makoto Ooka (Translated by Yasuhiro Yotsumoto).
from an essay written for Poetry International entitled “An overview of Modern Japanese Poetry - Poetry in Post-War Japan”.
I hope that I stuck close enough to the topic - the writer is a celebrated Japanese Poet so I couldn’t have strayed too far.
(thanks)
remora
March 10th, 2008 at 10:23 amdoes anybody know the name of a chapbook or daybook in Japanese..that you use for jotting down poems?..
(Arden,as usual is being a total…)
thanx.
rem
March 28th, 2008 at 7:36 pm“Calling all Executives! Japan Air Lines (JAL) is also offering busy executives the chance of winning two first-class, round-trip airline tickets to Tokyo and $1,000 in spending money. All you need to do is to submit a haiku.”
(Gorblimey! here’s my big chance at fame..)
“Tadao Fujimatsu, JAL’s New York-based Public Relations Vice-president, has this to say of the airline’s contest for business executives “because sometimes they should have a chance to look at nature….Haiku is a kind of tranquilizer.”
(yes I thought there might be a catch in there somewhere)
“Entries must be postmarked no later than midnight, 31 March 2008 & is open only to residents of the US & Canada”
*I suppose fame will just have to wait*
rem.
March 29th, 2008 at 2:58 amremku for “peace and quiet” no.#30
(line 1)…zzzzzz
(line 2)..”oh? are we going to an airport now?”
(line 3)..”no Tsutomo, i don’t know where your damned skateboard is”
yours
(fraggle rock remora)
rem.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:00 pmnow I commented (to Arden) that this person looks like the guy out of Casshern..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeTfwO31kFU
(when I googled Japan Fraggle Rock)
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1376163840/tt0405821
*they are still out shopping!..home alone*
rem
April 28th, 2008 at 3:53 pmsudden discovery - I’m am a FAN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1V4s-11E7Y
what a great performance group or (whatever)
*Burimyu*…or i’ll-rim-yu
remora
April 30th, 2008 at 2:54 pmnow I get it - Bleach the Musical
http://honey-vanity.org/burimyu/
rem.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:32 pmI love it! (Bleach the Musical)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleach_(musical)
*sorry*
remora
May 1st, 2008 at 4:21 pmincorrect link.. (please delete previouus comment EC)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleach_(musical)
remora
May 1st, 2008 at 4:26 pmthe interesting thing about this is that Japan can recycle/reinvent something as “old fashioned” as a rock musical and make it contemporary.
I’ve looked for an equivalent in Korea but only came up with this which seems a little bit dated.
Korean musical Line 1
rem.
May 2nd, 2008 at 6:37 amremku for “being-left-with-the-tab” no.#31
they ate
they chatted endlessly
and left me holding..the bill
(that’s one of my best!!)
remora
May 5th, 2008 at 5:40 pmPoetry Boxing? now that sounds like its worth investigating.
http://www.alientimes.org/Main/WhatIsPoetryBoxing
*I’ll hibernate on that for a few days*
rem.
May 24th, 2008 at 12:51 pmremku for “A Farewell” #33
slowly an autumn wind
stirs the lace curtains
in the silent empty room
rem.
May 24th, 2008 at 1:30 pmwell,I might have discovered Burimyu and become a fan, but the more I read about this Poetry Boxing the more excited I’m getting..
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~DM1K-KSNK/news.htm
Just read the bit about 2001’s Poetry Boxing Lightweight Champion Makiko Wakabayashi’s Poem
“After reciting her improvised poem in the final round, Mariko was declared the winner by the nine judges in an overwhelming 9-0 vote. This was a great accomplishment, especially given that Mariko had only started writing and reading her poems a few months before.
Mariko says, “I really believe in poetry. When I try to put the things in my heart into words, the words ignore my will and run free like living things.” Thanks to this contest, her talent with words has found her a lot of admirers. Author Masahiko Shimada expressed the thoughts of many people about this amazing girl when he said: “I saw a genius being born right before my eyes.”..”
“Just like melting butter,
my heart quietly melts away,
Light and Dark love me equally,
Inside the Light I can see bits of Dark.
The Dark smells of milk,
Milk is the smell of my mother,
And my mother’s smell is mixed in with the Light…”
*i’ll dig a little deeper into this*
rem.
May 25th, 2008 at 8:47 amfrom The New York Times (January 20th,1996)
“Poetry has a long tradition in Japan, but over the last two decades it has surged in popularity to a level that is simply unfathomable by Western standards. Millions of Japanese regularly write poetry — by various counts 5 million to more than 10 million, out of a population of 125 million — and untold millions more savor the poetry of others.
Aside from regular television and radio shows about poems, there are more than 2,000 poetry magazines and newsletters competing with thousands of poetry books — one of which became a mega-best-seller with 2.7 million copies sold. All the national newspapers carry several poetry columns, and one newspaper, the Asahi Shimbun, carries a poetry column on the front page every day.
“The number of people who write and read poems is at a record high,” said Makoto Ooka, who writes that front-page column and whose books on poetry have sold a total of 1.2 million copies. “It’s unprecedented, for over the last 20 years poetry has become totally popularized. It’s a living thing in people’s lives.”
(well said!!)
…yes!, it’s a living thing, that ordinary everyday people like most of us are (well..me at least) enjoy and savor - a bit like a nice of cup of tea and a sit down after a hard days slog at the Cube Farm dealing with..(well we won’t go into that)..the one space you can get too, where the Left Brain can shut down and the Right Brain..
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22535838-5012895,00.html
..can come out and play in the meadows of the imagination with the buttercups and butterflies and windmills and lots of other things that you usually spot in Childrens Picture Books.. but almost certainly not in Company’s Annual Reports and suchlike.
So how cheering and encouraging it was to discover, that they were putting delightful little verses on bottles of iced tea.. (thanks to thesneeze guys)
http://www.thesneeze.com/art/loose_art/haikutea2.jpg
http://www.itoen.com/tea/index.cfm?sp=haiku
well granted, Tetleys have a Photo Competition and a lot of Beveredge Manufacturers sponser sporting events and cooking contests and whatnot, but nothing so uniquely Japanese as a Poetry Contest.
*just think about it*
n.b. isn’t the word unfathomable a delicious way of describing some of the things you see and experience in Japan.
thankyou
remora
May 27th, 2008 at 9:36 pmA poem to Common Sense/Death of Friends
http://www.ussremora.com/
rem.
May 31st, 2008 at 3:36 pmremku no.#34 “Orchestral Descent”
“symbols clash
and rolling drums reply
- dissonance and discordance assail me”
remora
June 1st, 2008 at 9:40 amremku no#35 “for Ed_ward”
“movies are his passion
women are his inspiration
time-seems to be his opponent”
rem
June 9th, 2008 at 5:24 amremku no#36 for “Love Last”
borders shift and dissolve
cultural values - an empty slogan
All-is-Love.
remora
*Poetry and Gardening that’s all that I am really interested in*
N.B. anybody who really believes in Japundit as a Leading Japanese Blogsite - put your back into it - support it - add to it…
rem.
June 14th, 2008 at 2:07 pmremku no.#37 for “Untitled”
latent anger suppressed
like an overwound spring
straining for release
remora
June 19th, 2008 at 9:42 amremku no.#38 part 1 - entitled “She Said,She Said”
She Said..
you sound like a semi (ss-ss-ss-ss)
or maybe a cat struggling with a furball (ker-kk-ker-ker)..
She Said..She Said
remora
July 12th, 2008 at 6:02 amremku no.#38 part 2 - entitled “She Said,She Said”
She Said..
go to the corner and cross-over
into the trees and along the Path
She Said..She Said
remora
July 13th, 2008 at 4:28 pmremku no.#38 parts 3-5 - entitled “She Said,She Said”
..at the end of the Path
suddenly a Swan,
startled to speak
but my voice was …
She Said..
Where have you been?
Look at the time - Did you get lost?
..Why are you crying?..
Clutching my throat
slowly nodding my head
Is it your Voice?
(She Said..She Said).
*that’s been a long time coming*
thanx remora
July 14th, 2008 at 4:55 pmremku no.#39 “Cryptic Crossword”
“Friday morning quarterback in Asia?.”
July 16th, 2008 at 5:35 am..with eight letters
slowly I insert J-A-P-U-N-D-I-T.
I’m not sure whether I aspire to this or just like it a hella lot!
Water everywhere
Strength is borne of a woman
A beauty beware
(I don’t think Arden will go along with posing for my poetry though)
http://morier.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/amazon/
remora
July 16th, 2008 at 11:59 amremku no.#40 “Yolk-o Japan”
Living is easy with eyes closed
misunderstanding all you see.
-It doesn’t matter much to me.
thanks
remora (for Jon in Teddy-Mota Prefecture)
July 18th, 2008 at 12:12 pmremku no.#41 “to my Wife”
When i could - I didn’t
Now i can’t -I hope & pray
i can summon the strength to say..
“I Love You”.
(for Arden)
rem.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:02 amSpace Poem #1
Outer Space..the Final Library
in the Night Sky
with every Sun an Author
and every Planet a Book
and no Librarian hissing
Quiet Please!
Because ear’s don’t work in Space
pretty cool isn’t it?..and I’ve just started!
remora
August 19th, 2008 at 10:06 amSpace Poem #2
Space Walking over Honshu
I can just see Fujisan’s crater
as I float along in orbit..
and maybe that is my hometown
way below - with its glittering little lake
yes! ..it just might be.
(for Chiaki Mukai)
thanks
remora
August 19th, 2008 at 11:25 amSpace Poem #3
Rising Sun over Murakami Crater
Moonhopping like a kangaroo across the crater floor
And hurrying to make it to the base for lunch
I briefly stop to watch the rising sun peep over
the rim of Mare Murakami - Awesome!!
(for Harutaro Murakami)
remora
August 20th, 2008 at 9:44 amDear Poetry Kanto,
I have been diligently working at my poetry now, for 1 year and 12 days, and at the same time giving you lots of free plugs and exposure to a worldwide audience of Japundit readers who number in the tens of thousands - I was hoping that you might possibly in recognition of my selfless effort and sweat accord me a little unused corner up the back (out of the way) of your magnificent magazine…I’ll even get my gorgeous and sublimely intelligent wife Arden to do a translation as well.
Hope to hear from you soon
regards
remora
August 20th, 2008 at 5:13 pmSpace Poem #4
The Rabbitless Moon
Sadly,there are no Rabbits on the Moon.
I looked over here..and I looked over there
I looked almost everywhere.
but sadly, there are no rabbits on the Moon
Not one.
remora
August 21st, 2008 at 2:53 pmwell, I’ve got the title for #5 and I’m just fine tuning it at the moment..
“Just a moment Dave..Just a moment..”
remora
August 21st, 2008 at 8:02 pmSpace Poem #5
Would you mind repeating that Houston?
Yomu no wa tanoshii desu. (Reading is enjoyable.)
Check and Copy!
Hawaii ni iku no wa saikou desu! (Going to Hawaii is great)
You bet!
Kasei ni sumu no wa mada fukanou desu. (Living on Mars is not yet possible.)
Erm?…are you sure Houston?
remora
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:11 amSpace Poem #6
Entitled: Let’s Fly Away
Come fly with me,pack up lets fly away!
We’ll just glide,starry-eyed way out there
along the Milky Way and find
some romantic place for a second Honey Moon
So let’s just Fly..you and me
Lets just Fly Away (darling)
(for Arden)
remora
August 24th, 2008 at 7:24 amnow here is the subject of my next Poem.
“Golf and Tennis on the Moon”…and I suppose you think that I’ve been doing too much Moonviewing of late, well sorry I haven’t, I’ve been researching..
http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/golf_on_the_moon
This is going to be a tricky one, but I think I can manage it.
remora
August 24th, 2008 at 4:54 pmSpace Poem #7
Entitled: Moon Golfing
expertly 8-ironing myself
out of the moondust bunker and onto
the Astro-turfed green at the Shimizu Country Club
I stopped to ponder
what the game was like?
(in the oldtimers days on Terror)
Before lo-grav,no rain,no wind
and a robot caddie who makes a perfect
Dry Martini….
Life must have been Hell!
…(on Earth).
by remora
(Dedicated to Alan Shepherd).
http://www.pasturegolf.com/archive/shepard.htm
August 25th, 2008 at 5:47 pm..(clumsy me!) Alan SHEPARD
p.s. He used a Wilson 6-iron
rem
August 25th, 2008 at 5:51 pmSpace Poem #8
Entitled: Moon Weather Report
Tomorrow should be Fine and Sunny
with no Wind.
Long Range Forecast: Pretty much the same Folks
..Have a nice day!
remora
August 28th, 2008 at 3:31 amhere is the subject of my next Poem: (Space Poem #9)
“Drawing a Straight Line between Two Differing Points of View in Curved Space”.
now,without resorting to a bit of geo-referential voodoo & hocus-pocus I’m not even sure if this can be achieved..but I do know, that there is, after a long distance,and very,very long period of time - a singular Point of Convergence of Opinion.
*maybe-that-is-the-poem?*
thanx
remora
August 31st, 2008 at 4:15 pmSpace Poem #10
Entitled: Getting Lost in Space (Intentionally)
West of the Sun and
East of the Moom
We’ve built our small Dream home
of Joy and Laughter..and soon
(if we are very quiet)
Near to the star on the right of
the sky our Comet of Love..(Arden)
hopefully whizzes by…
remora
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjAwp5x-NYw
p.s.
I was going to call it: “Lets Fall in Love and get Lost in the Stars”… but it’s a bit late for that - what about the kids?.
(*_*)
September 7th, 2008 at 6:48 amhere is the subject of my next Poem: (Space Poem #11)
“Sports,Sex and Life in one-sixth Earth Gravity.”
*based on these fundamental questions that were asked on WikiAnswers:
“Do moon has gravity? Gravity earth in moon? Gravity is measureed in? Dose earth haves any gravity? How huch gravity does earth have? How long has gravity been around? What is the gravity for the earth? Are there gravity conditions on the moon? Why gravity lock of the moon to the earth?…”
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_the_gravity_of_the_moon_one_sixth_of_the_earth’s_gravity
..and we are only a minute away from midnite before ignition to the Japundit Blast-0ff to a new home among the Japan Blogsite Stars..
(10 and counting 9..8..7..6..)
remora
September 7th, 2008 at 10:37 amThis is the fiftieth comment and probably the last from me on Poetry Kanto.
..”send your 3-line poem to the Space Poem Chain Secretariat by email or fax in time for it to arrive by Monday, September 15 at 3:00 PM Japan Standard Time. The chosen poem will be announced on our website on Friday, September 19. We hope as many people as possible will send their poems and look forward to your participation.”
http://iss.jaxa.jp/utiliz/renshi/index_e.html
now long does it take to cough up 3 lines of poetry?
How long is a piece of string?…they’ll get my three lines allright, and a couple of associated design sketches that I have done for a Moon Car and a Leisure and Sports Center to built at Mare Murakami.
I can’t see why Japundit can’t submit an entry and then declare somewhere on the main page..
“Proud Entrant in the 3rd Space Poem Chain - 2008″
thanx
remora
(bye-bye
September 9th, 2008 at 7:09 am[...] recorded first by Stevelinks on 2008-09-27→ Comment on Poetry Kanto by remora [...]
September 29th, 2008 at 2:31 pm