How to Create 'Amulet Tanka' That Lighten Your Heart

Hello! I'm Tsukuda, and I deliver 'word amulets' every day to help lighten your heart. Today, I have an announcement for everyone.

Actually, the article I wrote the other day, 'Confessions of a Depressed Editor Who Got Hooked on Tanka and Was Saved,' was selected as one of the most 'liked' articles in last week's 'Numa-ochi Note'!

I am surprised that I was able to receive a congratulatory board in less than a full day after posting. This is all thanks to everyone who read the article, despite it being over 9,500 characters, and even gave it a 'like.' Thank you so much!

This time, I will talk about how to create 'Tanka' using the editing techniques I use. Many people feel intimidated by Tanka, but in reality, all you need to do is capture the scenery in your heart or an event that moved you within 31 characters. Therefore, there is no need to use difficult words or archaic language.

Let's start touching upon the joy of Tanka.

First, let's decide on a theme. To do this, turn your attention to the emotions or memories that currently occupy your heart, and write down whatever comes to mind in a notebook or similar place.

From those, choose one word you would like to write about as a Tanka. For example, pick words that catch your interest from the well of your memories, such as 'tulip,' 'graduation ceremony,' 'cherry blossoms,' 'spring break,' 'trip,' or 'entrance ceremony.' This time, let's use 'cherry blossoms' as our theme.

Next, let's play a word association game with 'cherry blossoms.' 'Sakura mochi,' 'flower viewing,' 'cherry blossom front,' 'field trip,' 'leafy cherry blossoms'... The reason we play this association game again is because of the structure of Tanka.

Tanka is a literary form composed of 31 characters, but if you look at its structure, it is divided into the upper phrase of '5-7-5' and the lower phrase of '7-7.' You then create a single story by describing scenery or psychological states in each of these phrases.

For example, many short videos are circulating on TikTok, right? The ones that get a lot of views also have a narrative quality. If you were to turn a memory or scene you want to preserve into a 5-second video, imagine freely what kind of words you would put into the upper and lower phrases.

By the way, the structure that is easiest for Tanka beginners to tackle is the one mentioned earlier: 'the upper phrase is scenery, and the lower phrase is psychological description.' However, this is not an absolute rule; it is also fine to use all 31 characters to depict a memorable scene.

So, how do you create your own Tanka? That is where the many words you came up with in the association game earlier become necessary.

Here, try inserting a word that caught your interest into the upper or lower phrase. However, the basic rule of Tanka is to fit the words according to the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable count. For example, I mentioned the word 'cherry blossoms' earlier.

Since 'cherry blossoms' (sa-ku-ra) is only 3 syllables, I think of a combination of words that makes it 5 syllables, such as 'cherry blossoms bloom' (sa-ku-ra-sa-ki). Alternatively, I could consider putting it in the lower phrase as 'cherry blossoms, perhaps' (sa-ku-ra-ka-na).

Once the first words are decided, I then think of words that connect to them. Earlier, I chose the word 'field trip' to follow the word 'cherry blossoms.' Now, I look for the relationship between 'cherry blossoms' and 'field trip.'

While 'relationship' might sound difficult, it essentially means stretching the wings of your imagination to visualize what kind of scenery unfolds when 'cherry blossoms' and 'field trip' are combined.

Then, words connecting the cherry blossoms and the field trip should well up from the bottom of your heart. Turn those into a 31-character story. By the way, I wrote a poem like this.

Cherry blossoms bloom, children going on a field trip, chasing petals, forgetting the time.

When I wrote this poem, I thought that since it's a field trip, young children must be gathered and going on an outing. Cherry blossom petals are dancing near those children. The children must have tried to catch those petals.

When that image came to my mind, I thought, 'Ah, how heartwarming,' so I concluded it with 'forgetting the time to play.'

It was a bit of a rush, but I have shared my way of creating poems, partly as a review for myself. By the way, the reason I started with 'Sakura saki' (Cherry blossoms bloom) was simply because I wanted to insert a phrase that completes in five syllables for the time being; it was, so to speak, a 'placeholder.' I wasn't particularly fixated on the blooming of cherry blossoms.

Whether it's 'Sakura kara' (From the cherry blossoms) or 'Sakura ni wa' (To the cherry blossoms), if a story is born from there, I think that's fine. What is important here is not to be bound by common sense. Even though I wrote it myself, 'Sakura saki' is a bit obvious, isn't it?

I believe the fun of Tanka lies in depicting things that are obvious, yet not so obvious. I would love for all of you to experience this joy as well. And it will surely serve as an 'Amulet Tanka' to calm your heart.

In this way, Tanka is an art of free expression where infinite possibilities are born through the combination of words.
It is an art of free expression.

Now, as a novice with only half a year of experience in writing Tanka, I have shared my own way of composing poems. In fact, this creative process is a method I have been familiar with for over 30 years. That is editing.

Editing, as the name implies—to weave and gather—is a creative technique of collecting information, organizing it, rearranging it, and finding new value by reading between the lines of information.

Let's look back at the method we used.

First, we wrote down things that were on our minds in a notebook, didn't we? Then, we chose two words from among them and created a story while focusing on the relationship between the lines.

From my perspective, Tanka is truly an art born from the editing of words. And by playing with editing, Tanka becomes even more brilliant and resonates with people's hearts.

I use the phrase 'Let's play with editing!' as a keyword in this note, and that is because 'playing with editing' is what connects to all creativity.

There is a master of editing named Seigo Matsuoka. Mr. Matsuoka advocates the idea of an 'editorial worldview'; that is, everything is edited, and from the perspective of an editorial worldview, life, work, and even the world itself are being re-edited.

Wouldn't this way of thinking be a gospel for us living in a difficult world? From an editorial perspective, it can be said that both good and bad things are created by the fixed ideas we have about those matters. In short, everything is a personal matter.

If you play with editing and re-edit your life, your life can change as many times as you want.
In fact, I suffered from depression for 12 long years, but as I encountered Tanka and wrote poems, my life was also re-edited, and I came to hold the belief that 'every life becomes nourishment.'

Life can be started anew as many times as you like, and no matter what situation a person is in, they can attain their own kind of happiness. I have been saying this in my notes, and at the root of it all is this editorial worldview.

In this note, I would like to talk about the power of editing to those who are living painfully right now. I believe it will change yourself, change your life, and eventually change society as well.

Recently, there is a song I often listen to called 'Chiisana Kakumei' (Small Revolution) by SUPER BEAVER. The vocalist, Ryuta Shibuya, asks us in the song, 'How do you want to be?'

I would like to ask you the same thing.
How do you want to be?
And how do you want to change your life?

A small revolution starts from there.
Why don't you use the tool of editing to give shape to the reality you have dreamed of? The fixed idea that 'I am just me' will be removed by playing with editing.

The coming era is an era where the individual shines. When large lights, small lights, and various diverse lights fill the world, what kind of things will be waiting for us? I am looking forward to it immensely.

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I am always encouraged by your likes, follows, and tips.
Thank you so much!
I am also waiting for your follow on X (formerly Twitter)!

https://x.com/toto_booksI will continue to do my best so that this note becomes a place for you to heal your heart's fatigue and support your new beginning.Thank you very much for your continued support. 🙇

[I also write articles like this]