Masaoka Shiki - Legacy

Legacy

Shiki may be credited with salvaging traditional short-form Japanese poetry and carving out a niche for it in the modern Meiji Period. While he advocated reform of haiku, this reform was based on the idea that haiku was a legitimate literary genre. He argued that haiku should be judged by the same yardstick that is used when measuring the value of other forms of literature–something that was contrary to views held by prior poets. Shiki firmly placed haiku in the category of literature, and this was unique.

Some modern haiku are typified by deviating from the traditional 5-7-5 sound pattern and dispensing with the kigo ("season word"); Shiki's haiku reform advocated neither break with tradition.

His particular style rejected "the puns or fantasies often relied on by the old school" in favor of "realistic observation of nature". Shiki, like other Meiji Period writers, borrowed a dedication to realism from Western literature, and this is evident in his approach both to haiku and tanka.