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"Hyangga" is a native song of ancient Korea dating back to the 6th-10th century and written in "Idu," an archaic writing system that represents the Korean language using "hanja" or Chinese characters. The people of the ancient Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla kingdoms themselves devised a distinctive way to adapt Chinese ideographs to transcribe and express unique Korean sounds.
Manyoshu literally means "Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves," specifically an anthology of ancient Japanese poems compiled in the 8th century. It is the oldest extant collection of poetry in classical Japanese. It was written in the Japanese script of that time utilizing Chinese characters phonetically. The majority of the works are in the "tanka" format, which is a short song, or verse consisting of five lines in the pattern 5-7-5-7-7.
I associate tanka with Son Ho-yun (1923-2003) who is considered one of the greatest poets in Japan. Ms. Son displayed immense literary talent from an early age. Having graduated from Jinmyung Women's High School in Seoul in 1940, Son enrolled in the Tokyo Imperial Woman's University with the scholarship of Yi Bang-ja, spouse and princess consort of the last Crown Prince of the Joseon Kingdom of Korea, to pursue higher studies.
While at the university, she immersed herself in writing volumes of traditional Japanese poetry in the form of tanka. As an ambitious literary aspirant studying literature in Japan, Ms. Son also yearned to inspire the hearts of Koreans from her homeland, and this is depicted in her literary works. Her reputation as a promising tanka poet grew after her first collection of poetry "Hoyun KaJip" was published in 1944. Following this, she published five more collections of poetry titled "Moogunghwa." Over six decades, Son Ho-yun composed poems in the waka style, a type of poetry in classical Japanese literature, depicting the heart-felt emotion of the Korean people during the modern history of Korea.
Transcending nationality, the title of her five books has always been associated with the Rose of Sharon, the national flower of Korea, and a symbol of her poetic expressions based on patriotism. Although a majority of her poems are written in Japanese, Son's poetic reflections are not about Japan but rather on the consolations and hopes of Korea.
She affirms that her literary insights have been transformed by the pain of the Korean people during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial period and the division of the two Koreas resulting from the 1950-53 Korean War. Son's poetic genres are comprised of plain words expressed in distinctive metaphors admixed with delicate poetic nuances. Consequently, their meaning is colorful, sensitive, classic and profound, as it portrays the beating heart of the Korean people and their bright future. The Japanese people including other foreign lovers of literature were deeply impressed by Son's unique way of reflecting in her poetry. Son is truly a Korean poet who has had a profound impact on Korean poetry throughout the ages.
Of significant note are her poems, five in all, listed in "Showa Manyoshou," a Japanese collection of modern waka poems that evidenced the best evaluation of her literary work. An impressive poetry monument commemorating her can be found in Aomori to this day.
May the literary spirit of the poet Son Ho-yun pave the way for improved cultural ties between Korea and Japan, by setting aside pending historical issues.
In addition, during the 5th to 7th centuries, Japan benefited greatly from the emigrants from the ancient Baekje Kingdom who transmitted to them a variety of knowledge and cultures. In this sense, the origin of tanka poetry can be traced back to Baekje.
Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and Director of the Korean-Swedish Association.
