The Tanka poem has been considered the most important form and the oldest style of Japanese poetry, which dates back to the 1300s. The Tanka poem is similar to the Haiku but it is a little longer. Over the years, the Tanka has changed but, the form has remained the same, that is, it has 31 syllables. In the original Japanese Tanka, it was written as a one line poem with 31 syllables.

Today, the poem consists of five lines. Lines 1 and 3 have five syllables, and lines 2, 4 and 5 have seven syllables. Usually, the Tanka is written about nature and/or seasons. Therefore, the number of possible topics are endless.

We hope that you have as much fun reading, writing and sharing Tanka poems as we did.

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