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As the Renga was a popular poetry form, there are many sayings coming from Renga. The Japanese phrase "Ageku no hate" (挙句の果て), meaning "at last." as Ageku is the last stanza of Renga.
The most favored form of Renga is Kasen , a chain consisting of 36 verses. Kasen means Great Waka Composers. As a rule, Kasen must refer to flowers (usually cherry blossoms) twice and once to the moon. These references are termed Hana-no-za (the seat of flowers) and Tsuki-no-za (the seat of the moon).
The earliest recorded Renga appeared in the late of Heian period. It was in fact a Waka composed by two poets. This style is called Tan-renga (short Renga). Other styles are called Cho-renga (long renga).
Two of the most famous masters of Renga were the Zen Buddhist Priest Sogi ( 1421 - 1502) and Matsuo Basho ( 1644 - 1694).
The earliest Renga recorded is in Manyoshu where Otomo no Yakamochi and a Buddhist nun (Ama 尼) made and exchanged 5-7-5 syllable count and 7-7 syllable count. Around the time when Shin-kokin-wakashu was published, Renga style of poet is finally established as a distinct poetical style. This original style of Renga, Hyakuinrenga (百韻連歌) used only Utakotoba in making each 100 5-7-5 and 7-7 syllable and finished with 9-9 syllable count. At this time, poets considered the use of Utakotoba as the essence of creating a perfect world of Waka and considered the use of any other words to be a deviation.
Many rules or Sikimoku (式目) were formalized in Kamakura periodThe Kamakura period 1185 to 1333 is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance of the Kamakura Shogunate; officially established in 1192 by the first Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo. The Kamakura period ended in 1333 with the destruction and Muromachi Period to prevent two different people from making similar syllables and to lay down general rules of Renga. Renga was a popular form of poetry even in the confusion of Azuchi-Momoyama Period . Yet by the end of this era, the Sikimoku had become too complicated and systematic that it clogged the active imagination that had been a part of Renga's appeal. During the medieval and Edo periods Renga was a part of necessary cultural knowledge in the high society.
In the Edo periodThe Edo period is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1867. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa Shogunate which was also officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. During this period external, as more and more ordinary citizens became familiar with Renga, Shikimoku were greatly simplified. The number of syllable was reduced to 36, and commonly spoken words as well as slangs and Kango lit. Chinese words were allowed to be used. With the inclusion of these words, Renga was able to express humor and wit. This style of Renga is called Haikai no Renga or simply Haikai (俳諧の連歌) and Matsuo Basho is known as the greatest Haikai poet.
The first verse of the Renga chain, the Hokku, is the forebear of the modern Haiku. Haiku was modernized in the MeijiSee: Meiji Restoration, the revolution that ushered in the Meiji Era Meiji Era the period in Japanese history when the Meiji Emperor reigned Emperor Meiji of Japan Mutsuhito the Meiji Emperor who reigned during Meiji Era Meiji University University in Tok period by the great Japanese poet and critic Masaoka ShikiMasaoka Shiki ( Masaoka Shiki September 17, 1867, Matsuyama September 19, 1902, Tokyo) is a Japanese author, poet, critic and journalist. An accomplished haiku poet revered as the last of the four great masters, he is known as a critic of Matsuo Basho and. Haiku means "verbally comical phrase;" it was an echo of haikai-renga (comical renga).
For almost 700 years, Renga was a popular poetry but its popularity was greatly diminished in Meiji period. Masaoka Shiki claimed that "(Renga is) not fit as a modern Literature" ("文学に非ず"). The Renga's appeal of working in group to making a work was not compatible with the European style of poetry where a single poet write the entire verses.
Recently, with the use of internet becoming popular, Renga is becoming popular again. People from anywhere at anytime can contribute a work without taking the expense of gathering. Events of Renga where poets can contribute with their mobile phones had been held.