Editing Tanka (section)

===Modern===
During the Kojiki and Nihonshoki periods the tanka retained a well defined form, but the history of the mutations of the tanka itself forms an important chapter in [[haiku]] history,<ref>Yasuda, Kenneth ''The Japanese Haiku, the essential nature, history and possibilities in English'', Charles Tuttle Co., 1957. {{ISBN|0804810966}}</ref>
until the modern revival of tanka began with several poets who began to publish literary magazines, gathering their friends and disciples as contributors.

[[Yosano Tekkan]] and the poets that were associated with his ''[[Myōjō]]'' magazine were one example, but that magazine was fairly short-lived (Feb. 1900{{snd}} Nov. 1908). A young high school student, Otori You (later known as [[Akiko Yosano]]), and [[Ishikawa Takuboku]] contributed to ''Myōjō''. In 1980 the ''New York Times'' published a representative work:
{{verse transliteration-translation|lang=ja
|東海の
小島の磯の
白砂に
われ泣きぬれて
蟹とたわむる
|Tōkai no
kojima no iso no
shirasuna ni
ware naki nurete
kani to tawamuru
|In the Eastern Sea,
Of the beach of a small island,
On the white sand.
I, my face streaked with tears,
Am playing with a crab<ref name="stokes1980">Stokes, Henry Scott. [https://www.nytimes.com/1980/01/20/archives/in-japan-almost-everyone-seems-well-versed-once-infused-with.html?sq=Donald+Keene&scp=45&st=p  "In Japan, Almost Everyone Seems Well Versed; Once 'Infused With Melancholy',"] ''New York Times.'' January 20, 1980.</ref>
}}

[[Masaoka Shiki]]'s (1867–1902) poems and writing (as well as the work of his friends and disciples) have had a more lasting influence. The magazine ''[[Hototogisu (magazine)|Hototogisu]]'', which he founded, still publishes.

In the [[Meiji period]] (1868–1912), Shiki claimed the situation with waka should be rectified, and waka should be modernized in the same way as other things in the country. He praised the style of {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Man'yōshū]]}} as manly, as opposed to the style of ''[[Kokin Wakashū]]'', the model for waka for a thousand years, which he denigrated and called feminine.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sfetcu |first=Nicolae |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2EmNAwAAQBAJ&dq=shiki+claimed+the+situation+with+waka+should+be+rectified%2C+and+waka+should+be+modernized&pg=PA178 |title=Poetry Kaleidoscope |date=2014-05-12 |publisher=Nicolae Sfetcu |language=en}}</ref> He praised [[Minamoto no Sanetomo]], the third ''[[shōgun]]'' of the [[Kamakura shogunate]], who was a disciple of [[Fujiwara no Teika]] and composed waka in a style much like that in the {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Man'yōshū]]}}.

[[File:Ceremony of the Utakai Hajime around 1950.jpg|thumb|Ceremony of the Utakai Hajime, about 1950]]
Following Shiki's death, in the [[Taishō period]] (1912–26), [[Mokichi Saitō]] and his friends began publishing a magazine, ''[[Araragi (magazine)|Araragi]]'', which praised the {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Man'yōshū]]}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mulhern |first1=Chieko Imrie |title=Japanese Women Writers: A Bio-critical Sourcebook |date=1994 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=9780313254864 |page=128 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q9eFckEQAMkC}}</ref> Using their magazine they spread their influence throughout the country. Their modernization aside, in the court the old traditions still prevailed. The court continues to hold many ''utakai'' (waka reading parties) both officially and privately.{{Citation needed|date=September 2012}} The utakai that the Emperor holds on the first of the year is called ''[[Utakai Hajime]]'' and it is an important event for waka poets; the Emperor himself releases a single tanka for the public's perusal.

After [[World War II]], waka began to be considered out-of-date, but since the late 1980s it has revived under the example of contemporary poets, such as [[Machi Tawara]]. With her 1987 bestselling collection ''Salad Anniversary'', the poet has been credited with revitalising the tanka for modern audiences.

Today there are many circles of tanka poets. Many newspapers have a weekly tanka column, and there are many professional and amateur tanka poets; [[Makoto Ōoka]]'s poetry column was published seven days a week for more than 20 years on the front page of ''[[Asahi Shimbun]].''<ref>[[William H. Honan|Honan, William H.]] [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/06/books/why-millions-in-japan-read-all-about-poetry.html?scp=26&sq=Donald+Keene&st=nyt  "Why Millions in Japan Read All About Poetry,"] ''New York Times.'' March 6, 2000.</ref> As a parting gesture, outgoing PM [[Jun'ichirō Koizumi]] wrote a tanka to thank his supporters.

The [[Japanese imperial family]] continue to write tanka for the [[Japanese New Year|New Year]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-culture/utakai-h24.html | title=Waka Poems by Their Majesties and Their Imperial Highnesses the Crown Prince and Princess, 2012 - the Imperial Household Agency }}</ref>