The Imperial House and Waka / Utakai-hajime — The New Year Court Ceremony Continuing for 1200 Years, and the Emperor's Poems

What Is Utakai-hajime?

Utakai-hajime is a New Year court ceremony held every mid-January in the Matsu-no-Ma (Room of the Pine) of the Imperial Palace. It is a ceremony in which the Emperor, Empress, and Imperial Family, together with chosen selectors, mesudo (specially summoned), and successful applicants, chant (recite in a unique melody, “hikō”) the waka (tanka) composed on that year’s chokudai (Imperial theme).

The modern Utakai-hajime:

• Is broadcast live nationwide on NHK General Television
• Ten publicly recruited winners are invited to the Imperial Palace
• The waka form is 5-7-5-7-7 tanka
• The chanting is in a unique melody (“hikō-shiki”)
• After the ceremony, the poems (gyosei, mi-uta) of Their Majesties are made public

This is the oldest continuing state tanka event in Japan, transmitting to the modern day the tradition of court poetry gatherings that spans over 1200 years.

History of Utakai-hajime — Origins

The Beginning of Court Poetry Gatherings

The tradition of poetry gatherings at court goes back to the Nara-Heian period:

• The age of the Man’yōshū (8th c.) — the exchange of poems at Imperial enthronements, progressions, and banquets
• From the middle Heian onward — the “uta-awase” (poetry contest) becomes a court ceremony where two teams compete

But “Utakai-hajime” as a fixed New Year ceremony is said to have settled in the Kamakura period (13th c.).

The Name “Utakai-hajime”

“Utakai-hajime” means the first poetry gathering of the year (the first of the year). “Hajime” (beginning) means “the first of that year.”

Similarly named “~hajime” events include “Kōsho-hajime” (the first lecture) and various other New Year ceremonies of the Japanese court.

Medieval-Edo Period

• From the Kamakura era onward, New Year poetry gatherings hosted by Emperors and Retired Emperors continue
• In the Edo era, under the Tokugawa shogunate too, the court’s Utakai-hajime is continued
• The tradition of chokudai — composing poems on a topic set by the Emperor

After the Meiji Restoration

• Emperor Meiji reorganized Utakai-hajime as a state ceremony
• 1874 (Meiji 7), the introduction of public solicitation
• 1928 (Shōwa 3), general reporting in newspapers and radio begins
• 1953 (Shōwa 28), television broadcast begins

Postwar

• Amid postwar democratization, Utakai-hajime continues
• 1959, on the occasion of the marriage of Crown Prince Akihito (now Retired Emperor) and Princess Michiko (now Retired Empress), public submissions greatly increase
• From the 1990s onward, the number of public submissions each year exceeds 20,000

Modern Utakai-hajime — Operation

Date and Place

• Around mid-January every year (around January 10-20)
• Matsu-no-Ma of the Imperial Palace
• Ceremony in the morning from around 10:30 a.m.

Participants

• The Emperor and Empress — compose gyosei (Emperor’s poem) and mi-uta (Empress’s poem)
• The Imperial Family — Prince Akishino, his wife, Princess Aiko, etc.
• Selectors — 5-7 representative modern poets (top-rank modern tanka poets)
• Mesudo (specially summoned) — 1 person with special achievements
• Successful applicants — 10 people chosen from public solicitation

Chokudai (Imperial Theme)

• In autumn each year, the Imperial Household Agency announces the theme for the following year
• Examples: 2024 “wa” (harmony), 2023 “tomo” (friend), 2022 “mado” (window), 2021 “mi” (fruit), 2020 “nozomu” (hope)
• The Emperor decides
• Deadline for submission — send poems by the end of September

Hikō — The Special Chanting

The most characteristic feature of Utakai-hajime is hikō — the ceremony of reciting waka in a unique melody. A traditional sonic technique inherited from the Heian era.

The roles of hikō:

• Kōshōsha — the one who reads the poems
• Kōji — the one who introduces the poet and topic
• Hassei — the one who voices in the poet’s stead

Melody-setting comes in several types; the poems are extended in a melody such as “kōchō” or “otchō.” This is musical and preserves the influence of Heian-era court music (gagaku).

Broadcast

• NHK General TV broadcasts nationwide live
• The whole ceremony is broadcast for about 45 minutes
• Viewer ratings are typically 15-20% — a national New Year viewing event

Gyosei — Representative Modern Examples

Gyosei = poems composed by the Emperor. Mi-uta = poems of the Empress and Imperial Family. Let us look at some main modern gyosei and mi-uta.

Gyosei of Emperor Shōwa

Emperor Shōwa (1901-1989) left many gyosei.

“Ametsuchi no kami ni zo inoru / asanagi no umi no gotoku ni / nami tatanu yo wo” (1946, right after defeat)

“I pray to the gods of heaven and earth for a world where waves do not rise, like the sea in the morning calm.” A prayer for peace right after defeat, sung in the Man’yō style. It made a deep impression on the postwar people.

“Uchi-nureshi hito-ra ayatarishi / ma-shiro naru ikotsu ni / kaeru yuri no hana kamo”

A poem mourning war dead. The contrast of “white remains” and “lily flowers.”

Gyosei of the Retired Emperor (Akihito)

The Retired Emperor (father of the present Emperor, 1933-) has deep learning as a poet.

“Wazawai yori / tachiagaramu to suru hitobito ni / sachi ōku are to / hita ni inoru mo” (2011, after the Great East Japan Earthquake)

“Ikusa naki yo wo ayumi kite omou kana / inochi nagakaru saiwai nari to” (2015, 70 years after the war)

“Having walked through an age without war, I think — how happy it is that life has been long.” He engraves in tanka the memory of the generation that experienced the war.

Mi-uta of the Retired Empress (Michiko)

The Retired Empress is one of the representative women poets of the present age. Known for deep learning and delicate feeling.

“Kanikaku ni / heiwa naru yo wo / ayumi kishi / gojū nen wo / kansha mote omou” (around 1990, near the 30th anniversary of her marriage)

“Akagane no / yugama ni yu wo / tataetsutsu / Shōwa tennō wa mashimashiki” (1989, after the death of Emperor Shōwa)

A poem mourning Emperor Shōwa. “The copper hot-water pot” suggests the everyday of the Imperial Palace.

Gyosei of the Current Emperor (Naruhito, 2019-)

The current Emperor (Naruhito, 1960-) has attended Utakai-hajime since his student days.

“Ta wo uuru / tetsuki wasurezu / nōfu furu / waga omokage mo / nae tsuyoku are” (gyosei before enthronement)

“Kansenshō no / osamaru toki wo / negai tsutsu / hirake taru mado ni / hi no sashi kuru” (2022, during the corona pandemic)

The Emperor also composes tanka on modern scenes (corona, technology, disaster).

Mi-uta of the Empress (Masako)

Empress Masako (1963-) mi-uta:

“Inochi no mizu / waki-izuru sama / mitsutsu / waga mi no uchi ni mo / chikara modori ku” (around 2020)

A poem laying feelings during a period of ill health over the spring water. A modern woman’s feeling appears.

Selectors and Mesudo of Utakai-hajime

Selectors

Selectors of Utakai-hajime are appointed from top-rank modern poets. About 5-7 people, rotated every few years.

Main selectors in recent years:

• Okai Takashi (center of avant-garde tanka, died 2020) — served until about 2018
• Baba Akiko (modern female poet)
• Okano Hirohiko — a direct disciple of Orikuchi Shinobu
• Nagata Kazuhiro (professor emeritus, Kyoto University)
• Saigusa Takayuki
• Imai Keiko — Tanka Research Prize
• Homura Hiroshi (from 2019) — the center of modern colloquial tanka becomes a selector

Homura Hiroshi’s appointment as selector (2019) is a historic change in Utakai-hajime. Until then, selectors were relatively traditional poets; the appointment of Homura, of modern colloquial tanka, brought expectations of connection with the younger generation.

Mesudo

Mesudo is a specially invited person of the year. Not through public solicitation, but recommended by the selectors. An honored position.

Recent mesudo (examples):

• Elders of the academic and artistic worlds
• People of special achievement
• Poets who did great work in the previous year

Successful Applicants (Public Solicitation)

Each year, 10 poems are chosen from over 20,000 public submissions. Successful applicants are invited to the Imperial Palace, participate in the ceremony, and gain the honor of having their poems chanted.

Rules for selection:

• Up to one poem per person
• The chokudai (theme) must be included
• The 5-7-5-7-7 tanka form must be kept
• Age and occupation do not matter — from middle- and high-schoolers to people in their 90s, the range is wide

Significance of Utakai-hajime

1. The Authority of Tanka

Utakai-hajime is the most authoritative tanka event in Japan. It plays the role of positioning tanka as “the core of Japanese culture.”

Even as SNS tanka by modern young poets (Homura Hiroshi, Kinoshita Tatsuya, etc.) flourishes, the existence of Utakai-hajime maintains the recognition of “tanka = the traditional culture of Japan.”

2. Contact Between the Imperial House and the People

That the Emperor and Empress compose with the same 5-7-5-7-7 as the people, and stand side by side in ceremony with the publicly recruited winners — this is a place of intimate connection between the Imperial House and the people. A unique cultural function under the modern symbolic Emperor system.

3. Breadth of Public Solicitation

20,000 submissions a year show the foundation of the tanka population. Even in the SNS era, submitting to Utakai-hajime is recognized as the gateway to “serious tanka.”

4. National Ritualization Through NHK Broadcast

Every year 15-20% viewer rating in the TV broadcast — a New Year national viewing event. A rare case where “a 1200-year tradition” is maintained even today.

5. Rare Even Globally

A state poetry event continuing for over 1200 years is extremely rare globally. China’s imperial examination (which included poetry) was abolished in 1905; the European court poet system also disappeared in the modern era. Japan’s Utakai-hajime can be called the only living tradition of medieval court poetry in the world.

Challenges of Utakai-hajime

1. Connection to Younger Generations

Applicants and viewers of Utakai-hajime are centered on middle age and older. Connection with young poets in their 20s-30s (SNS tanka, modern colloquial) is a challenge. Homura Hiroshi’s appointment as selector (2019) is one step in this direction.

2. Strengths and Weaknesses of a Conservative Style

Winning poems of Utakai-hajime often use the traditional Man’yō / shasei style. This is a strength that keeps “solemnity,” but a weakness in that it does not fully reflect the diversity of modern tanka.

3. Distance Between the Imperial House and Politics

Utakai-hajime is nominally a private ceremony of the Imperial House, but in fact it has a state character. When the Emperor’s gyosei touches on current events (postwar, earthquake, corona), political interpretation can arise. Balancing this is an ongoing challenge.

4. Inheritance of the Ritual

The tradition of hikō (reciting in a unique melody) faces the problem of the aging of specialists (kōji). Passing on the technique to younger generations is a challenge.

1200 Years of the Imperial House and Tanka

Utakai-hajime is the modern form of the 1200-year tradition of court poetry gatherings. Looked at historically:

The Age of the Man’yōshū (7th-8th c.)

• Emperor Jitō, Emperor Tenmu, Princess Nukata and others leave poems
• Emperor and poet coexist; the Emperor is also a poet
• The Man’yōshū contains many Imperial poems (zōka)

Heian Era (9th-12th c.)

• Emperor Daigo — Imperial command for the Kokin Wakashū (905)
• Retired Emperor Go-Toba — Imperial command for the Shinkokin Wakashū (1205)
• The Emperor guides culture as “the head of poetry”

Medieval-Edo Period (13th-19th c.)

• The political power of the Emperor weakens, but his position as head of poetry is preserved
• In the Edo era, under the Tokugawa shogunate, Utakai-hajime continues
• The cultural position of Emperor = head of the poetic house

Meiji-Modern (End of 19th c.-)

• Emperor Meiji reorganizes Utakai-hajime as a state event
• Their Majesties are still active as poets today
• NHK broadcast turns it into a national tanka event

For 1200 years, Emperor and tanka are inseparable. This symbolizes the unique continuity of Japanese culture.

For Modern Japanese People, Utakai-hajime Is:

For modern Japanese, Utakai-hajime is:

1. A New Year Scene

The Utakai-hajime seen on television is part of the New Year landscape. Alongside the first sunrise, first shrine visit, and Hakone Ekiden, it is a regular of New Year.

2. A Place of the Authority of Tanka

“Winning at Utakai-hajime” is one of the highest honors of tanka for modern Japanese. A goal for those who apply.

3. Affection Toward the Imperial House

The image of Emperor and Empress composing in the same 5-7-5-7-7 conveys the affection of the symbolic Emperor system.

4. General Education of Japanese Culture

Japanese who do not know Utakai-hajime are rare. It is part of the general education of Japanese culture.

“Uta” — 1200 Years, Its Modern Crystal

Through this series, we have traced the 1200 years of waka and tanka. Princess Nukata of the Man’yōshū, Ki no Tsurayuki of Kokin, Fujiwara no Teika of Shinkokin, Masaoka Shiki of Meiji, Homura Hiroshi and Kinoshita Tatsuya of today — the 1200-year poetic form built up by these poets is composed every mid-January at the Imperial Palace as a common language between Emperor and people.

The form of 31 syllables of 5-7-5-7-7 has continued for 1200 years as the common poetic pattern of Japanese people. Among the world’s poetic forms, this is rare continuity. Utakai-hajime is the modern crystal of that continuity.

From This Article — The End of the Series

The Waka / Tanka 1200 Years series ends here as a completion of 23 articles + overview = 24 pieces. From the Man’yōshū (8th c.) to modern SNS tanka (2020s), and to Utakai-hajime every New Year, we have traced the whole picture of this 1200-year form.

Composition of the Series

• First Period (Man’yōshū): 01-04 = 4 articles (Man’yōshū, Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, Yamabe no Akahito and Yamanoue no Okura, Ōtomo no Yakamochi)
• Second Period (Kokinshū): 05-07 = 3 articles (Kokinshū and Ki no Tsurayuki, the Rokkasen, Gosen/Shūi)
• Third Period (Shinkokin): 08-11 = 4 articles (Shinkokin and Teika, Saigyō, Princess Shikishi, Hyakunin Isshu)
• Fourth Period (Edo): 12-13 = 2 articles (Renga and Haikai, Waka and Kokugaku in the Edo era)
• Fifth Period (Meiji-Shōwa): 14-17 = 4 articles (Shiki, Yosano Akiko, Takuboku, Araragi school)
• Sixth Period (Modern): 18-20 = 3 articles (avant-garde tanka, Tawara Machi, SNS tanka)
• Themes: 21-23 = 3 articles (techniques, form, the Imperial House and Utakai-hajime)

23 articles in total, tracing the 1200-year lineage of the 5-7-5-7-7 = 31-syllable poem, from the 8th to the 21st century, through the aspects of main poets, works, techniques, thought, modern developments, and Imperial ceremony.

“Why Have 31 Syllables Lived on for 1200 Years?”

Partial answers that have emerged through this series:

1. The exquisite shortness of 31 syllables — easy to memorize, easy to utter, able to concentrate feeling
2. Fit with the natural rhythm of Japanese in 5-7-5-7-7 — matches the breathing of Japanese people
3. The challenges of poets in each age — Man’yō directness, Kokin technique, Shinkokin lingering feeling, modern colloquial
4. Accumulation of technique — kakekotoba, engo, honka-dori, mitate, jokotoba
5. A shared poetic form of Emperor and people — the 1200-year continuity through Utakai-hajime
6. Adaptation to the SNS era — natural fit to Twitter’s 140 characters

These six support the 1200-year continuity.

Looking Toward the 22nd Century

Looking from the modern age of 2026, what will tanka of the 22nd century (2100s) be like? We do not know. But what is certain:

• The form of 5-7-5-7-7 will remain
• What is sung within it will be decided by the people of the 22nd century
• Tanka co-composed with AI may become mainstream
• Tanka in 5-7-5-7-7 may be composed in the languages of the world

Just as the Man’yō people of 1200 years ago could not have predicted the SNS tanka of the 21st century, we cannot predict the tanka of the 22nd century. But surely, the people of that age too will engrave the life of their era in the same frame of 5-7-5-7-7.

Man’yōshū (759) → present (2026) → 22nd century → … — the 1200 years of tanka is still to continue.

To Close, with One Poem from the Man’yō

Let us close this series with a poem by Princess Nukata of the Man’yōshū:

“Nikitatsu ni / funanori semu to / tsuki mateba / shio mo kanai nu / ima wa kogi-ide na” (Princess Nukata, Man’yōshū vol. 1, 8)

• Nikitatsu — a port near Matsuyama
• funanori semu to — thinking to board the ships
• tsuki mateba — while waiting for the moon
• shio mo kanai nu — the tide too has become right
• ima wa kogi-ide na — now let us row out

Late 7th century, on the occasion of Empress Saimei’s Korean expedition, Princess Nukata (=an attendant of the Empress) composed this grand poem of setting sail. “Waiting for the moon, matching the tide, let us set out now” — this powerful ancient language reaches modern Japanese directly across 1300 years.

This is the eternal power of 5-7-5-7-7. Tanka will keep going on.

Deep thanks to readers who have read through the 24 articles of the Waka / Tanka 1200 Years series to the end. May this series serve as one entrance into the universe of tanka.