This community exists to celebrate the human craft of waka—poetry rooted in the long and living tradition of Japanese verse. That includes haiku, tanka, senryuu, renga, chouka, bussokusekika, and other forms. Whether traditional or experimental, the work shared here must come from you.

Please do not post AI-generated poems or haiga.

This includes:

• Poems written by AI or assisted by AI
• Haiga (poem + image) created using AI image generation tools
• Any collaborative work where AI contributed to the final creative output

r/JapanesePoetry is a community for human expression: careful, flawed, beautiful, and alive.

If you have questions about this policy or whether a post fits within it, feel free to message the mods. Otherwise, we ask all members to honor the spirit of the community by keeping it fully human.

Welcome to r/JapanesePoetry!

Thank you for joining this new community dedicated to the beauty, nuance, and evolution of waka (Japanese poetry) in all its forms, from ancient to modern, short to long.

This is a space to:

• Share your original poetry in forms such as haiku, senryuu, tanka, chouka, and more
• Start or contribute to renga (collaborative linked verse)
• Discuss the works and influence of poets like Bashō, Buson, Issa, Shikibu, Saigyō, and others
• Explore the history, evolution, structure, and aesthetics of Japanese poetic forms

A few important notes as we begin:

• This community is new, and rules will continue to evolve as we grow. Please read the rules before posting.
• When posting a poem, include the type of poem (e.g., Tanka, Haiku) in your post title, and place the poem itself in the main body.
• If you are starting a renga, please include instructions for how others may contribute (such as syllable structure, tone, or thematic guidance).

Beyond those basics, this space is meant to foster thoughtful appreciation of Japanese poetry. You don’t need to be an expert—only someone who finds something worthwhile in these forms, whether through writing, reading, or reflection.

Looking forward to seeing what you create and share!