Waka Sequences
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Summer Sequence

Waka Sequences

Creating waka sequences was a common activity among the traditional waka poets of the Court Period. Usually these sequences of perhaps 70 or even 100 verses were done collaboratively among poets, but occasionally a single poet would write the sequence. Sato, for instance, has translated three 100 verse sequences written by Princess Shikishi in the book "A String of Beads."

One hundred verse sequences usually consisted of a 20 verse spring sequence, a 15 verse summer sequence, a 20 verse autumn sequence, a 15 verse winter sequence, a 20 verse love sequence and a 10 verse miscellaneous sequence which might include laments, travel poems, occasional poems or poems of parting.

In keeping with this traditional, I am including sequences that I am in the process of doing.