Categories and Topics

Every verse in a renga can be classified according to topic. One of the ways renga maintains its non-narrative structural flow is to shift topics. Two consecutive verses are linked by topic, but the first and third of three consecutive verses are not so linked; this is what constitutes “shift”.

In the classical approach to renga there are lists of topics, containing key words that denote that topic, which renga poets become familiar with. The topic lists evolved over time, but in general there is a consistency that is for the most part maintained. Here is a modern example of a Topic List by Jane Reichhold (see www.ahapoetry.com):

The Seasons
Celestial
Terrestrial
Livelihood
Animals
Plants
Moods
Occasions

A more traditional Topic List is taken from Higginson (see renku.home.att.net):

The Seasons
The Heavens
The Earth
Humanity
Observances
Animals
Plants

One can observe that both lists, for the most part, share the same focus.

I have worked with both of these Topic Lists, as well as some gleaned from my readings. For a long time I worked with the following list of topics:

The Seasons
Time
Celestial
Terrestrial
Humanity
Animals
Plants
Deities

This scheme worked very well for me because I was engaged in a lot of experiments that sought to distinguish time and season. Recently, though, I have developed a simplified List that contains only three basic Categories:

Celestial
Terrestrial
Humanity

I think that all the other topics that I’ve seen can be placed under one of these three primary Categories. But what about the other topics that are so prominent and important in renga composition? I treat these as sub-topics of these three main categories as follows:

Celestial

Topics

Moon
Sun
Stars
Time
Other celestial phenomena

Terrestrial

Topics

Seasons
Animals
Plants
Mountains
Oceans and rivers
Geographical features

Humanity

Topics

Love
Moods
Work
Politics
Science
Any human related activity

The first item in each category refers to one of the required scenes that all renga need to have. In this way Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are contained within each renga and each renga becomes a kind of microcosmos encompassing the totality of existence.

A word needs to be said about Time and Season topics. The Season Topic is placed under the Terrestrial Category instead of a category of its own. This is probably the greatest difference between the above system of classification and the more traditional approaches. My justification for doing this is that Season is an Earth based manifestation that exists independently of time. A Summer Verse can refer to the month of July, or the month of January, depending on where on earth the verse is rooted in. In other words, Time and Season are separate categories. This hasn’t been an issue until recently because renga was confined to Japan where seasonal reference is united to the calendar because of the small geographical range. As renga goes global, however, this situation has changed and we can no longer assume that, for example, “July” is a summer season word, or that “Christmas” necessarily designates the winter season. This is the primary reason why I have placed Season under the Terrestrial category, so that it will be simpler to comprehend the global context in which renga is now written.

The Time Topic is placed under the Celestial Category. This is because Time is based on astronomical relationships. The monthly names, such as September or April, are a shorthand for a particular relationship between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. This relationship is complexly related to season; but the important thing to keep in mind is that a Time Word does not designate a Season. For example, “September” can be Fall or Spring, depending on where on Earth one resides.

It is of crucial importance, I feel, that time and season be separated if renga is to go global. It can no longer maintain associations that grew out of a localized cultural context, but do not apply outside of that context.

When I analyze a verse I do so by referring to the verse by both the Category and Topic, for example:

Humanity/Love
Terrestrial/Pond
Celestial/Comet

The analysis can be further refined, for example:

Humanity/Love/Parting
Terrestrial/Pond/Clear
Celestial/Comet/Halley’s

The advantage of this kind of analysis over previous Topic Lists that I have used is that one can observe how close, and how distant, two verses are by using this schema. For example, in a series of love verses:

First love verse: Humanity/Love/Meeting
Second love verse: Humanity/Love/Dating
Third love verse: Humanity/Love/Meeting

Here one can see that the first and third verses are too close. They are the same topic, where they should have shifted. The third verse should be either Humanity/Love/Enduring, or perhaps Humanity/Love/Parting, or in an extended form renga, such as the 100 verse Hyakuin, the third verse could continue the second love verse’s scheme as Humanity/Love/Dating. But the third verse should not return to the Category and Topic schema of the first verse in the series.

Using such an approach to Topics, if the first item in the series, the Category, is different, this constitutes a major shift. If the second item in the series, the Main Topic, is different, this is a moderate shift. If the first two items are the same, and the third one is different, this constitutes a subtle shift. If all three are the same, then there is no topical shift and that, in general, is a signal that one needs to revise.

It is possible for the series to go longer than three items, but my experience is that this is almost always unnecessary and does not help in articulating needed shifts. If, however, one is writing a 100 Verse Renga, a Hyakuin, where there are sequences on a single topic, such as Spring, that can run up to five verses, then a more refined analysis might be of assistance.

I hope this will be of some use in your own renga composition.