South Korean poet finds voice through Japanese tanka
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Kang Han-na, a poet from South Korea, now writes tanka, a 31-syllable poem, in Japanese.
She moved to Japan in 2011 after working as a news anchor in South Korea, drawn by an appreciation for the country’s reverence for history and tradition. Kang discovered tanka through the anime The Garden of Words and was captivated by its ability to convey complex emotions within a concise form.
Initially, adapting to the 7-5 rhythmic structure of tanka proved challenging for Kang, whose native Korean poetry follows a different pattern. She worked to develop her own voice within the tradition, exploring themes of cultural adjustment, the relationship between Japan and South Korea, and her connection to her mother.
This led to recognition, including being a finalist for the Kadokawa Tanka Prize for three years and winning the Modern Tanka Award for New Writers in 2020 with her collection Mada mada desu (A Long Way to Go). Kang describes tanka as a “literature of subtraction,” a process of stripping away complexity to reveal core emotions. She now teaches tanka to others, hoping to share the art form and its unique expression of Japanese values.
Her recent collection, Kajoku no uta (Family Poems), reflects on her life in Japan with her husband and her enduring bond with her mother, using the Korean pronunciation of “family” in the title to acknowledge her heritage.
