Lichtverse aus der schwebenden Welt

Previously neglected by scholars as "popular literature," the study of senryu--a 17-syllable verse form--provides valuable insight into the thoughts and feelings of ordinary Japanese townspeople. This collection of 400 humorous and often satirical poems written during the late 18th and early 19th century provides a rich sampling of the senryu form and its prevailing themes. Ueda outlines the history and nature of senryo in an introduction, and provides further readings in a bibliography.