I obtained a patent for a method of memorizing the Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets) through a technique called Sangen Zekku, or ‘Autumn-Spring Foot-Field’ scripture. The Hyakunin Isshu is a classical Japanese poetry collection that Japan takes pride in. Every year, the All Japan High School Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Karuta Championship is held at Omi Shrine by Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. At this historically rich shrine, surrounded by a deep forest, you can witness the enthusiastic performances of high school students.
This is my patent certificate. The invention is titled “Method for Supporting the Memorization and Learning of Hyakunin Isshu Cards.” Specifically, it involves attaching kanji to the cards for memorization. On the right, you can see the specific method. For example, in the poem “Aki no ta no karuho no toma wo aranami” (roughly, ‘My thin-woven mat of straw on the harvested rice fields in autumn’), the kanji for ‘Autumn,’ ‘I,’ and ‘Heaven’ are attached to the card. Here, ‘Autumn’ is taken from the top line’s phrase “Aki no ta no,” ‘I’ from the lower line “waga koromode wa,” and ‘Heaven’ from the poet, Emperor Tenchi’s, name. Similarly, all 100 poems are paired with three kanji representing the upper line, lower line, and poet. This method makes use of kanji to assist in memorizing the Hyakunin Isshu.Here are the kanji characters used for the upper line of the first ten poems: “秋春足田奥鵲天我花是.” Reading this in sequence, one can recall the upper line of each of the first ten poems. Specifically, the kanji ‘秋’ (Autumn) reminds us of “Aki no ta no,” ‘春’ (Spring) recalls “Haru sugite,” ‘足’ (Foot) is for “Ashibiki no,” ‘田’ (Field) for “Tago no Ura,” and ‘奥’ (Depth) for “Okuyama ni.” In this rhythm, up to the tenth poem, “kore ya kono yuku mo kaeru mo wakarete wa,” the upper lines can be memorized.For the lower lines of the first ten poems, reading the kanji sequence “我衣長富声白三世我知” (gaichou fussei haku sansei gachi) allows one to recall each of these lines, starting with “Waga koromo de wa” for the first, and proceeding to the tenth poem’s lower line, “shiru mo shiranu mo Osaka no Seki.”Here’s the translation into English:
The background music is provided by Izumi Goto. The piece is the third movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, arranged for piano by Liszt. The pianist has performed extensively with members of the Vienna Philharmonic. As a lifelong pursuit, they perform piano arrangements of Beethoven’s symphonies by Liszt, such as the Pastorale and the Choral. In addition, they are actively taking on the challenging task of performing all 32 of Beethoven’s sonatas, a feat considered extremely difficult by nearly all pianists.
Likewise, the first ten poets can be remembered with the following kanji sequence: “天持柿山猿中安喜小蝉” (Tenji Jitou Kakimoto Yamabe Sarumaru Chu Anki Shousen), with Emperor Tenchi, Empress Jito, Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, Yamabe no Akahito, and Sarumaru Dayu, ending with Semimaru as the tenth poet. Here’s a summary: by memorizing these three sequences—“秋春足田奥鵲天我花是” for the upper lines, “我衣長富声白三世我知” for the lower lines, and “天持柿山猿中安喜小蝉” for the poets—a gateway opens to the memory of Hyakunin Isshu, making it enjoyable. Additionally, this slide shows the scripture derived from the 100 kanji characters attached to the upper lines of all 100 poems, which follows a pleasant rhythm when read aloud, making it easy to memorize. Using the imagery of kanji, this scripture draws upon comprehensive memory techniques, the visual power of pictorial characters, and is structured based on the memory palace theory. With practice, you can associate a poem number by locating the x and y coordinates of each scripture character. For example, here is a T-shirt showing the kanji, with red marks indicating female poets—21 in total. There are two red dots in the top row, representing Empress Jito and Ono no Komachi. This T-shirt can be enjoyed in various forms. Even elementary students can quickly memorize this scripture, and it serves as a new way to familiarize themselves with Hyakunin Isshu, making it accessible not only to competitive Karuta players but to children and people of all ages. It can also offer opportunities for those interested in kanji, including foreigners, to engage with Japanese culture. In conclusion, by memorizing the three lines—‘秋春足田奥鵲天我花是,’ ‘我衣長富声白三世我知,’ and ‘天持柿山猿中安喜小蝉’—the doors to remembering the Hyakunin Isshu open, making it enjoyable and practical. This patent-pending memorization method, using scripture-like rhythm, adds a new way to enjoy and remember Hyakunin Isshu.
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