Renga and Atmosphere

Abstract

This chapter is devoted to an atmospheric interpretation of the traditional form of Japanese poetry called renga. Analysing renga has relevant cultural implications. It shows that poetry is not only centred on the “singing” subject but is a collective way of creating the whole poetry in the same place. The attunement among the people gathered to create the poem engenders the collective atmosphere in which they are immersed and is a further evidence of the common root between philosophy and poetry, that is, interest in the world and the human being.