川柳

• 読み: せんりゅう
• ローマ字: senryu
• 漢字の分解: 川 (kawa/sen) — river; 柳 (yanagi/ryū) — willow. Named after the poet Karai Senryū, not a descriptive compound.
• 発音: /se.ɴ.ɾʲɯː/

意味

Senryū; humorous 17-syllable poem. A form of Japanese short poetry sharing the 5-7-5 syllable structure of haiku, but focusing on human nature, wit, and social satire.

Named after Karai Senryū (柄井川柳, 1718–1790), who popularised the form in the Edo period. Unlike haiku, senryū does not require a seasonal word (kigo) and lacks haiku's transcendent or nature-oriented focus. Its subjects are mundane human affairs — workplace stress, relationships, social foibles — often treated with irony or gentle dark humour. The form remains popular in contemporary Japan.

例文

1. サラリーマンを題材にした川柳が、今も多くの人の共感を集めている。
2. 江戸時代から川柳は庶民が社会を皮肉る場として機能してきた。
3. 川柳と俳句は同じ形式でも、その精神はまったく異なる。

使い方ガイド

場面: poetry, humour, social commentary

トーン: playful

起源と歴史

Named after poet Karai Hachiemon, who used the pen name 川柳 (Senryū — 'river willow'). He held popular verse competitions (前句付け) in Edo, from which the distinctive humorous short-poem form evolved. The literary term derives entirely from his pen name.

文化的背景

時代: Edo period

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal