@article{oai:nichibun.repo.nii.ac.jp:00000236,
 author = {TOMASI, Massimiliano},
 journal = {Nichibunken Japan review : journal of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies},
 month = {Jan},
 note = {Shimamura Hōgetsu was one of the most influential literary figures of modern Japan. He was deeply involved in literary criticism, the study of aesthetics and rhetoric, and the presentation of Western drama to the Japanese public. Yet despite his multifaceted career and the centrality of his influence, little attention has been paid to him since his death, particularly among scholars outside Japan. This study explores the evolution of modern Japanese poetry, describing Hōgetsu’s pivotal role in the theoretical progression that led to the history-making acceptance of the vernacular in the process of poetic signification. From the problem of meter to that of style on to the question of language, Hōgetsu facilitated the development of a poetic form of expression that was not anchored to tradition but that reflected the emergence of modern themes and a modern sensibility. Although he was a strong advocate of the importance of meter, he did not believe that the traditional seven-five syllabic alternation should be considered a foregone conclusion, but argued that new meters could be created, and with them new linguistic devices that were not necessarily part of the classical canon. He also repeatedly questioned the authority of the classical medium, campaigning in favor of the vernacular and prompting younger generations of poets to experiment with the contemporary linguistic material available. Hōgetsu was one of the earliest advocates of the use of the colloquial in poetry and, as such, an important figure in the creation of a modern form of poetic expression in Japan.},
 pages = {107--132},
 title = {The Rise of a New Poetic Form : The Role of Shimamura Hōgetsu in the Creation of Modern Japanese Poetry},
 volume = {19},
 year = {2007}
}