Paionia Senryu Ginsha パイオニア川柳吟社 = Pioneer Senryu Poetry Circle Collection

Senryu is one of the Japanese short poetry forms that consists of 5-7-5 syllables in 17 words. While haiku, another 17-word short form of poetry, describes nature and a moment in time, senryu depicts people’s daily life and their emotions on a variety of themes. Senryu authors express their happiness, sentiments, and grief in the short form and describe their thoughts on and observations of things that everyone experiences, humorously, cynically, and ironically. Because senryu is composed of such limited words, it is crafted with great skills and techniques and the meaning is inferred by readers through context.

Japanese literature was popular and one of the positive forms of entertainment compared to gambling and alcohol among the early Japanese immigrant laborers. Japanese literature circles emerged in the early 1900s, and many immigrants engaged in literature activities while laboring for railroad construction in Seattle, Washington. Japanese language newspapers were a vehicle to publish/distribute their works and also fostered their activities. Selected works were featured in the newspapers and it was very competitive to be selected for publication.

In Southern California, senryu made a late start, compared to other literature works. “羅府新報 Rafu Shimpo” and “加州毎日 Kashu Mainichi,” Japanese language newspapers in Los Angeles, California, started a column for senryu, “羅府川柳 Rafu Senryu” and “加毎川柳壇 Kamai Senyudan” respectively in 1938. Senryu circle members invited leaders and instructors from Seattle, including 清水其蝶 Shimizu Kicho and 山中桂甫 Yamanaka Keiho, to develop their skills and techniques in composing senryu and promote their works to be well recognized. The members mainly consisted of the first generation, Issei, who were native Japanese speakers, and Kibei Nisei, who were the second generation born in the United States but educated in Japan. Many of them engaged in gardening professions which were limited opportunities available to the minority group, and they authored senryu, describing their lives, often hardships, in America that they had experienced.

When World War II broke out, Japanese literature circles were disbanded because of forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans. Despite the unlawful imprisonment, Japanese literature thrived during their incarceration ironically. Japanese senryu leaders were brought from different areas and imprisoned in the camps, including 清水其蝶 Shimizu Kicho (Jerome and Gira River); 國次史郎 Kunitsugu Shiro (Rohwer); 本田華芳 Honda Kaho (Heart Mountain); 児玉八角 Kodama Hakkaku, 山中桂甫 Yamanaka Keiho, 宮地青雲 Miyachi Seiun, 山内鏡月 Yamauchi Kyogetsu (Tule Lake); 塩出大州 Shiode Taishu (Santa Fe and Tule Lake); 矢形渓山 Yagata Keizai, 石川凡才 Ishikawa Bonsai, and 松原信雄 Matsubara Nobu (Poston). They formed and led circles in the camps, and many Japanese-speaking incarcerees, such as Issei and Kibei Nisei, joined and engaged in the activities. They studied together and published their works in bulletins, newspapers, and booklets circulated in the camps. The members continued the activities after being released from the camps, and senryu circles were formed in various locations, such as Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Portland, Salt Lake City, New York, Chicago, Fresno, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and other cities where their lives were re-established.

In postwar Los Angeles, several senryu circles were resumed and newly formed: 川柳つばめ吟社 Senryu Tsubame Ginsha was led by 花見留雄 Hanami Tomeo and established in 1940 and resumed in 1946; かごめ川柳吟社 was formed in 1965 in West Los Angeles; パイオニア川柳吟社 Paionia Senryu Ginsha was established in 1968; 悠々会 Yuyukai and 自適会 Jitekikai were formed in Keiro, a senior care facility; and a senryu radio program was run by ラジオ川柳 Radio Senryu between 1965 and 1972.

パイオニア川柳吟社 Paionia Senryu Ginsha was established in 1968 and led by 國次史郎 Kunitsugu Shiro, who had been a chair of 川柳つばめ吟社 Senryu Tsubame Ginsha. He became the first chair of パイオニア川柳吟社 Paionia Senryu Ginsha (1968-1984) and 山中桂甫 Yamanaka Keiho was the third chair (1986-2003). Both were Kibei Nisei, who were the former incarcerees and senryu circle leaders during the war.

石口玲 Ishiguchi Rei, the current chair, joined the circle in 2013. She restructured the management system of the circle and created the bylaws. Since 2017, she has been the chair of the circle and published a bulletin on a monthly basis.The circle consists of 22- 23 members currently, who are Issei, Kibei Nisei, and Shin-Issei (postwar immigrants), and Japanese-speaking Taiwanese residing in Los Angeles as of 2024.