Kakekotoba (pivot word) 掛詞

kakekotoba · from Japanese

What is kakekotoba in Japanese poetry?

Kakekotoba is a classical Japanese poetic device where one word carries two meanings at once, linking two readings of a poem.

It is a hallmark of waka poetry, enabled by the many homophones of Japanese. A word like まつ matsu can mean both pine tree and to wait, allowing a poem to describe a landscape and longing simultaneously. It is a refined cousin of the dajare.

Examples

まつ matsu: 松 (pine) / 待つ (wait); あき aki: 秋 (autumn) / 飽き (weariness); ながめ nagame: 長雨 (long rain) / 眺め (gazing)

Kungfucius says: A pun so elegant it got into the imperial anthologies.