Makurakotoba

Makurakotoba is a type of word used in traditional Japanese poetry called waka. A makurakotoba is a special kind of word that is used at the beginning of a poem to create an image in the reader's mind. It's like a little introduction to the poem's theme.

Imagine you are painting a picture. You start with a blank canvas, but before you start painting, you might sketch out the outline of what you want to paint. This is a bit like what a makurakotoba does in a poem. It helps to set the tone for what is to come.

Let's look at an example:

The dewdrops fall
Upon the grassy fields;
The night is clear.

In this poem, the makurakotoba is "dewdrops." It helps to create an image of the scenery in the reader's mind, even before any further description is given.

So, a makurakotoba is like the first brushstroke of a painting or the introduction to a story. It sets the scene and helps to draw the reader or listener in.