text: Shigin – WLABT
  Home → Organizations of the West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple → Shigin
  Shigin | Poem Chanting and Singing
  Shigin are thus significantly older than other, more popular Japanese poetry forms, such as Haiku. Their practice is now a minority art, mostly confined to the elderly and little known amongst younger generations. Nevertheless, several Shigin festivals are held throughout the year, including the Autumn Shigin Festival in Shiogama, in the North-East) region of Japan. Gin are also sung at Buddhist ceremonies and quasi-religious gatherings in Japan.
  Moreover, although largely in anonymity, Shigin continues to have a significant influence on Japanese culture. Individual poems are often studied in Japanese textbooks, and are regularly displayed at exhibitions of Japanese calligraphy.