This work comprises the first complete English translation of Shi no Genri, one of the most important attempts at a theory of literature written in the modern period. Hagiwara Sakutaro (1886–1942) was not only an original poet but also a perceptive and lonely literary critic. This book, in his own words, "is not a collection of fragmentary writings, but a thoroughly systematic and organized discourse" on poetry and other related arts. He sees the future of Japanese poetry as being tied to the characteristics of Japanese language, and even to the destiny of Japan.