Read with clarity
English and romanized Japanese are set in calm, adjustable typography with Light, Dark, and System appearances.
短 A quiet literary edition
Poetry for the
quiet between things.
Read sacred Japanese tanka poetry and prayer with downloadable narration, synchronized read-along, and contemplative photography from Japan.
84 tanka poems4 narration voices105 sacred-ground photographs
Available now on iPhone, iPad, and Android · Web access in preparation
Five lines.
Thirty-one sounds.
A complete world in miniature.
Tanka holds feeling without explaining it away. This edition gives each poem room— with deliberate pacing, faithful ordering, and no feed competing for attention.
Watch the experience
Read slowly.
Listen closely.
A brief narrated introduction to the reader, synchronized highlighting, Sacred Grounds gallery, appearance controls, and permanent Full Collection unlock.
- 22-second narrated tour
- Real current app screens
- Captions available in the player
A narrated introduction · 22 seconds
The reading experience
Built for attention,
not engagement.
No streaks. No advertising. No infinite scroll. Only the text, the voice, and enough silence around both.
Listen and follow
Choose Leonard, Rachel, Steven, or Lauren. Downloadable narration, synchronized yellow read-along, continuous autoplay, and background listening keep the edition moving with you.
Return to what matters
Search the collection, save poems, move through the traditional index, and revisit a prayer or verse without distraction.
Source-faithful by design
A book should not feel like software.
The source-faithful revised collection preserves exact text and intended order. Graceful page motion, restrained controls, and thoughtful spacing keep the interface subordinate to the work.
- English and romanized Japanese
- Adjustable text size and reading fonts
- Reduced-motion support
- Search and saved poems
- Expanded Japan 2026 Sacred Grounds gallery
The collection
Begin freely.
Keep it permanently.
Explore three poems and two prayers without payment. The Full Collection is one permanent purchase—not another recurring subscription.
全
Full Collection
$6.99one time
No subscription
- All 84 tanka poems
- Four narrator voices, downloadable for offline listening
- Warm and Reflective prayer narration styles
- Synchronized yellow read-along
- Permanent, restorable Apple purchase
Purchasing statusAvailable now through the App StoreWebsite checkout and shared account access are in preparation
One collection, wherever you read
iPhone first.
The web beside it.
The public reader at app.tankapoems.com is a separate application, now in private preview. The shared account and entitlement system is being prepared so one verified Full Collection purchase can serve both iPhone and web.
The marketing site is public today. Customer sign-in, website checkout, and cross-platform purchase synchronization are not yet public.
Questions
Plain answers.
What is included for free?
Three poems and two prayers—Amatsu Norito and The Lord’s Prayer—remain free. The sampler includes narration, read-along highlighting, and the reader’s appearance controls.
What does the Full Collection cost?
The United States price is $6.99 for a permanent unlock. No subscription is required. Apple displays localized pricing in each App Store storefront.
Does narration work offline?
Once you download it. Narration is delivered from the Tanka Poems audio library, so the first play of a reading needs a connection. Open Reading Settings, choose Narration Downloads, and keep Leonard, Rachel, Steven, or Lauren on the device—downloaded narration then plays with no connection at all. The poems and prayers themselves are always available offline. Warm and Reflective are prayer narration styles, not narrator identities.
Can one purchase work on iPhone and the website?
That is the intended account model. Website checkout and shared account access are in preparation; they are not yet available in the public product.
Does Tanka Poems track readers?
No advertising, cross-app tracking, or behavioral analytics are included. Reading position, saved poems, and preferences currently remain on the device.
Tanka Poems
Take a quiet moment.
Read slowly. Listen closely.