Dodoitsu is a Japanese form of poetry developed during the Edo Period. The subject of these poems is love or work, and the final line frequently contains a comedic twist. Some Dodoitsu poetry focused on nature or beauty. Dodoitsu poems, like other Japanese forms, do not rhyme or follow a specific meter pattern. Rather, they consist of 26 sound units (onji) composed of 4 lines with the syllabic structure 7-7-7-5.

Dodoitsu was passed on through oral tradition and performed to the accompaniment of shamisen, a banjo-like three-stringed instrument. It was a traditional form for popular and folk songs and the name translated in English, quickly city to city, likely refers to the speed with which the new “songs” spread.