Emperor Yōzei
- Reign: 876-884AD
- Born: 868AD
- Period: Heian Period
- Family: Emperor Seiwa (father) Prince Motoyoshi (son) Fujiwara no Mototsune (uncle)
- Order of Succession: Predecessor Emperor Seiwa * Successor Emperor Kōkō
Table of Contents
Emperor Yōzei
Emperor Yōzei (陽成天皇) was the 57th Emperor of Japan living from 868-949AD and reigning from 876-884AD.1
Family
He was the eldest son of the previous Emperor Seiwa and was nephew to Fujiwara no Mototsune. He had a son known as Prince Motoyoshi who was a famous poet and lover.1
Reign
He is known to have been an extravagant ruler and lived in excess. He is also known to have murdered a courtier with his own hands. He was later forced to abdicate in 884 by his uncle Mototsune in favor of Emperor Kōkō.1
Poetry
After his ‘retirement’ he was host to many poetry competitions and took a very keen interest in waka.1
In total we only find one of his poems in the Imperial Anthologies as well as a poem (No.13) in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu which goes as follows1:
| Japanese text2 | Romanized Japanese1 | English translation1 |
|---|---|---|
| 筑波嶺の 峰より落つる みなの川 恋ぞつもりて 淵となりぬる | Tsukubane no mine yori otsuru Minanogawa koi zo tsumorite fuchi to narinuru | Just as the Minano River surges from the peak of Mount Tsukuba so my love cascades to make deep pools. |
Footnotes
1. MacMillan, P. (2018) ”One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each: A Treasury of Classical Japanese Verse”. St. Ives: Penguin Classics.
2. Suzuki, H. et al. (1997) ”Genshoku: Ogura Hyakunin Isshu”. Tokyo: Bun’eidō.
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