Fujiwara no Sanekata
Hear about Fujiwara no Sanetaka on Episode 13 of our Podcast, the Japan Archives. |  |  |
- Period: Heian Period
- Occupation: Waka Poet, Governor.
- Family: Fujiwara no Tadahira (great-grandfather)
- Birth: –
- Death: 998AD
Fujiwara no Sanekata
Fujiwara no Sanekata (藤原 実方) was a member of the Fujiwara Clan, more specifically the Hokke Branch of this clan. He was the great-grandson of the poet Fujiwara no Tadahira. He was a renowned poet during his lifetime with 68 of his poems appearing in imperial waka anthologies. In addition he had a private collection of poetry and during his life he served as the Commander of the Imperial Guard. There are those who cite him as the lover of Sei Shonagon.
In 995AD it is said that he was appointed as the Governor of Mutsu Province. However, there are other documents which give a different story. One such document is the Kojidan (Reminiscing on Old Times, 1215-15) where it says that Emperor Ichijo exiled him to this province after he argued with Fujiwara no Yukinari.
It is said in that document that the Emperor said ‘go and visit some poetic locations,’ before exiling him.1
Other tales relates that he then turning into a form of Yōkai known as the Nyūnai-Suzume (入内雀 Palace Sparrows), such was his anger and longing to return home.
As a flock of sparrows, he is said to have ravaged the kitchens of the Imperial Palace. This creature is depicted in the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki.3
He died in Mutsu Province in 998AD.1
One of his poems is included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, his is the 51st in the sequence and reads:
| Japanese text2 | Romanized Japanese1 | English translation1 |
|---|---|---|
| かくとだに えやはいぶきの さしも草 さしも知らじな 燃ゆる思ひを | Kaku to dani e ya wa ibuki no sashimo-gusa sa shimo shiraji na moyuru omoi wo | Because my feelings are too great to put into words, my heart blazes like the moxa of Mount Ibuki, with a love you cannot know. |
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.
3. Yoda, H. and Alt, M. (2016) “Japandemonium: Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopaedia of Toriyama Sekien.”. New York: over Publications, Inc.
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