Kiyohara no Motosuke

• Period: Heian Period
• Occupation: Nashitsubo no Gonin, Poet
• Family: Kiyohara no Fukayabu (grandfather) Sei Shonagon (daughter)
• Birth: 908AD
• Death: 990AD

Kiyohara no Motosuke

Kiyohara no Motosuke (清原 元輔) was a Heian Period poet living between 908 and 990AD. He was the grandson of Kiyohara no Fukayabu,¹ and was the father of Sei Shonagon.¹³

During his life he served in various provinces, and later was given the role of Nashitsubo no Gonin and holding that postion he helped compile the Gosenshū¹³ and write literary critiques on the Man’yōshū.¹

We can find over 100 of his poems inside the Imperial Waka Anthologies, as well as in a large private collection.

He is listed as one of the Thirty Six Poetic Geniuses and one of his poems (No.42) can be found in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu and goes as follows:¹

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. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.

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