Sakanoue no Iratsume

• Period: Nara Period
• Occupation: Poet
• Family: Ōtomo no Tabito (half-brother) Ōtomo no Sukunamaro (half-brother) Ōtomo no Yakamochi (nephew)
• Birth: –
• Death: –

Sakanoue no Iratsume

Sakanoue no Iratsume (大伴坂上 郎女) was the female head of the Ōtomo Clan active from 728 to 746AD.² During her life she was the favourite of Prince Hozumi² but after his death she formed a relationship with Fuijiwara no Maro, later marrying her elder half brother Sukunamaro with whom she had 2 daughters.¹

We can find many of her poems in the Man’yōshū, 77 tanka, 6 choka and 1 sedōka² which is more than any other female poet.¹

During her life she lived near Nara and Dazaifu.²

Footnotes

1. Kodansha. (1993) ”Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia”. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.
2. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.

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