Six Poetic Geniuses

• • See also: Thirty Six Poetic Geniuses, Thirty Six Women Poetic Geniuses, Thirty-Six Poetic Geniuses of the Late Classical Period
    

Six Poetic Geniuses

Six Poetic Geniuses (六歌仙, Rokkasen) were a group of 6 Poets mentioned by Ki no Tsurayuki in the preface of the Kokinshū as the six best poets of the Heian Period.

All of these poets have their poems in the Kokinshū and all (except Otomo Kuronushi) can find their poems in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.

The poets listed are Otomo Kuronushi, Ono no Komachi, Henjo, Ariwara no Narihira, Fun’ya no Yasuhide and Priest Kisen.

This list of six later found itself superceeded by later lists such as the Thirty-Six Poetic Geniuses.¹

Otomo Kuronushi	Ono no Komachi
Priest Henjo	Ariwara no Narihira
Fun'ya no Yasuhide	Priest Kisen

Footnotes

1. MacMillan, P. (2018) ”One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each: A Treasury of Classical Japanese Verse”. St. Ives: Penguin Classics.

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