Shūishū

The Shūishū (拾遺和歌集 – Collection of Waka Gleanings), known in full as the Shūi Wakashū was the 3rd of the Imperial Anthologies compiled between 1005-1011.

Fujiwara no Kintō is known to have been involved in the editing of the collection.¹

The second poem in Priest Manzei’s poetic sequence is found in this anthology.²

Included Poets

Footnotes

1. MacMillan, P. (2018) ”One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each: A Treasury of Classical Japanese Verse”. St. Ives: Penguin Classics.
2. Miller, R. A.. (1981) “The Lost Poetic Sequence of the Priest Manzei”. Monumenta Nipponica. Vol.36 No.2 pp.133-172

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Shin-Kokinshū

The Shin-Kokinshū (新古今和歌集– New Collection of Waka Ancient and Modern), know in full as the Shinkokin Wakashū was the 8th Imperial Anthology to be commissioned and compiled.

This particular compendium of waka was commissioned by the Retired Emperor Go-Toba and was initially shown to him in 1205 before final completion in 1210.

It was compiled by six people from the Bureau of Poetry. These being Fujiwara no Teika, Fujiwara no Ietaka, Priest Jakuren, Fujiwara no Masatsune, Fujiwara no Ariie and Minamoto no Mitchitomo with pre-face written by Kujō Yoshitsune

The documented was further edited by the Retired Emperor and both the 1210 and edited versions are still extant. Though the former is seen as the standard version.¹

The contents of the manuscript mention the Principles of Integration employed in the compilation of poetic anthologies.²

Poets Included

Footnotes

1. MacMillan, P. (2018) ”One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each: A Treasury of Classical Japanese Verse”. St. Ives: Penguin Classics.
2. Miller, R. A.. (1981) “The Lost Poetic Sequence of the Priest Manzei”. Monumenta Nipponica. Vol.36 No.2 pp.133-172

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• • Period: Heian Period
  • Occupation: Waka Poet
  • Family: Ōe no Otondo
  • Birth: fl. c.889-c.923
  • Death: –

Ōe no Chisato

Ōe no Chisato (大江千里) was a waka poet and courtier who flourished between c.889-c.923.

Coming from a prominent family¹ he was the son of Ōe no Otondo³ and nephew to Ariwara no Narihira and Ariwara no Yukihira.

In his life he authored the kudai waka, also known as the chisato-shū which was a selection of waka based on lines from various Chinese poems.

Additionally, he had 25 poems in the Imperial Anthologies.

One of his poems (No.23) can be found in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu and goes as follows:¹

Japanese text2	Romanized Japanese1	English translation1
月見れば 千々に物こそ 悲しけれ わが身ひとつの 秋にはあらねど	tsuki mireba chiji ni mono koso kanashikere waga mi hitotsu no aki ni wa aranedo	Thoughts of a thousand things fill me with melancholy as I gaze upon the moon, but autumn's dejection comes not to me alone.

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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Gosen Wakashū

The Gosen Wakashū (後撰和歌集, Later Collection of Japanese Poems), often abbreviated to the Gosenshū, was a Japanese compendium of poetry and the second of the official Imperial Anthologies.

Creation

The anthology was created under the orders of Emperor Murakami (r.946-967) and though the completion date is unsure it is thought to perhaps have been around 955. The compilation was undertaken by the five members of the Nashitsubo no Gonin. These being Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu, Kiyohara no Motosuke, Minamoto no Shitagō. Ki no Tokibumi and Sakanoue no Mochiki.

At the age of 26, Fujiwara no Koretada was chosen as a superintendant of the editorial commitee for the Gosenshū.³

Contents

In total there are 1426 poems inside 20 books and the collection was to serve as a supplimentary to the earlier Kokinshū.

None of the poems are by the compilers of the work, with all 219 poets included being from the late 9th and early 10th centuries.¹

Many poems inside answer each other as a form of poetic dialogue and many include prose notes detailing the circumstances in which they were composed.²

Poets Included

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

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Ariwara Family

The Ariwara Family (在原氏) is one of the various Clans of Japan.

Creation

This particular family name was gifted to the children of two different Imperial Princes. First it was given to the children of the deposed Prince Takaoka by Emperor Saga, and later in 826AD Emperor Junna gave the name to the four sons of Prince Abo.¹

Decendants of Prince Abo

• • Ariwara no Motokata
  • Ariwara no Munehari – d.898AD
  • Ariwara no Narihira – 825-880AD
  • Ariwara no Yukihira – 818-893AD

Footnotes

1. Kodansha. (1993) ”Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia”. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.

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• • Period: Heian Period
  • Occupation: Waka Poet, Third Rank of the office of chūnagon
  • Family: Prince Abo (father) Ariwara no Narihira (brother) Ōe no Chisato (nephew)
  • Birth: 818
  • Death: 893

Ariwara no Yukihira

Ariwara no Yukihira (在原 行平) was a member of the Ariwara Family and a known poet during his time, living from 818-893AD. He was the grandson of Emperor Heizei, eldest brother of Ariwara no Narihira and uncle to Ōe no Chisato.

Throughout his life and career he is said to have held superior taste and managed to rise to the rank of Third Rank of the office of chūnagon.¹

He is known to have founded the Shōgaku-in to educate the Ariwara Family.²

A noh play entitled matsukaze (Winds in the Pines) tells of a love between him and two sisters in a remote seaside location in Suma. He leaves the sisters and we see them waiting for his return.

He is known for many poems, all of them included in the same anthologies as his brother, these being the Kokinshū, Gosenshū, Shuishū and Shin-Kokinshū.². One of his poems (No.16) 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. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.
3. Suzuki, H. et al. (1997) ”Genshoku: Ogura Hyakunin Isshu”. Tokyo: Bun’eidō.

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• • Period: Heian Period
  • Occupation: Waka Poet / Painter
  • Family: Prince Abo (father) Ariwara no Munehari (son) Ariwara no Yukihira (brother) Ōe no Chisato (nephew)
  • Birth: 825
  • Death: 880

Ariwara no Narihira

Ariwara no Narihira (在原 業平) was a renowed poet and painter from the early Heian Period living from 825 to 880.⁴

Many stories have grown up around him saying that he was an rather legendary lover, the Tales of Ise account many tales both historical and ficitional about him.¹ Some also credit him as the author of the Tales of Ise⁴⁵ and in addition his poems used in this book were used as a manual for the study of poetry.⁵

His ancestry can trace back to the Imperial family, as a son of Prince Abo, he was the grandson of Emperor Heizei on his father side, and of Kanmu on his mothers.¹ He was father of Ariwara no Munehari, brother of Ariwara no Yukihira⁴ and uncle of Ōe no Chisato.¹

He is listed as one of the Six Poetic Geniuses as well as one of the Thirty-Six Poetic Geniuses and 87 of his poems can be found in the Imperial Anthologies.¹⁵ These include the Gosenshū, Kokinshū, Shuishū and Shinkokinshū.⁴

He also has a personal collection of poetry known as the Narihirashū.⁵

We can find a criticism of him in the preface of the Kokinshū written by Ki no Tsurayuki which states:

• • His feelings are too strong; his words, insufficient. His poetry is, so to speak, a faded flower in which a fragrance lingers.⁵

One of his poems (No.17) can be found in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu and goes as follows:¹

Another of his poems talks of a now lost temple, and serves as one of the few references we have of the Temple of Nodera, a temple with connections to the Yōkai known as the Noderabō.³

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: Dover Publications, Inc.
4. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.
5. Kodansha. (1993) ”Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia”. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.

Six Poetic Geniuses
Otomo Kuronushi * Priest Kisen * Ono no Komachi * Archbishop Henjo * Ariwara no Narihira * Fun'ya no Yasuhide

Thirty Six Poetic Geniuses
Lady Ise * Yamabe no Akahito * Ariwara no Narihira * Ki no Tomonori * Sarumaru Taifu * Ono no Komachi * Fujiwara no Kanesuke * Fujiwara no Atsutada * Fujiwara no Toshiyuki * Minamoto no Muneyuki * Minamoto no Shitagō * Kiyohara no Motosuke * Sakanoue no Korenori * Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu * Fujiwara no Okikaze * Fujiwara no Asatada

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