• • Period: Heian Period
  • Occupation: Lady-in-Waiting, Nun, Poet
  • Family: Ōe no Masahira (husband)
  • Birth: c.957
  • Death: 1041

Akazome Emon

Akazome Emon (赤染衛門) living from c.957-1041, was the Lady-in-Waiting to Minamoto no Rinshi¹², and potentially her daughter Empress Shōshi.¹

She was married to Ōe no Masahira and later became a nun after his passing at the end of her life.²

One of the foremost female poets during her life at court we can find 93 of her poems in Imperial Anthologies beginning with the Shūi wakashū.

Her personal anthology the Akazomeshū contains over 600 poems.¹²

She has traditionally been creditted with writing a part of the Eiga Monogatari¹² as well as a travel diary called Owari kikō.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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Senzaishū

The Senzaishū (千載和歌集 – Collection of 1000 Years), known in full as the Sanzai Wakashū, was one of the Imperial Anthologies.

Compiled in 1187 by Fujiwara no Shunzei it was revised and completed the following year.¹

Poets included

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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Shinchokusenshū

The Shinchokusenshū (新勅撰和歌集 – New Imperial Waka Collection), known in full as the Shinchokusen Wakashū was an Imperial Anthology compiled in 1235 by Fujiwara no Teika, including writing the preface.¹

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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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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The Goshūishū (後撰和歌集 – Later Collection of Waka Gleanings) which in full is known as the Goshūi wakashū, was an Imperial Anthology compiled in 1086 by Fujiwara no Michitoshi of which he also wrote the preface.

Poems 58 in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu is a reply to Poem 708 from the Goshūishū.¹

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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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: Mibu no Tadami (son)
  • Birth: fl.893-920
  • Death: –

Mibu no Tadamine

Mibu no Tadamine (壬生忠岑) was a Heian poet who flourished between 893 and 920AD. He was the father of Mibu no Tadami and acted as one of the four compilers of the Kokinshū.

We can find 82 of his poems in the Imperial Anthologies, 35 of them coming from the Kokinshū. He also had a personal collection of poems.

Even after his death his poetry was held in high regard, with Kintō placing one of his poems in the highest level of his waka kuhon (Nine Levels of waka) alongside Kakinomoto no Hitomaro.

One of his poems (No.30) can be found in the ogura hyakunin isshu and goes as follows:¹

Japanese text2	Romanized Japanese1	English translation1
有明の つれなくみえし 別れより 暁ばかり うきものはなし	Ariake no tsurenaku mieshi wakare yori akatsuki bakari uki mono wa nashi	How cold the face of the morning moon! Since we parted nothing is so miserable as the approaching dawn.

Gallery

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.

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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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• • Period: Heian Period / Kamakura Period
  • Occupation: Waka Poet
  • Family: Fujiwara no Nobunari (father)
  • Birth: c.1130
  • Death:  c.1200

Inpumon’in no Tayū

Inpumon’in no Tayū (殷富門院大輔) was a Japanese poet and daughter to Fujiwara no Nobunari who lived from c.1130-c.1200.

During her lifetime she served Princess Ryoshi.

She was held in high regard by Teika and is seen to have participated in many poetry contests, and was a member of the Karin’en Poetic Circle.

We can find 63 of her poems in the Imperial Anthologies as well as in a private collection.¹

One of her poems (No.90) can be found in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu and goes as follows:

Japanese text2	Romanized Japanese1	English translation1
見せばやな 雄島のあまの 袖だにも ぬれにぞぬれし 色はかはらず	Misebayana Ojima no ama no sode dani mo nure ni zo nureshi iro wa kawarazu	How I would like to show you - the fishermen's sleeves of Ojima are drenched, but even so have not lost their colour, as minehave, bathed in endless tears.

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.

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