Ōe no Masahira

Ōe no Masahira (大江 匡衡) lived from 952-1012 and was the husband of Akazome Emon.¹

Footnotes

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

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• • 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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• • Period: Kamakura Period
  • Occupation: –
  • Family: Abutsu-ni (wife)
  • Birth: –
  • Death: –

Fujiwara no Tameie

Fujiwara no Tameie (藤原 為家) was a member of the Fujiwara Clan.

Around c.1250 he took as his second wife Abutsu-ni.¹

Footnotes

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

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• • Period: Kamakura Period
  • Occupation: –
  • Family: Abutsu-ni (mother)
  • Birth: –
  • Death: –

Reizei Tamesuke

Reizei Tamesuke (冷泉 為相) was a member of the Reizei Family, a descendant of the Fujiwara Clan.

During his lifetime his mother had a dispute in regards to property. She went to Kamakura to arrange for a transfer of possesion to her son Reizei Tamesuke, though she died before a judgement was given.¹

Footnotes

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

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• • Period: Kamakura Period
  • Occupation: Waka Poet, Author, Lady-in-Waiting, Nun.
  • Family: Fujiwara no Tameie (husband) Reizei Tamesuke (son)
  • Birth: –
  • Death: 1283AD

Abutsu-ni

Abutsu-ni (阿仏尼) was a waka poet who died in 1283.

She is best known as the author of the Izayoi Nikki and during her life served as Lady-in-Waiting to Empress Anka Mon’in.

Her additional works were Yoru no tsuru as well as generally being the accepted author of Utatane no ki¹. Her poems can be found in the Shoku kokinshū, Gyokuyō-shū and Fūga-shū.²

Around c.1250 she became the secondary wife of Fujiwara no Tameie, later becoming a nun once her husband passed away in 1275.¹

During her lifetime there was a dispute in regards to property and so she went to Kamakura to arrange for a transfer of possesion to her son Reizei Tamesuke, though she died before a judgement was given.²

She was also known as Anka Mon’in no Sijō and Anka Mon’in Emon no Suke during her lifetime.¹

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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• • Period: Heian Period
  • Occupation: –
  • Family: –
  • Birth: 1047AD
  • Death: 1099AD

Fujiwara no Michitoshi

Fujiwara no Michitoshi (藤原 経平) lived from 1047 to 1099 and is know to have compiled the Goshūishū in 1086 of which he also wrote 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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Minamoto no Michitomo

Minamoto no Michitomo (源 通具) lived from 1171 to 1237 and during his life became part of the Bureau of Poetry working with five others on the compilation of the Shin-Kokinshū.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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• • 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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Hear about Ōshikōchi no Mitsune on Episode 60E of our Podcast, the Japan Archives.

• • Period: Heian Period
  • Occupation: Waka Poet
  • Family:
  • Birth: –
  • Death: c.925

Ōshikōchi no Mitsune

Ōshikōchi no Mitsune (凡河内 躬恒) was a Heian poet who had a modest career in imperial bureaucracy, dying around 925.

He was a renowned poet whose service were often requested by his friends as well as the Emperor, included as one of the Thirty Six Poetic Geniuses

He acted as one of the compilers of the Kokinshū and can find a total of 196 of his poems in the Imperial Anthologies after the Kokinshū.¹ 60 poems can be found in the Kokinshū itself and he is also known to have had a personal collection called the mitsune-shū which depending on the edition contains between 140 and 384 (482⁴) poems.³

These poems can also be found on screens (byōbu-uta) and as part of poetry competitions (uta-awase).

One of his poems (No.29) can be found in the ogura hyakunin isshu and goes as follows:¹

Japanese text2	Romanized Japanese1	English translation1
心あてに 折らばや折らむ 初霜の おきまどはせる 白菊の花	Kokoroate ni oraba ya oran hatsishimo no okimadowaseru shiragiku no hana	To pluck a stem I shall have to guess, for I cannot tell apart white chrysanthemums from the first frost.

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

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• • Period: Heian Period
  • Occupation: Waka Poet, Priest, Caligrapher
  • Family: Henjo (father)
  • Birth: fl. 9th/early 10th century.
  • Death: –

Priest Sosei

Priest Sosei (素性 or 素性法師) was a waka poet, calligrapher and Priest who flourished around the end of the 9th and early 10th century.

Prior to taking the name Sosei he was known as Yoshimine no Harutoshi and was the son of Henjo. It is said his father was the one to urge him to enter into religion.

He was well renowned for his poems and calligraphy skill and was a favourite of Emperor Uda.

He was included in Fujiwara no Kintō’s Thirty Six Poetic Geniuses, had 36 of his poems in the kokinshū as well as a personal collection of poems known as the sosei hōshi-shū.

One of his poems (No.21) was included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, and goes as follows:¹

Japanese text2	Romanized Japanese1	English translation1
今来むと いひしばかりに 長月の ありあけの月を 待ちいでつるかな	ima kon to iishi bakari ni nagatsuki no ariake no tsuki o machiidetsurukana	As you said, "I'm coming right away.' I waited for you through the long autumn night, but only the moon greeted me at the cold light of dawn.

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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