100 Tanka Poems by 100 Poets

Translator: Mutsuo Shukuya himself
Auditor: Bruce Wyman
Supervisor: Boyé Lafayette De Mente

Commentary by Mutsuo Shukuya Post No.7

In this post I continue introducing tanka by poets who lived during the period in which emperors lost political power to the Fujiwara family. As in the former commentary, I have chosen three tanka from the 4th and 8th anthologies. I have previously provided the background of both of them so please see the notes on them mentioned before.

This post presents and explains poems by Seisho-nagon 062 (966-1025) and Kenshi Fujiwara 058 (999-?), the daughter of Murasaki-shikibu, which appeared in the Go-Shui (1186) anthology, and by Murasaki-shikibu herself 057 (978?-1031?), which appeared in the Shin-Kokin (1205) anthology. These three poetesses appear in the family trees which are attached in the following file: Fujiwara, Seisho-nagon & Murasaki-Shikibu.
http://homepage3.nifty.com/PLABOT/family_treesE1.html

When you examine the poems in this file in detail, you can clearly understand the positions of these three famous poets.

In Post 6, I discussed how the grandfather of each empress was in charge of the emperor until he became an adult, and supported each emperor after he became an adult. And in this position, the grandfathers were able to influence the nobles of the Imperial Court—a custom that had been in practice since the mists of time.

That is to say, the story goes back to the period when legendary Izanagi & Izanami, who are ancestors of Imperial family, lived. In this ancient legend of the origins of Japan there is an explanation why haiku or tanka should be composed with 5 and 7 syllabic combinations. When Izanagi (male) and Izanami (female) were going to be married, they exchanged the following verses in order to profess their love to each other.

Female: "What a handsome man / you are indeed!"
Male: "How happy I am / to hear your words!"

However, the baby girl they conceived after their first dialog was not born healthy and normal. Their grandfather, Toyoke-gami said to them: "The combination of the number, i-yo (5/4) is not a suitable verse form as a proposal of marriage because of this, you cannot achieve your purpose. Moreover, the female should follow after the male."

Izanagi, an ancestor of the Imperial family, was Emperor in the mists of time in Japan and Izanami, also ancestor of the Imperial family, was Empress then. But Izanami was at the same time a daughter of Toyouke-gami. That is to say, Toyouke-gami was Father in law of Izanagi and Grandfather of the Crown Prince, Wakahito, that is, the Emperor Amateru.

The grandfather, Toyouke-gami, of Emperor Amateru-kami was in charge of the emperor until he became adult, and supported him after he became an adult. So, in the Ise shrine dedicated to Japan’s founders Toyouke-gami is revered as Gegu and Amateru-kami is revered as Naigu, that is, ancestor of the Imperial family. And everyone is to visit Gegu first.

You will see that Toyouke-gami is an ancestor of the Fujiwara family and Amateru-kami is ancestor of the Imperial family if you look at the family tree (1), which is attached in the following file: the family tree from the mists of time. http://homepage3.nifty.com/PLABOT/the_mists_of_timeE1.html

That is to say, the system that the grandfather of each empress was in charge of the emperor until he became an adult, and supported each emperor after he became an adult goes back to the mists of time.

Furthermore, Emperor Omodaru adopted Izanagi, who was one of his relatives, as he had no children as shown in the family tree which is attached in the file above. And he invited a daughter of Toyouke-gami, Isako, as Empress Izanami.

It is said that Yasumaro Ono, compiler of the legend, Kojiki wrote it based on a Chinese concept, with the names of Japanese ancestors. When you examine the family tree (3), attached in the file above, you can see this clearly.

The first tanka to be introduced in this Post is a poem by Seisho-nagon 062 (966-1025), who was a home tutor of a daughter of Michitaka Fujiwara, Teishi, which appeared in the 4th anthology, Go-Shui (1186).

Seisho-nagon was so intelligent and intellectual that Empress Teishi admired her deeply. And furthermore, during the term of Emperor Ichijyo (the 66th, term 986-1011) when she worked for the Imperial Palace as a tutor of Empress Teishi, her name was very well-known among the aristocrats in the Palace as a lady who had composed tanka with quick and witty contents.

As she was not only intelligent but also especially beautiful that she had a lot of romantic liaisons with many higher class noblemen, such as Sanekata Fujiwara (?-998), Tadanobu Fujiwara (967-1035), Yukinari Fujiwara (972-1027), Tsunefusa Minamoto (969-1023) and so on. This tanka was composed while she was involved with Yukinari Fujiwara. (to see the family tree.) http://homepage3.nifty.com/PLABOT/fujiwara_family_treesE1.html

She wrote an essay, “Makurano-soshi” (1012), which was a precious work and became one of the best literary works in those days. In this work, she commented about nature, human beings and various events such as daily life in the Imperial Palace. Furthermore, she wrote her impressions about tanka and other poems which were written by other poets or poetesses.

In the 7th Chapter, Tanka in December, 'Themes for tanka composition (5)' of my lecture, "Classical Tanka Composition", I quoted her commentary on the traditional Tanka composition whose concept was established by two famous poets, Shunzei, the father & Teika, his son.

We Japanese have long thought that snow is one of the most beautiful things in the scenes of winter, as the author of the essay, "Makurano-soshi", Seisho-Nagon (?-1000-?) mentions in her essay, "In winter I can feel best early in the morning, to say nothing of when the snow has fallen."

062 Seisho-Nagon
(966-1025)

Yo wo ko me te
to ri no so ra ne wa
ha ka ru to mo
yo ni a fu sa ka no
se ki wa yu ru sa ji

You'll never cheat me
no matter how you excuse,
like the mimicry
that cheated the barrier
guard in ancient China
by copying the cock-crow
if I will let you leave here.

In this tanka she is complaining to one of her lovers, Yukinari Fujiwara, who tries to leave her residence without staying long, referring to a Chinese legend. And she refused to let him visit her again in this tanka: If I let you leave my residence for your home, you'll never cheat me no matter what your excuse, like the mimicry that cheated the barrier, guard in ancient China by mimicking the cock-crow. She mentioned how she composed this tanka in Chapter 136 of her essay, “Makurano-soshi.”

A brief summary of the Chinese legend to which her lover-friend refers to is as follows: the Prime Minister of Sei-district, Mosho-kun, who went to Shin-district as a messenger, was caught and put in prison with his followers. But he escaped and tried to run away from the Shin-district. When he came to Kankoku-Vale, he was aware that the gate of this barrier would not open before the first cock-crow in the morning. Bu when a follower who was an expert in mimicking the cock's crow did so the gate opened, allowing him to escape.

So she told her lover, Yukinari Fujiwara that this time it is not Kankoku-Vale in China but the barrier of Osaka(=A fu sa ka no se ki). She was obviously intelligent enough to have to have read the Chinese legend which Yukinari referred to.

The second is a poem by Murasaki-Shikibu 057 (978?-1031?), who was a home tutor of a daughter of Michinaga Fujiwara, Shoshi, which appeared in the 8th anthology, Shin-Kokin (1205). Murasaki-Shikibu was also one of the most intelligent ladies of this era, as well-read in Chinese literature as Seisho-Nagon. And she wrote not only the great work, "Genji-Monogatari" or “The Tale of Genji,” which is still a classic and widely regarded as the world’s first novel, but also the still famous diary, "Murasaki-Shikibu Nikki" and a tanka collection by herself.

057 Murasaki-Shikibu
(978?-1031?)

Me gu ri a hi te
mi shi ya so re to mo
wa ka nu ma ni
ku mo ga ku re ni shi
yo wa no tsu ki ka na

As I happened to
meet you on the street tonight,
I couldn't recognize
whether or not it was you
for you left in haste
as if the moon hid himself
behind thick clouds in the sky.

In this tanka, she expresses her disappointment at not recognizing her friend whom she had met in her childhood, as if the moon suddenly hid himself behind thick clouds in the sky.

The third poem is by a daughter of Murasaki-Shikibu, Kenshi Fujiwara 058 (999-?), which appeared in the 4th anthology, Goshui (1086). Kenshi Fujiwara also became a home tutor of Shoshi, a wife of Emperor Ichijyo, after her mother, Murasaki-Shikibu retired. She also was not only exceptionally intelligent but also so beautiful that she too also had a lot of lovers, such as Yorimune Fujiwara and Sadayori Fujiwara, but at last, she married Kanetaka Fujiwara, a son of Michikane Fujiwara whose brothers were Michitaka and Michinaga. And her daughter was born. She compiled her own tanka collection and her 37 tanka were selected in the anthology, Goshui (1086). To see, access the following link:
http://homepage3.nifty.com/PLABOT/fujiwara_family_treesE2.html

058 Katako Fujiwara
(999-?)

A ri ma ya ma
yi na no sa sa ha ra
ka ze fu ke ba
i de so yo hi to wo
wa su re ya wa su ru

It's you yourself that
have changed your own mind, like the
leaves of bamboo which
flutter in the meadows near
Mt. Arima, and
which the people call Ina:
I have never changed my mind.

In this tanka she complains to one of her lovers whose visits to her residence have gradually declined, like the leaves of bamboo, which flutter in the meadows near Mt. Arima although she herself loved him deeply.