One Thousand Summers

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Showing posts with the label Empress Shōshi [Fujiwara no Shōshi / Jōtōmon-in]

Hyakunin Isshu: poem 61 (Ise no Tayū [Ise no Taifu]・inishie no)

After many, many years, eight-fold cherries of the capital in Nara, now bloom inside the nine-fold palace.*

Ōkagami: from chapter 5・Tōshi monogatari (Tales of the Fujiwara Family)

Senior Grand Empress Shōshi is to enter religion, it seems, and to become an Imperial Lady with the same status as a Retired Emperor. People say that she will receive the commandments at an ordination platform erected at the Hōjōji, and that other nuns are eager to come and receive them with her. When my wife heard the news, she said, “ That is when I will crop my white head. Don't try to stop me. ”

Hyakunin Isshu: poem 57 (Murasaki Shikibu・meguriaite)

Long last we meet, only for you to leave hurriedly, so I could not recognise you, like the moon hidden behind the clouds. 1

Principal Collections of waka

as discussed on this blog

・Man’yōshū 万葉集

Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves; around 759 (not an imperial anthology)

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

・Kokinshū 古今集

Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern; 905

・Gosenshū 後撰集

Later Collection; 953

・Shūishū 拾遺集

Collection of Gleanings; 1005−1007

・Goshūishū 後拾遺集

Later Collection of Gleanings; 1086

・Kin‘yōshū 金葉集

Collection of Golden Leaves; 1127

・Shikashū 詞花集

Collection of Verbal Flowers; 1151

・Senzaishū 千載集

Collection of a Thousand Years; 1187

・Shinkokinshū 新古今集

New Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern; presented in 1205, finished by 1216

・Shinchokusenshū 新勅撰集

New Imperial Waka Collection; 1235

Main Genres of Classical Japanese Literature

Waka 和歌 or Japanese poems, are most often 31-syllable short poems in the patter of 5-7-5-7-7, that are also called tanka 短歌or short poems, but waka also encompasses long poems or chōka 長歌, written in a pattern 5-7-5-7...5-7-7.

Monogatari 物語 or tales encompass a wide variery of Japanese vernacular prose. Although monogatari are mostly prose, they frequently have poetic inserts.

Nikki 日記 means a diary, but the genre encompasses many works that are closer to memoirs than diaries.

Zuihitsu 随筆 is a genre close to essays.

For a more detailed list, see the dedicated Main Genres of Classical Japanese Literature page.