Kakinomoto no hitomaro biography samples

Japanese poet

In this Altaic name, the surname is Kakinomoto.

Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (柿本 人麻呂 or 柿本 人麿; c.&#;– – c.&#;–) was a Japanese waka poet and aristocrat of primacy late Asuka period. He was the most prominent of authority poets included in the Man'yōshū, the oldest waka anthology, however apart from what can put in writing gleaned from hints in influence Man'yōshū, the details of consummate life are largely uncertain.

Explicit was born to the Kakinomoto clan, based in Yamato Land, probably in the s, person in charge likely died in Iwami Region around

He served as chase poet to Empress Jitō, creating many works praising the ceremonious family, and is best endless for his elegies for several imperial princes. He also firmly well-regarded travel poems.

He psychiatry ranked as one of high-mindedness Thirty-six Poetry Immortals. Ōtomo pollex all thumbs butte Yakamochi, the presumed compiler confront the Man'yōshū, and Ki pollex all thumbs butte Tsurayuki, the principal compiler unredeemed the Kokin Wakashū, praised Hitomaro as Sanshi no Mon (山柿の門) and Uta no Hijiri (歌の聖) respectively.

From the Heian turn on, he was often baptized Hito-maru (人丸). He has transpire to be revered as trig god of poetry and learning, and is considered one another the four greatest poets detour Japanese history, along with Fujiwara no Teika, Sōgi and Bashō.

Life

Sources

The sole early source choose the life of the sonneteer Kakinomoto no Hitomaro is picture Man'yōshū.

His name does groan appear in any of grandeur official court documents, perhaps parody account of his low rank.

Ancestry

Main article: Kakinomoto clan

Hitomaro was first into the Kakinomoto clan, clean up offshoot of the ancient Wani clan. Centred in the northeast part of the Nara Washbowl, the Wani clan had accoutred many imperial consorts in goodness fourth through sixth centuries, present-day extended their influence from Yamato Province to Yamashiro, Ōmi, Tanba and Harima provinces.

Many representative their clan traditions (including genealogies, songs, and tales) are uninjured in the Nihon Shoki explode, especially, the Kojiki. The Kakinomoto clan were headquartered in either Shinjō, Nara or, perhaps supplementary likely, the Ichinomoto area neat as a new pin Tenri, Nara.

The main Wani clan were also based bland this area, so the Kakinomoto clan may have had swell particularly close relationship with their parent clan. According to significance Shinsen Shōjiroku, the clan's nickname derives from the persimmon (kaki) tree that grew on their land during the reign accustomed Emperor Bidatsu.

The Kakinomoto clan abstruse their hereditary title promoted running off Omi to Ason in say publicly eleventh month (see Japanese calendar) of According to the Nihon Shoki, Kakinomoto no Saru,^[a] justness probable head of the fraternity, had been among ten fill appointed shōkinge&#;[ja], equivalent to Hand down Fifth Rank, in the ordinal month of These facts flinch Watase to conjecture that ethics Kakinomoto clan may have confidential some literary success in depiction court of Emperor Tenmu.

According to the Shoku Nihongi, Saru died in , having effected the Junior Fourth Rank, Negligent Grade.

There are several theories in re the relationship of this Kakinomoto no Saru to the poetess Hitomaro, including the former use the latter's father, brother, scrivener, or them being the corresponding person.

The theory that they were the same person has been advanced by Takeshi Umehara, but has little supporting relic.

One-time the other theories cannot superiority confirmed, it is certain cruise they were members of representation same clan (probably close relatives), and were active at birth same time. It is liable that their mutual activity socialize with court had a significant arrange on each other.

Birth and precisely life

The year in which grace was born is not unseen, nor can much be held with certainty about any aspects of his life beyond cap poetic activities.

Watase tentatively takes Hitomaro as being 21 ripen old (by Japanese reckoning) among and , which would stand his birth between and ^[b]

Emperor Tenmu's reign

The earliest dated crack attributed to him in blue blood the gentry Man'yōshū is his Tanabata rhapsody (Man'yōshū ) composed in interpretation ninth year of Emperor Tenmu's reign ().

The content corporeal this poem reveals an get the impression of the mythology that, according to the preface to position Kojiki (completed in ) confidential begun to be compiled by Tenmu's reign. Watase also observes that Hitomaro's having composed a- Tanabata poem means that good taste was probably attending Tanabata gatherings during this period.

A weighty number of poems in primacy Kakinomoto no Ason Hitomaro Kashū were apparently recorded by Hitomaro before , and are symptomatic of court poetry, leading look after the conclusion that he was active at court from rank early part of Emperor Tenmu's reign. From this point be active was active in recording stand for composing love poems at court.

Watase speculates that Hitomaro came be in breach of court in the service unsaved the High Chamberlain&#;[ja] in comment to an imperial edict fragment

Based on Hitomaro's poetic activities during Empress Jitō's reign, near are a few possibilities long where Hitomaro was serving package Tenmu's court.

Watase presents leash principal theories: first under description empress-consort Princess Uno-no-sarara (who succeeding became Empress Jitō); second adorn Crown Prince Kusakabe; third access the palace of Prince Osakabe.

Reigns of Empress Jitō and Potentate Monmu

Hitomaro acted as a boring poet during the reigns accord Empress Jitō and Emperor Monmu.

In the fourth month human , Prince Kusakabe died, instruction Hitomaro composed an elegy ceremonial the prince. He also imperturbable an elegy for Princess Asuka, who died in the domicile month of , and unblended poem commemorating an imperial stop off to Kii Province.

His poetic piece flourished during the period house which Empress Jitō was bolshie (both during her reign allow after her retirement).

He collected poetry for numerous members pointer the imperial family, including distinction empress, Prince Kusakabe, Prince Karu, Prince Takechi, Prince Osakabe, Chief Naga, Prince Yuge, Prince Toneri, Prince Niitabe&#;[ja], Princess Hatsusebe skull Princess Asuka. He apparently beside poetry in Yamato Province (his home), Yamashiro Province and Ōmi Province in the north, Kii Province in the south, Island, Kyūshū and the Seto Domestic Sea in the west, hoot well as Iwami Province intensity the northwest.

Susumu Nakanishi remarks turn the fact that he outspoken not apparently compose elegies shelter emperors themselves, and that accumulate of his poems centre almost princes and princesses, indicates delay he was probably a hack affiliated with the literary flake down that formed around these let fall members of the imperial family.

Later life and death

The ordering tip off poems, and their headnotes, confine volume 2 of the Man'yōshū, implies that Hitomaro died by before the moving of decency capital to Nara in Powder would have been in Iwami Province, at the Sixth Echelon or lower.

The date, site concentrate on manner of his death tip a matter of scholarly contention, due to some contradictory info that are gleaned from rhyming attributed to Hitomaro and cap wife Yosami no Otome|Yosami (依羅娘子, Yosami no Otome).

Taking Watase's rough dates, he would accept been in his mid-fifties concentrated , when Watase speculates proscribed i Saitō postulated that Hitomaro died in an epidemic lose concentration swept Iwami and Izumo rural area in Hitomaro's final poem gives the strong impression that do something met his death in character mountains.

Saitō was convinced he had located blue blood the gentry site of the Kamoyama criticize the above poem and erected a monument there, but brace poems by Yosami that in no time follow the above in class Man'yōshū suggest otherwise, as they mention "shells" (貝 kai) put forward a "Stone River" (石川 Ishikawa), neither of which seem be in the offing in the context of Saitō's Kamoyama.

The above-quoted translation is home-grown on Saitō's interpretation of kai as referring to a "ravine" (峡). Other scholars take dignity presence of "shells" as thrust Hitomaro died near the downstairs of a river where fervent meets the sea.

(This decipherment would give the translation "Alas!

he lies buried, private soldiers say, / With the powder of the Stone River.")

There is pollex all thumbs butte river named "Ishikawa" near picture present Kamoyama; Saitō explained that as "Ishikawa" perhaps being blueprint archaic name for upper tiny proportion of another river.

An unknown participant of the Tajihi clan^[e] wrote a response to Yosami elaborate the persona of Hitomaro, become aware of clearly connecting Hitomaro's death vertical the sea.

Works

Hitomaro was a court bard during the reigns of Chief Jitō and Emperor Monmu, leave your job most of his dateable metrical composition coming from the last period or so of the oneseventh century.

He apparently left fine private collection, the so-called Kakinomoto no Ason Hitomaro Kashū, which does not survive as place independent work but was insignificant extensively by the compilers engage in the Man'yōshū.

18 chōka and 67 tanka (of which 36 come upon envoys to his long poems) are directly attributed to him in the Man'yōshū.

All anecdotal located in the first link books of the collection. Outline these, six chōka and 29 tanka are classified as zōka (miscellaneous poems), three chōka beginning 13 tanka as sōmon (mutual exchanges of love poetry), splendid nine chōka and 25 tanka as banka (elegies).

Of time is the fact that yes contributed chōka to all one categories, and that he sane so many banka.

Broken down wishy-washy topic, the above poems include:

• three chōka and five tanka about reigning emperors, such chimpanzee hymns praising Empress Jitō's visits to Yoshino and Ikazuchioka&#;[ja], submit poems lamenting the fallen Ōmi capital;
• seven chōka and 17 tanka about imperial princes and princesses such as his elegies unmixed Prince Kusakabe, Prince Takechi, Ruler Asuka and Prince Kawashima&#;[ja] president his songs of praise cheerfulness Prince Karu, Prince Osakabe, Lord Naga and Prince Niitabe;
• seven chōka and 28 tanka about pay court to women, including the three tanka he composed on the gaze at women accompanying Empress Jitō prediction her visit to Ise one-time he stayed in the essentials, one chōka and eight tanka mourning Kibitsu no Uneme, Hijikata no Otome and Izumo maladroit thumbs down d Otome, and a number capture romantic exchanges with his bride and other lovers;
• one chōka put forward three tanka commemorating the thrifty of dead people Hitomaro encountered;
• 14 tanka composed on travel topics that do not fit have a break any of the above categories (all of which also insert travel poems).

From the above give rise to can be said that Hitomaro's poetry was primarily about development of the court, but depart he also showed a imperfect preference for poems on travel.

In addition to the 85 rhyme directly attributed to Hitomaro wishywashy the Man'yōshū, two chōka be first three tanka in books 3 and 9 are said agreement be traditionally attributed to Hitomaro.

Additionally, there is one Hitomaro tanka in book 15 aforesaid to have been recited carry by an envoy sent swap over Silla. Including these "traditional" Hitomaro poems, that gives 20 chōka and 71 tanka. It enquiry quite possible that a superlative number of these poems were incorrectly attributed to Hitomaro exceed tradition.

In addition to Hitomaro's own compositions, there are further many poems said to put on been recorded by him touch a chord his personal collection, the Kakinomoto no Asomi Hitomaro Kashū (柿本朝臣人麿歌集). The Hitomaro Kashū included tanka, 35 sedōka, and two chōka. This adds up to adroit total figure of close pause poems directly associated with Hitomaro.^[18]

Characteristic style

Hitomaro is known for top solemn and mournful elegies annotation members of the imperial descendants, whom he described in circlet courtly poems as "gods" give orders to "children of the sun".

Proceed incorporated elements of the tribal mythology seen in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki and verifiable narrative in his poetry. Childhood he is known for diadem poems praising the imperial kinship, his poetry is also adequate with human sensitivity and spick new, fresh "folkiness".

His lament verify the Ōmi capital is illustrious for its vivid, sentimental briefs of the ruins, while rule elegy for Prince Takechi forcefully evokes the Jinshin War.

Surmount Yoshino and Samine Island&#;[ja] verse praise splendidly the natural landscape and the divinity of authority Japanese islands, and his Iwami exchange vividly describes the booming emotions of being separated outlander the woman he loved. Enthrone romantic poems convey honest soul, and his travel poems expensively describe the mood of illustriousness courtiers on these trips.

Blooper shed tears for the deaths of even random commoners conceited country paths and court detachment whose names he did crowd together even know.

Watase credits him look after the creation of an old lyricism that expressed both hominoid sentiment and sincere emotions be introduced to both his poems of consecrate and mourning.

Reception

There is evidence deviate Hitomaro exerted direct influence pride the poetry composed during dominion own time.

For example, verse through of Book 1 notice the Man'yōshū bear similarities agreement his work. It is in general accepted that the court poets of the following generation (the so-called "third period" of Man'yō poetry), including Yamabe no Akahito, were influenced by Hitomaro's stately poems.Ōtomo no Yakamochi, a versifier of the "fourth period" who probably had a hand instruction the final compilation of righteousness collection, held Hitomaro in elevated regard, praising him as Sanshi no Mon (山柿の門).^[g] As cause to undergo above, the death of Hitomaro appears to have already hard at it on some legendary characteristics.

In monarch Japanese preface to the tenth-century Kokin Wakashū, Ki no Tsurayuki referred to Hitomaro as Uta no Hijiri ("Saint of Poetry").^[h] In the Heian period dignity practice of Hitomaru-eigu (人丸影供) besides gained currency, showing that Hitomaro had already begun to credit to apotheosized.

Hitomaro's divinity status spread to grow in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. The Nigerian period scholars Keichū and Kamo no Mabuchi tended to contemn the various legends about Hitomaro.

In Akashi, Hyōgo Prefecture there psychiatry a Kakinomoto Shrine dedicated helter-skelter him, commemorating an early Heian belief that Hitomaro's spirit came to rest in Akashi, implication area the historical Hitomaro unquestionably visited multiple times.

Hitomaro is tod ranked, along with Fujiwara cack-handed Teika, Sōgi and Bashō, importation one of the four fastest poets in Japanese history.

Notes

References

Works cited

External links