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Hitomaro
was a Japanese ''waka'' poet and aristocrat of the late Asuka period. He was the most prominent of the poets included in the ''Man'yōshū'', the oldest ''waka'' anthology, but apart from what can be gleaned from hints in the ''Man'yōshū'', the details of his life are largely uncertain. He was born to the Kakinomoto clan, based in Yamato Province, probably in the 650s, and likely died in Iwami Province around 709. He served as court poet to Empress Jitō, creating many works praising the imperial family, and is best remembered for his elegies for various imperial princes. He also composed well-regarded travel poems. He is ranked as one of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals. Ōtomo no Yakamochi, the presumed compiler of the ''Man'yōshū'', and Ki no Tsurayuki, the principal compiler of the ''Kokin Wakashū'', praised Hitomaro as ''Sanshi no Mon'' (山柿の門) and ''Uta no Hijiri'' (歌の聖) respectively. From the Heian period on, he was often called Hito-maru (人丸). He h ...
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Man'yōshū
The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in a series of compilers, is today widely believed to be Ōtomo no Yakamochi, although numerous other theories have been proposed. The chronologically last datable poem in the collection is from AD 759 ( 4516). It contains many poems from a much earlier period, with the bulk of the collection representing the period between AD 600 and 759. The precise significance of the title is not known with certainty. The comprises more than 4,500 poems in 20 volumes, and is broadly divided into three genres: , songs at banquets and trips; , songs about love between men and women; and , songs to mourn the death of people. These songs were written by people of various statuses, such as the Emperor, aristocrats, junior officials, soldiers ...
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Kakinomoto Clan
The Wani clan (和珥氏) was a sacerdotal Japanese clan. According to the ''Kojiki'', the Wani clan was descended from , a son of Emperor Kōshō. The Wani clan is believed to be related to Wani dragons, with Naniwa-neko Takefurukuma described as an ancestor. Marrying women of the Wani clan was believed to give the Emperor control over the sea. They had a similar religious role to the as mediums, so many women of the had husbands of the Wani clan perform ritual roles as substitutes for men of the . The clan declined in the 7th century but cadet branches such as the Ono clan and the Kakinomoto clan continued to thrive. They were sometimes called the Wanizumi clan, with -mi being an honorific suffix. Kakinomoto clan The Kakinomoto clan (柿本氏 ''Kakinomoto-uji'') was a Japanese noble family particularly active in the Yamato period. It was the clan of the famous Asuka-Nara poet Kakinomoto no Hitomaro. Legendary origins and parent clan According to the ''Kojiki'', t ...
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Waka (poetry)
is a type of poetry in classical Japanese literature. Although ''waka'' in modern Japanese is written as , in the past it was also written as (see Wa (Japan), Wa, an old name for Japan), and a variant name is . Etymology The word ''waka'' has two different but related meanings: the original meaning was "poetry in Japanese" and encompassed several genres such as ''chōka'' and ''sedōka'' (discussed below); the later, more common definition refers to poetry in a tanka, 5-7-5-7-7 metre. Up to and during the compilation of the in the eighth century, the word ''waka'' was a general term for poetry composed in Japanese, and included several genres such as , , and . However, by the time of the ''Kokinshūs compilation at the beginning of the tenth century, all of these forms except for the ''tanka'' and ''chōka'' had effectively gone extinct, and ''chōka'' had significantly diminished in prominence. As a result, the word ''waka'' became effectively synonymous with ''tanka'', and t ...
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Asuka Period
The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710, although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato period, Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after the Asuka, Yamato, Asuka region, about south of the modern city of Nara, Nara, Nara. The Asuka period is characterized by its significant Japanese art, artistic, social, and political transformations, having their origins in the late Kofun period. The introduction of Buddhism marked a change in Japanese society. The Asuka period is also distinguished by the change in the name of the country from to . Naming The term "Asuka period" was first used to describe a period in the history of Japanese fine-arts and architecture. It was proposed by fine-arts scholars and Okakura Kakuzō around 1900. Sekino dated the Asuka period as ending with the Taika Reform of 646. Okakura, however, saw it as ending with the transfer of the capital to the Heijō ...
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Thirty-six Poetry Immortals
The are a group of Japanese poets of the Asuka, Nara, and Heian periods selected by Fujiwara no Kintō as exemplars of Japanese poetic ability. The oldest surviving collection of the 36 poets' works is '' Nishi Honganji Sanju-rokunin Kashu'' ("Nishi Honganji 36 poets collection") of 1113. Similar groups of Japanese poets include the Kamakura period , composed by court ladies exclusively, and the , or Thirty-Six Heian-era Immortals of Poetry, selected by (1107–1165). This list superseded an older group called the Six Immortals of Poetry. Sets of portraits (essentially imaginary) of the group were popular in Japanese painting and later woodblock prints, and often hung in temples. Kintō's Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry # Kakinomoto no Hitomaro # Ki no Tsurayuki # Ōshikōchi Mitsune # Lady Ise # Ōtomo no Yakamochi # Yamabe no Akahito # Ariwara no Narihira # Henjō # Sosei # Ki no Tomonori # Sarumaru no Taifu # Ono no Komachi # Fujiwara no Kanesuke # ...
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Nihon Shoki
The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists as it includes the most complete extant historical record of ancient Japan. The was finished in 720 under the editorial supervision of Prince Toneri with the assistance of Ō no Yasumaro and presented to Empress Genshō. The book is also a reflection of Chinese influence on Japanese civilization. In Japan, the Sinicized court wanted written history that could be compared with the annals of the Chinese. The begins with the Japanese creation myth, explaining the origin of the world and the first seven generations of divine beings (starting with Kuninotokotachi), and goes on with a number of myths as does the , but continues its account through to events of the 8th century. It is believed to record accurately the latter reig ...
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Ōmi Province
was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō Circuit (subnational entity), circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Ōmi was ranked as one of the 13 "great countries" (大国) in terms of importance, and one of the "near countries" (近国) in terms of distance from the imperial capital Kyoto. Ōmi bordered on Wakasa Province, Wakasa and Echizen Provinces to the north, Mino Province, Mino and Ise Provinces to the east, Iga Province, Iga and Yamato Provinces to the south, and Yamashiro Province, Yamashiro and Tanba Provinces to the west. Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province. History The area of Ōmi has been settled since at least the Yayoi period, and the traces of several large settlements have been found. During the Kofun period, the area appears to have been dominated by several powerful immigrant clans, most no ...
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Tanba Province
was a province of Japan in the area of central Kyoto and east-central Hyōgo Prefectures. Tanba bordered on Harima, Ōmi, Settsu, Tajima. Tango, Wakasa, and Yamashiro provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Tanba was one of the provinces of the San'indō circuit. Under the '' Engishiki'' classification system, Tanba was ranked as one of the "superior countries" (上国) in terms of importance, and one of the "near countries" (近国) in terms of distance from the capital. The provincial capital is believed to have been located in what is now the city of Kameoka, although the exact location remains uncertain. The ''ichinomiya'' of the province is the Izumo-daijingū also located in Kameoka. The province had an area of . History Before the establishment of the Ritsuryō system, the area was under control of the Tanba Kokuzō and included both the Tanba and Tango areas. The province of Tango was created in 713 during the reign o ...
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Harima Province
or Banshū (播州) was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tanba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji. During the Edo period of Japanese history, the Akō Domain (fief) was part of Harima. The Forty-seven ''rōnin'' were samurai of Akō han. IHI Corporation, a shipbuilder and major Boeing engine subcontractor gets its name from the province. History Harima Province was established in 7th century. During the Meiji Restoration, Himeji Prefecture was established with the whole area of Harima Province as the territory. Himeji Prefecture was renamed to Shikama prefecture, and Shikama Prefecture was transferred to Hyōgo Prefecture finally. Harima Sake Culture Tourism promotes the region as the "Hometown of Japanese Sake". Temples and shrines '' Iwa jinja'' was the chief Shinto shrine ('' ichinomiya'') of Harima.
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Shinsen Shōjiroku
is an imperially commissioned Japanese genealogical record. It was first conceived during Emperor Kanmu's reign in 799 to properly track the clans' then ambiguous lineages, but was not completed before his death in 806. The project was later carried over by his son, Emperor Saga. Thirty volumes in length, it was compiled by the Emperor's brother, Imperial Prince Manda (, 788–830) and by the late Emperor Kanmu's associates such as Fujiwara no Otsugu, and Fujiwara no Sonohito et al. It was initially completed in 814, but underwent a revision to be recompleted in 815. Contents The book itself has been lost, but its table of contents and fragments remain. According to the preface, the record contains genealogical records for 1182 families living in the Heian-kyō capital and the Kinai region (encompassing Izumi ��泉 Kawachi ��内 Settsu ��津 Yamashiro ��城 Yamato ��, which means "close to capital"; but the preface warns even this record comprises less than half of all th ...
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