Akazome Emon

was a Japanese '' waka'' poet and early historian who lived in the mid-Heian period. She is a member both of the and the Thirty-Six Immortal Women Poets.

Biography

Akazome Emon's year of birth is unknown, but she was likely born between Tentoku 1 (957) and Kōhō 1 (964). She was officially the daughter of , but the late-Heian karonsho (book of poetic criticism) ' records that her biological father was her mother's first husband, Taira no Kanemori.

A poetic exchange between Emon and Fujiwara no Michitaka, dating to around Ten'en 2 (974) to Jōgen 2 (977), when she was likely in her late teens, is the earliest dateable event in her life. At roughly this time, she went to serve in the household of Minamoto no Masanobu, and for a long time thereafter she served his daughter Rinshi ( ja), the wife of Fujiwara no Michinaga.

It was also around this time (Ten'en–Jōgen) that she married , a Confucian scholar and poet of both ''waka'' and '' kanshi''. They had a son, , a daughter, Gō Jijū (江侍従), and one more daughter. The couple were considered to be .

According to her personal ''waka'' collection, the '' Akazome Emon Shū'' (赤染衛門集), when Masahira was twice sent to serve in Owari Province, she accompanied him both times. The collection also indicates that she worked to ensure her son's professional success at court and presented poems as offerings to Sumiyoshi Shrine when he fell ill. The ''Fukuro-zōshi'' portrays her as gently supporting her husband when he was overwhelmed by his official duties. These works present Emon as a good wife and wise mother (良妻賢母 ''ryōsai kenbo''). She also devoted much effort to her service as Rinshi's lady-in-waiting.

In Chōwa 1 (1012), her husband died, and a few years later Emon became a nun. She apparently lived a long and tranquil life from this point, living to see the birth of her great-grandson Ōe no Masafusa in Chōkyū 2 (1041).

Akazome Emon served Minamoto no Rinshi and Fujiwara no Shōshi, who were, respectively, the wife and daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga, and she was present at the Imperial court at the same time as Izumi Shikibu. She was a contemporary of Murasaki Shikibu, who praised her writing, and Sei Shōnagon.

The year of her death is uncertain, but she probably lived until at least 1041.

Poetry and other writings

Emon remained active in '' waka'' composition until late in life, contributing poems to '' uta-awase'' competitions on the sixteenth day of the fifth month of Chōgen 8 (1035), the Kanpaku-Sadaijin-ke Uta-awase (関白左大臣家歌合), and 1041, the Kokiden no Nyōgo Uta-awase (弘徽殿女御歌合). She also contributed a screen poem (屏風歌 ''byōbu-uta'') to celebrate Rinshi's seventieth year, in 1033.

She left a personal collection, the ''Akazome Emon Shū'', and she is also believed to have been the writer of the first part of '' Eiga Monogatari''. Her poetry was incorporated into court anthologies from the ''Shūi Wakashū'' on. She ranks fourth in the number of her poems that were included in the '' Goshūi Wakashū'', with a total of 32. More than 60 of her poems were included in the ''Kin'yō Wakashū'' and later court anthologies.

In her article on Emon, Hiroko Saitō called her poetic style unexceptional.

References

Cited works

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Further reading

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akazome, Emon
Ladies-in-waiting of the Heian period
10th-century Japanese women writers
11th-century Japanese women writers
10th-century births
Year of birth uncertain
1041 deaths
Japanese women poets
11th-century Japanese poets
Hyakunin Isshu poets
10th-century Japanese poets
Buddhist nuns of the Heian period