Anpō (安法; dates unknown) was a Japanese ''

waka WAKA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Selma, Alabama, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Montgomery area. It is owned by Bahakel Communications alongside Tuskegee-licensed CW+ affiliate WBMM (channel 22); B ...

'' poet of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

. His given name was Minamoto no Shitagō (源趁); ''Anpō'' was his

Dharma name A Dharma name is a new name acquired during both lay and monastic Buddhist initiation rituals in Mahayana Buddhism and Pabbajjā, monastic ordination in Theravada Buddhism (where it is more proper to call it Dhamma or Sangha name). The name is ...

. He had prestigious ancestry, but his immediate family fell on hard times. He entered religion and withdrew to an old mansion that had been built by one of his most famous ancestors. Many of his poems are on the theme of

impermanence Impermanence, also known as the philosophical problem of change, is a philosophical concept addressed in a variety of religions and philosophies. In Eastern philosophy it is notable for its role in the Buddhism, Buddhist three marks of existe ...

or are laments of his lost youth. He was included in the Late Classical Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry, and twelve of his poems were included in

imperial anthologies Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Impe ...

Biography

Minamoto no Shitagō was a member of the , descendants of

Emperor Saga was the 52nd emperor of Japan, Emperor Saga, Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Saga's reign lasted from 809 to 823. Traditional narrative Saga was the second son of ...

who adopted the clan name ''

Minamoto was a noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility since 814."...the Minamoto (1192-1333)". ''Warrior Rule in Jap ...

''. His birth and death dates are unknown. He was a grandson of the ''

dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

'' (848–918). His father was Minamoto no Hajime (源適) and his mother was supposedly a daughter of . Although his house were descended from the prestigious

Minister of the Left The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Sadaijin'' in the context of a cent ...

Minamoto no Tōru was a Japanese poet and statesman. He was born the son of Emperor Saga and a member of the Saga Genji clan. He is sometimes mentioned as the model for Hikaru Genji in important Japanese literary classic ''The Tale of Genji''. Under his title ...

, during the time of his father the family's fortunes had taken a downturn. Possibly for this reason, Shitagō abandoned political ambitions and entered religion, becoming a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

and adopting the

''Anpō''. After entering Buddhist orders, he took up residence in the , the mansion his ancestor Tōru had built. Although the building was already in disrepair, there was never any shortage of antiquarians infatuated with the era ''

Kokin Wakashū The , commonly abbreviated as , is an early anthology of the '' waka'' form of Japanese poetry, dating from the Heian period. An imperial anthology, it was conceived by Emperor Uda () and published by order of his son Emperor Daigo () in abou ...

'' coming to visit his home.

Poetry

Anpō was included in the Late Classical Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry. Twelve of his ''

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

'' were included in

from the ''

Shūi Wakashū The , often abbreviated as ''Shūishū'', is the third imperial anthology of waka from Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th empe ...

'' on. He left a

private collection A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...

, the '' Anpō-hōshi Shū'' (安法法師集). Most of the poems included in his private collection were apparently composed on set topics for ''

uta-awase , poetry contests or '' waka'' matches, are a distinctive feature of the Japanese literary landscape from the Heian period. Significant to the development of Japanese poetics, the origin of group composition such as ''renga'', and a stimulus to ...

'' contests, or were presented to others as part of his daily correspondences. He left very few "official" poems. Many of his surviving poems are on themes like the

of things or laments of the poet's own old age.

References

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anpoo Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Japanese male poets Minamoto clan Poets of the Heian period Buddhist clergy of the Heian period