Fujiwara no Akinaka (藤原顕仲; 1059–1129) was a Japanese nobleman and ''

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 ...

Life

Fujiwara no Akinaka was born in Kōhei 2 (1059 in the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

). He was the third son of Sukenaka ( ja), a member of the Saneyori lineage (実頼流) of the

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of the

Fujiwara clan The was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

. He was later adopted by , the

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of Mutsu Province. His mother was a daughter of . He is known as ''Suke Akinaka'' (佐顕仲) to distinguish him from . He had various other names, such as ''Katsumata no Hyōe no Suke'' (勝間田兵衛佐), by which name the ' calls him. The latter name is a derived from a combination of his court position, ''Sahyōe-no-suke'', and a famous poem he composed at the '' Shirakawa-den Gyokai'' (白河殿御会) on Katsumata Pond (勝間田池 ''Katsumata-no-ike''): He was close friends with

Minamoto no Toshiyori was an important and innovative Japanese poet, who compiled the ''Kin'yō Wakashū''. He was the son of Minamoto no Tsunenobu (1016–1097); holder of the second rank in court and of the position of Grand Counsellor). Shunrai was favored by Em ...

and Fujiwara no Mototoshi, and in addition to being a respected poet he was also known for his skill as a

calligrapher Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

and

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, but was unable to attain success due to his relatively low birth. By the end of his career, he had risen to the Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade. He held the position of Assistant Head of Left Military Guards (左兵衛佐 ''sahyōe-no-suke''). According to the ', Akinaka died on the third day of the first month of Daiji 4 (31 January 1129). He was 71 (by Japanese reckoning).

Poetry

The first ''

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 ...

'' contest in which he took part was the '' Sakon no Gon-Chūjō Toshitada Ason-ke Uta-awase'' (左近権中将俊忠朝臣家歌合) in Chōji 1 (1104). He took part in the following poetic gatherings: *the '' Ungo-ji Kechien-kyō Goen Uta-awase'' (雲居寺結縁経後宴歌合) in Eikyū 4 (1116); *the '' Hitomaro-eigu'' held by Fujiwara no Akisue in Gen'ei 1 (1118); and *the '' Naidaijin-ke Uta-awase'' (内大臣家歌合) that was held over three sessions between Gen'ei 1 and Gen'ei 2 (1119). He was one of the poets of the '' Horikawa-in Ontoki Hyakushu Waka'' (堀河院御時百首和歌). According to the ', he was disappointed with the '' Kin'yōshū'', and in Daiji 1 (1126) compiled his own anthology, the ''Ryōgyokushū'' (良玉集), which is no longer extant. 18 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 ...

from the ''Kin'yōshū'' on. One famous poem of his, in which he laments his lack of success at court, is the following from the first book of miscellaneous poems in the ''Kin'yōshū'':

References

Citations

Works cited

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fujiwara Akinaka Waka poets 11th-century Japanese poets 12th-century Japanese poets Kuge 1059 births 1129 deaths