was a Japanese ''

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

'' poet of the early

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

.''Britannica Kokusai Dai-hyakkajiten'' article "Asukai Masatsune". 2007. Britannica Japan Co.''Digital Daijisen'' entr
"Asukai Masatsune"
Shogakukan. He was also an accomplished ''

kemari is an athletic game that was popular in Japan during the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura period (1185–1333). It resembles a game of football or hacky sack. The game was popular in Kyoto, the capital, and the surrounding Kinki (Kansai r ...

'' player.McMillan 2010 : 149 (note 94). and one of his poems was included in the ''

Ogura Hyakunin Isshu is a classical Japanese anthology of one hundred Japanese ''waka'' by one hundred poets. ''Hyakunin isshu'' can be translated to "one hundred people, one poem ach; it can also refer to the card game of ''uta-garuta'', which uses a deck compos ...

''.Suzuki et al. 2009 : 120. He was a son of , and the ancestor of the Asukai family, who were known for their skill at both poetic composition and ''kemari''. Being of Fujiwara stock, he was also known as . Among his grandchildren was the poet Masaari.''Britannica Kokusai Dai-hyakkajiten'' article "Asukai Masaari". 2007. Britannica Japan Co.''Digital Daijisen'' entr
"Asukai Masaari"
Shogakukan. He made a private collection, the '' Asukai-shū'', which was posthumously edited by his grandson in 1292. Twenty-two of his poems were included in the ''

Shin Kokin Wakashū The , also known in abbreviated form as the or even conversationally as the Shin Kokin, is the eighth imperial anthology of waka poetry compiled by the Japanese court, beginning with the ''Kokin Wakashū'' circa 905 and ending with the ''Shinshoku ...

'', and a total of 134 in the imperial anthologies.

Political career

Masatsune served three emperors,

Go-Toba was the 82nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1183 through 1198. This 12th-century sovereign was named after Emperor Toba, and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as "later"; an ...

Tsuchimikado was the 83rd emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 土御門天皇 (83)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' pp. 86–87. Tsuchimikado's reig ...

and

Juntoku (October 22, 1197 – October 7, 1242) was the 84th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1210 through 1221. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal ...

, in addition to working under the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Y ...

Poetry

Masatsune studied ''waka'' under

Fujiwara no Shunzei was a Japanese poet, courtier, and Buddhist monk of the late Heian period. He was also known as Fujiwara no Toshinari"...there is the further problem, the rendition of the name in romanized form. Teika probably referred to himself as Sadaie, and ...

and from 1201 served in the . He served as one of the compilers of the ''

'', along with Shunzei's son Teika. Some twenty-two of his own poems were included in the imperial collection. A total of 134 of his poems were included in it and later imperial collections. He also compiled a private ''waka'' collection, the , which was edited by his grandson Masaari in 1292. The following poem by him was included as No. 94 in Teika's famous ''

'':

References

Bibliography

*McMillan, Peter. 2010 (1st ed. 2008). ''One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each''. New York: Columbia University Press. *Suzuki Hideo, Yamaguchi Shin'ichi, Yoda Yasushi. 2009 (1st ed. 1997). ''Genshoku: Ogura Hyakunin Isshu''. Tokyo: Bun'eidō. {{DEFAULTSORT:Asukai Masatsune 12th-century Japanese poets 13th-century Japanese poets People of Heian-period Japan People of Kamakura-period Japan Asukai family Hyakunin Isshu poets Japanese poets of the Heian period