, better known as , was Japanese waka poet and

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

priest. In the poetry anthology '' Kokin Wakashū'', he is listed as one of the six notable waka poets and one of the

thirty-six immortals of poetry 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 ...

Biography

Munesada was the eighth son of

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 ...

, who was a son of

Emperor Kanmu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the s ...

, relegated to civilian life. He began his career as a courtier, and was later appointed to the position of ' to

Emperor Ninmyō was the 54th emperor of Japan, Emperor Ninmyō, Fukakusa Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Ninmyō's reign lasted from 833 to 850, during the Heian period. Traditional narrative Nin ...

. In 849 he was raised to the . After Emperor Nimmyō died in 850, Munesada became a monk due to his grief, taking the

religious name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for a religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should not be "foreign ...

''Henjō'' (literally “Universally Illuminated”). He was a priest of the

Tendai , also known as the Tendai Lotus School (天台法華宗 ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just "''hokke shū''") is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition (with significant esoteric elements) officially established in Japan in 806 by the Japanese m ...

school. In 877 Munesada founded in Yamashina, in the southeast part of

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the c ...

, but continued to be active in court politics. In 869 he was given another temple, , in the north of Kyoto and managed both temples. In 885 he was ranked

high priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rev ...

and was called . He was rumored to have had a love affair with the famous female poet Ono no Komachi. Thirty-five of his waka were included in imperial anthologies including '' Kokin Wakashū''. The preface to Ki no Tsurayuki criticized him: "he knows how to construct waka, but there is less real emotion. It is like when you see a picture of a woman and it moves your heart". His son, Sosei, was also a waka poet and a monk.

Poetry

Henjō was famous for the following poem from the '' Hyakunin Isshu'':

References

Japanese male poets 816 births 890 deaths 9th-century Japanese poets Hyakunin Isshu poets Heian period Buddhist clergy {{Japan-writer-stub