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 eleventh century.''Britannica Kokusai Dai-hyakkajiten'' article "Koshikibu no Naishi". 2007. Britannica Japan Co.'' Mypaedia'' article "Koshikibu no Naishi". 2007. Hitachi Systems & Services.''Digital Daijisen'' entry "Koshikibu no Naishi". Shogakukan. One of her 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 ...

''.McMillan 2010 : 142 (note 60).Suzuki et al. 2009 : XX.

Biography

She was the daughter of

Izumi Shikibu was a mid-Heian period Japanese poet. She is a member of the . She was the contemporary of Murasaki Shikibu, and Akazome Emon at the court of empress Joto Mon'in. She "is considered by many to have been the greatest woman poet of the Heian pe ...

and , the governor of Mutsu. Starting around 1009, she joined her mother in serving

Empress Shōshi , also known as , the eldest daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga, was Empress of Japan from c. 1000 to c. 1011. Her father sent her to live in the Emperor Ichijō's harem at age 12. Because of his power, influence and political machinations she quic ...

. A target of many suitors, she eventually married . She bore him a child, but died thereafter, still in her late twenties.

Poetry

Four of her poems were included in

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

such as the ''

Goshūi Wakashū :''"The language of poetry should be like brocade and the feeling deeper than the ocean."'' -from Michitoshi's Preface The , sometimes abbreviated as ''Goshūishū'', is an imperial anthology of Japanese waka compiled in 1086 at the behest of Emp ...

'' and the ''

Kin'yō Wakashū The , sometimes abbreviated as ''Kin'yōshū'', is a Japanese imperial anthology of waka whose two drafts were finished in 1124 and 1127. It was compiled at the behest of the Retired Emperor Shirakawa, by Minamoto no Shunrai (~1055–1129; someti ...

''.

''Ōe-yama''

The following poem by her was included as No. 60 in

Fujiwara no Teika , better-known as Fujiwara no Teika"Sadaie" and "Teika" are both possible readings of ; "...there is the further problem, the rendition of the name in romanized form. Teika probably referred to himself as Sadaie, and his father probably called ...

's ''

'':

In later literature

Numerous anecdotes about her were incorporated into later and ''

setsuwa Setsuwa (, ja, 説話, setsu wa) is an East Asian literary genre. It consists of myths, legends, folktales, and anecdotes. ''Setsuwa'' means "spoken story". As one of the vaguest forms of literature, setsuwa is believed to have been passed down ...

'' collections. An '' otogizōshi'', '' Koshikibu'', was also written.

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:Koshikibu no Naishi 11th century in Japan 11th-century Japanese poets Ladies-in-waiting of Heian-period Japan Japanese women poets Hyakunin Isshu poets Deaths_in_childbirth