The are six
Japanese poets
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
of the mid-ninth century who were named by
Ki no Tsurayuki
was a Japanese author, poet and court noble of the Heian period. He is best known as the principal compiler of the ''Kokin Wakashū'', also writing its Japanese Preface, and as a possible author of the '' Tosa Diary'', although this was publish ...
in the ''
kana
The term may refer to a number of syllabaries used to write Japanese phonological units, morae. Such syllabaries include (1) the original kana, or , which were Chinese characters (kanji) used phonetically to transcribe Japanese, the most p ...
'' and ''
mana
According to Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, ''mana'' is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have ''mana''. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being ...
'' prefaces to the
poetry anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
''
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 abo ...
'' (c. 905–14) as notable poets of the generation before its compilers.
History of the term
In their original appearance in the prefaces of the ''Kokin wakashū'', the six ''rokkasen'' are not actually referred to with this term.
There are numerous phrases that show the conceptualization of these six as a cohesive group, but the term "Rokkasen" first appeared in an early Kamakura-period commentary on ''Kokin wakashū'', titled ''Sanryūshō'' 三流抄.
Members
The members of the ''rokkasen'', and their total poems in ''Kokin wakashū,'' are as follows:
*
Ōtomo no Kuronushi
was a Japanese poet, one of the ''Rokkasen'', the "Six Poetic Geniuses" described in the ''Kokin Wakashū
The , commonly abbreviated as , is an early anthology of the '' waka'' form of Japanese poetry, dating from the Heian period. An impe ...
, 3 poems
*
Ono no Komachi
was a Japanese waka poet, one of the '' Rokkasen'' — the six best waka poets of the early Heian period. She was renowned for her unusual beauty, and ''Komachi'' is today a synonym for feminine beauty in Japan. She also counts among the ...
, 18 poems
*
Ariwara no Narihira
was a Japanese courtier and '' waka'' poet of the early Heian period. He was named one of both the Six Poetic Geniuses and the Thirty-Six Poetic Geniuses, and one of his poems was included in the ''Ogura Hyakunin Isshu'' collection. He i ...
, 30 poems
*
Kisen Hōshi
was an early Heian period Buddhist monk and ''waka'' poet. Little is known about his life other than that he lived in .
When Ki no Tsurayuki wrote the of the '' Kokinshū'', he selected Kisen as one of the whose work was to be considered as s ...
, 1 poem
*
Sōjō Henjō, 17 poems
*
Fun'ya no Yasuhide
was an early Heian period poet, included in the Rokkasen and in the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals. He attained upper sixth rank.
In the ''Kokin Wakashū, Kokinshūs Kanajo (Japanese preface), Yasuhide is described as "Yasuhide used words skillful ...
, 1 poem
Tsurayuki's Criticism
In his prefaces to the anthology ''Kokin wakashū'', Ki no Tsurayuki first praises two poets,
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (柿本 人麻呂 or 柿本 人麿; – ) was a Japanese ''waka'' poet and aristocrat of the late Asuka period. He was the most prominent of the poets included in the ''Man'yōshū'', the oldest ''waka'' anthology, but ap ...
and
Yamabe no Akahito
Yamabe no Akahito (山部 赤人 or 山邊 赤人) (fl. 724–736) was a poet of the Nara period in Japan. The ''Man'yōshū'', an ancient anthology, contains 13 '' chōka'' ("long poems") and 37 '' tanka'' ("short poems") of his. Many of his poem ...
,
from the period before the ''rokkasen'' and then praises these six poets of the generation preceding his own, but also critiques what he considers to be weaknesses in their personal styles.
His criticism in both prefaces is as follows:
''Kana preface''
''Mana preface''
There are varying theories on both why Tsurayuki chose these six poets and why he chose to criticize them in this manner.
Helen McCullough Helen Craig McCullough (February 17, 1918 – April 6, 1998) was an American academic, translator and Japanologist. She is best known for her 1988 translation of ''The Tale of the Heike''.
Early life
McCullough was born in California. She graduat ...
claims that they were selected because they all had distinctive personal styles in a time of homogeneity, and that by aligning them in his commentary with the six major styles of
Han Dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
poetry, Tsurayuki was showing off his knowledge of those sources.
Thomas Lammare also believes that Tsurayuki picked these poets to match the six Han styles, and focuses more on how Tsurayuki claimed these styles did not properly align heart (''kokoro'' 心) and words (''kotoba'' 言葉). On the other hand, Katagiri Yoichi believes that the inclusion of such an obscure figure as Priest Kisen, represented by a single poem, shows that Tsurayuki did not choose the six himself, but received them by some tradition.
Legacy
The concept of the ''rokkasen'' had a lasting legacy on poetic scholarship both in the pre-modern and modern periods.
In 1009–1011,
Fujiwara no Kintō
, also known as Shijō-dainagon, was a Japanese poet, admired by his contemporaries "... Fujiwara no Kinto (966–1008), the most admired poet of the day." pg 283 of Donald Keene's '' Seeds in the Heart''. and a court bureaucrat of the Heian p ...
compiled an expanded list known as 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' ...
,
which came to supplant this list of six. This led to the creation of similar lists based on this pattern, such as the "Thirty-Six Court Lady Immortals of Poetry," and the "Thirty-Six Heian-period Immortals of Poetry."
Many Japanese scholars of the twentieth century conceptualized the history of ''waka'' poetry in the ninth century as a time when it was overshadowed by Chinese poetry in the first part of the century and then returned to prominence by the end of the century. These narratives held that this time was a transitional period between the ''waka'' anthologies ''
Man'yōshū'' and ''Kokin wakashū''.
When discussing the ''waka'' poetry of this period, some scholars have referred to it as the Rokkasen Period (六歌仙時代 ''rokkasen jidai''), although there has been disagreement on when this period starts. Most of the scholars agree that it ends with the reign of
Emperor Kōkō
was the 58th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 光孝天皇 (58)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
Kōkō reigned from 884 to 887.
Traditional narrative
Before the emperor's ascension to the Chry ...
, but disagree on whether it begins with
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 ...
or
Emperor Montoku
(August 826 – 7 October 858) was the 55th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 文徳天皇 (55)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
Montoku's reign lasted from 850 to 858.
Traditional narrative
Before ...
.
Both Hidehito Nishiyama and Ryōji Shimada conclude that they believe Ninmyō is the better choice for the start of this periodization.
Additionally, all but one of the Rokkasen, Ōtomo Kuronushi, appear in the famous collection of poetry, ''
Hyakunin isshū''.
See also
*
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' ...
*
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 abo ...
References
{{Japanese poetry
Waka (poetry)
Lists of poets
Japanese literature
Japanese poets
Japanese poetry