The Rokujō family () was a poetically conservative faction in the Japanese Imperial court, founded by

Fujiwara no Akisue was a noted Japanese poet and nobleman. He was active at the end of the Heian period, and the son of Fujiwara no Takatsune (藤原隆経). He was also a member of the famous poetic and aristocratic clan, the Fujiwara. Akisue was close to Empe ...

(1055–1123 CE); it was the first clan to specialize in attaining power and influence via success in

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

, and was originally opposed to their opposite numbers amongst the

Minamoto clan was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during the ...

(such as the innovative

Minamoto no Shunrai was an important and innovative Japanese poet, who compiled the ''Gosen 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 Empero ...

), although later they would be opposed to a more junior (and poetically liberal) branch of the old and puissant

Fujiwara family 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 the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until ...

, as represented by

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 his son,

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 ...

. It was also known for, besides its conservative views on the composition of poetry, the quality of its scholar's work on old poetry (because of the allusive nature of

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 ...

, and the early confusions of transcription and writing them down, new versions and exegetical works were constantly needed by the court; the situation was especially bad with the ''

Man'yōshū The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in ...

''—Brower remarks that "It is doubtful whether more than three or four hundred Man'yō poems could actually be read with accuracy until the commentaries of the priest

Senkaku Senkaku can refer to: * Senkaku Islands The are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, administered by Japan. They are located northeast of Taiwan, east of China, west of Okinawa Island, and north of the southwestern end of th ...

laid the foundations of modern Man'yō scholarship..."). One of the Rokujō—

Fujiwara no Akisuke Fujiwara no Akisuke (, 1090–1155) was a ''waka'' poet and nobleman active in the Heian period Japan. One of his poems is included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu. A member of the Fujiwara clan, he was also known as Sakyō no Daibu Akisuke (). His fat ...

(1090–1155)—compiled the

Imperial anthology 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 ...

, the ''

Shika Wakashū , abbreviated as ''Shikashū'', is an imperial anthology of Japanese waka, compiled c.1151–1154 CE at the behest of the Emperor Sutoku who ordered it in 1144. It was compiled by Fujiwara no Akisuke (1090–1155; a member of the Rokuj� ...

''.

References

* Brower, Robert H. and Miner, Earl (1961) ''Japanese Court Poetry'' Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, LCCN 61-10925, pgs. 237, 242, ** pg. 245 * McCullough, Helen Craig (1985) ''Brocade by night: "Kokin wakashu" and the court style in Japanese classical poetry'' Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, ; Heian period Waka (poetry) {{Japan-hist-stub