Winding Stream Party on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
A winding stream party () is an old Chinese custom in which the participants wait by a winding stream and compose 
This Chinese custom was adopted by the Koreans, such as the party in 927, hosted by King 
It was also adopted by the Japanese and was called , a party game played by the nobility. Participants must compose a
A winding stream party () is an old Chinese custom in which the participants wait by a winding stream and compose poems
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 in ...
before their cups full of rice wine float down to reach them. It was popularized by Wang Xizhi
Wang Xizhi (; ; 303 AD361 AD) was a Chinese calligrapher, politician, general and writer during the Jin dynasty. He was best known for his mastery of Chinese calligraphy. Wang is sometimes regarded as the greatest Chinese calligrapher in Chines ...
, and dates back as far as 353; poems composed at this event were recorded in Wang's famous work, the ''Lantingji Xu
The ''Lantingji Xu'' () or ''Lanting Xu'' ("Orchid Pavilion Preface"), is a piece of Chinese calligraphy work generally considered to be written by the well-known calligrapher Wang Xizhi (303 – 361) from the Eastern Jin dynasty (317 – 420 ...
''.
This Chinese custom was adopted by the Koreans, such as the party in 927, hosted by King Gyeongae of Silla
Gyeongae of Silla (died 927) (r. 924–927) was the 55th ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla.
Biography
He was the son of King Sindeok by Queen Uiseong, and was the younger brother of King Gyeongmyeong, who preceded him to the throne.
...
, in Poseokjeong
The Poseokjeong (Pavilion of Stone Abalone) site near Namsan in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do South Korea, was built in the Unified Silla period. The site once featured a royal pavilion — said to have been the most beautiful royal villa of the ti ...
, Gyeongju.
It was also adopted by the Japanese and was called , a party game played by the nobility. Participants must compose a tanka
is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature.
Etymology
Originally, in the time of the '' Man'yōshū'' (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to distinguish "short p ...
poem beside a stream, within a time limit set by the passage of a lacquer cup of sake
Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...
floating towards them on the water. When the cup reached the poet, they were expected to drink its contents, either as a celebration of the poem's completion or as a forfeit if they had not composed a suitable verse in time. The first ''kyokusui-no-en'' events were reportedly held in the Kofun period during the reign of Emperor Kenzō
(450 — 2 June 487) was the 23rd legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 顕宗天皇 (23) retrieved 2013-8-29. according to the traditional order of succession.
No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's lif ...
, making the ceremony around 1,500 years old. Other sources, however, suggest that the game originated in the Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...
, around 500 years later; it appears in scrolls from that period and is mentioned in ''The Pillow Book
is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Empress Consort Teishi during the 990s and early 1000s in Heian-period Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002.
The work is a collection o ...
'' of Sei Shōnagon
was a Japanese author, poet, and a court lady who served the Empress Teishi (Sadako) around the year 1000 during the middle Heian period. She is the author of .
Name
Sei Shōnagon's actual given name is not known. It was the custom among aris ...
.
The ceremony is still performed at the Tenman-gū Shrine in Dazaifu and also in Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese language, 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, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
. The modern Japanese version of the ceremony was created in 1963; participants dress in Heian era costumes of the nobility and musical accompaniment is provided on the ''koto
Koto may refer to:
* Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group
* Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument
* Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana
* Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women
* K ...
''.
References
{{Reflist Ceremonies in China Alcohol in China Ceremonies in Japan Drinking games