was a Japanese author, poet and court noble of 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 Japan ...

. He is best known as the principal compiler of the ''

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 ...

'', also writing its Japanese Preface, and as a possible author of the '' Tosa Diary'', although this was published anonymously. He is well known for his '' waka'' poetry and is counted as one of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals selected by Fujiwara no Kintō; his poetry was included also in the ''

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 ...

''. As a courtier, he served as

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of Tosa (930-935), Vice Governor of Kaga (917-923) and Vice Governor of

Mino Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, and Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviat ...

(918-923).

Biography

Tsurayuki was born in either 866 or 872, the son of Ki no Mochiyuki and a court dancer of the ''naikyoubou'' (内教坊), whose name is unknown. He had the childhood name of Akokuso (阿古久曽). In the 890s he became a poet of ''waka'', short poems composed in Japanese. In 905, under the order of

Emperor Daigo was the 60th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 醍醐天皇 (60)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Daigo's reign spanned the years from 897 through 930. He is named after his place of burial. G ...

, he was one of four poets selected to compile the ''Kokin Wakashū (Kokinshu)'', the first imperially-sponsored anthology (''chokusen-shū'') of ''waka'' poetry. After holding a few offices in

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 ...

, he was appointed governor of

Tosa Province was a province of Japan in the area of southern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Tosa bordered on Awa to the northeast, and Iyo to the northwest. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō syst ...

and stayed there from 930 until 935. Later he was presumably appointed governor of

Suō Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suō bordered on Aki, Iwami, and Nagato Provinces. The ancient provincial capital was in Hōfu. Suō was ruled for much ...

, since it was recorded that he held a ''waka'' party (''Utaai'') at his home in Suo. He was one of the editors of the ''Kokin Wakashū''. Tsurayuki wrote one of two prefaces to ''Kokin Wakashū''; the other is in Chinese. His preface was the first critical essay on ''waka''. He wrote of its history from its mythological origin to his contemporary ''waka'', which he grouped into genres, referred to some major poets and gave a bit of harsh criticism to his predecessors like

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 ...

. Tsurayuki composed well over 500 poems throughout his life, including those included in the ''Kokinshu'', imperial collections, and personal collections. One of his ''waka'' was included in the ''

'', which was compiled in the 13th century by

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 ...

. His death is recorded in the ''Sanjurokunin kasenden'' (三十六人歌仙伝) as potentially being May 18, 945, but it is also reported as being on June 30 of the same year.

Works

''Kokin Wakashu''

In 905, under the order of Emperor Daigo, Ki no Tsurayuki was one of four poets selected to compile the ''Kokin Wakashū'' (''Kokinshū''), the first imperially-sponsored anthology (''chokusenshū'') of waka. Tsurayuki was the chief editor of the Kokinshu, and was the author of its Japanese preface (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokin_Wakash%C5%AB).

''
Tosa Nikki The ''Tosa Nikki'' (''Tosa Diary'' 土佐日記) is a poetic diary written anonymously by the tenth-century Japanese poet Ki no Tsurayuki. The text details a 55-day journey in 935 returning to Kyoto from Tosa province, where Tsurayuki had been t ...
''

In addition to the Kokinshu, Tsurayuki's supposed major literary work (though it was published anonymously) was the

Tosa Nikki The ''Tosa Nikki'' (''Tosa Diary'' 土佐日記) is a poetic diary written anonymously by the tenth-century Japanese poet Ki no Tsurayuki. The text details a 55-day journey in 935 returning to Kyoto from Tosa province, where Tsurayuki had been t ...

(土佐日記, "Tosa Diary"), which was written using

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 ...

. The Tosa Diary is written from the perspective of a woman who embarks on a 55 day trip in 934 to the capital (present day Kyoto), where Tsurayuki had been the provincial governor, from her home in the Tosa Province. The female perspective of the diary, though written by a man (Tsurayuki), has sparked debate among scholars regarding gender and social status within the realm of linguistics of the time period. Ki no Tsurayuki left the Tosa Province at the age of 66 in 934 after completing his term as Provincial Governor and wrote the Tosa Nikki after returning to the capital. There are quite a few references within the diary that allude to events that took place in Ki no Tsurayuki’s life, including the death of his daughter. It also includes many poems, presumably written by Tsurayuki.

''
Tale of Genji Tale may refer to: * Narrative, or story, a report of real or imaginary connected events * TAL effector (TALE), a type of DNA binding protein * Tale, Albania, a resort town * Tale, Iran, a village * Tale, Maharashtra, a village in Ratnagiri distri ...
''

In the ''

Tale of Genji Tale may refer to: * Narrative, or story, a report of real or imaginary connected events * TAL effector (TALE), a type of DNA binding protein * Tale, Albania, a resort town * Tale, Iran, a village * Tale, Maharashtra, a village in Ratnagiri distri ...

'', Tsurayuki is referred to as a ''waka'' master, and it is stated that the

Emperor Uda was the 59th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 宇多天皇 (59)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Uda's reign spanned the years from 887 through 897. Traditional narrative Name and legacy Befor ...

ordered him and a number of female poets to write ''waka'' on panels as accessories for his palace.

Family

The names of Ki no Tsurayuki’s mother and wife are unknown. He had three children; a son, Ki no Tokibumi; a daughter, Ki no Naishi; and a daughter whose name is unknown.

Official timeline

The official timeline of Ki no Tsurayuki is documented in ''Sanjurokunin kasenden'' (三十六人歌仙伝), which documents the life 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 ...

, as follows. * Born in either 866 or 872. * April 18, 905: Wrote the ''Kokin Wakashū''. * February 906: Appointed Junior Secretary (少掾, ''shoujou'') of

Echizen Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Echizen bordered on Kaga, Wakasa, Hida, and Ōmi Provinces. It was part of Hokurikudō Circuit. Its abbreviated for ...

and Keeper of the Library of the Imperial Court (御書所預 ''Goshodokoro-azukari''). * February 27, 907: Appointed Head of Imperial Table Office ( 内膳司, ''naizen-shi''). * September 907: Accompanied

on an imperial visit to Ōi River to perform waka poetry. * February 910: Appointed Junior Scribe ( 少内記, ''Shounaiki'') in the

Ministry of the Center The (lit. the department of the inner (or privy) affairs) was a division of the eighth century Japanese government of the Imperial Court in Kyoto, instituted in the Asuka period and formalized during the Heian period. The Ministry was replaced i ...

. * March 13, 913: Participated in the Uda Waka Poetry Competition ( 亭子院歌合, ''Teijin Uta-awase'') organized by Emperor Uda. April: Appointed Chief Scribe (大内記, ''Dainaiki'') in the Ministry of the Center. * January 7, 917: Received the court rank of

Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese as ''ikai'' (位階), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the state. ''Ikai'' as a system was originally used in the Ritsuryo system, which was the poli ...

(従五位下, ''Juugoi-no-ge''). * January 917: Appointed Vice Governor of

Kaga Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the south and western portion of Ishikawa Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Kaga bordered on Echizen, Etchū, Hida, and Noto Provinces. It was part of Hokurikudō Circuit. Its abb ...

(加賀介, ''Kaga-no-suke''). * February 918: Appointed simultaneously Vice Governor of

(美濃介, ''Mino-no-suke''). * June 923: Appointed Head of Storage ( 大監物, ''Daikenmotsu'') in the Ministry of the Center. * September 929: Appointed Deputy High Steward of the Right Capital District ( 右京亮, ''Ukyou-no-suke''). * January 930: Appointed

(土佐守, ''Tosa-no-kami''). Compiled the ''Shinsen Waka'' (新撰和歌), a personal collection of waka poetry, by the command of

. * February 935: Finished his term as Governor of

, and returned to Kyoto. Wrote the ''Tosa Nikki'' based on his travel diary from this trip. * March 940: Appointed Head of the Bureau of Buddhists and Foreigners (玄蕃頭, ''Genba-no-kami''). * January 7 943: Received the court rank of Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade (従五位上, ''Juugoi-no-jou''). * March 28, 945: Appointed Head of the Bureau of Carpentry (木工権頭, ''Moku-no-gon-no-kami''). * May 18?: Died. * March 18, 1904: Posthumously awarded the court rank of

Junior Second Rank The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese as ''ikai'' (位階), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the state. ''Ikai'' as a system was originally used in the Ritsuryo system, which was the poli ...

(従二位, ''Juunii'').

References

* Mostow, J. S. (1996). ''Pictures of the Heart: The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image'' (University of Hawaii Press). * Heldt, G. (2005). "Writing Like a Man: Poetic Literacy, Textual Property, and Gender in the Tosa Diary," ''The Journal of Asian Studies'', 64(1), 7-34. * Encyclopedia Britannica, "Ki no Tsurayuki" https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ki-Tsurayuki * McCullough, Helen Craig (1990). ''Classical Japanese Prose: An Anthology'' (Stanford University Press).

External links

* * *
e-texts of Tsurayuki's works
at

Aozora Bunko Aozora Bunko (, literally the "Blue Sky Library", also known as the "Open Air Library") is a Japanese digital library. This online collection encompasses several thousands of works of Japanese-language fiction and non-fiction. These include out-o ...

A Note on the English Translation
an example of his poem from the

with seven different translations, * Also se
Primitive and Mediaeval Japanese Texts translated into English by F. V. Dickins. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1906. pp 379–391.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ki no, Tsurayuki Japanese male poets 872 births 945 deaths 9th-century Japanese poets 10th-century Japanese poets Hyakunin Isshu poets Ki clan 10th-century Japanese calligraphers 9th-century Japanese calligraphers Deified Japanese people