Sanju-rokunin Kashu (Collection of Thirty-six Anthologies) is a set of illuminated manuscript codex from the early 12th century containing a collection 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 ...

'' poems by thirty-six master poets (

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 ...

). The were originally selected for an 11th-century anthology known as the Sanju-rokuninsen (三十六人撰) by

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 ...

. In the 12th century, the poems were transcribed as a compilation for the birthday of

Emperor Toba was the 74th Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 鳥羽天皇 (74)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Toba's reign spanned the years from 1107 through 1123. Genealogy Before his ascension to the C ...

(r. 1107–1123) consisting of 39 volumes and involving 20 calligraphers.Calligraphy attributed to Fujiwara no Sadanobu. Poems of Ki no Tsurayuki from the Ishiyama-gire, detail showing page of poetry. early 12th century. Asian Art Photographic Distribution (University of Michigan). Artstor, library-artstor-org.libproxy.temple.edu/asset/AAPDIG_10311725681 It is the oldest surviving manuscript that contains the collection of the 36 poets and is designated as a National Treasure, and is believed to be the oldest known example of

paper marbling Paper marbling is a method of aqueous surface design, which can produce patterns similar to smooth marble or other kinds of stone. The patterns are the result of color floated on either plain water or a viscous solution known as size, and then ca ...

. It also contains

chigiri-e is a Japanese art form in which the primary technique uses coloured paper that is torn to create images, and may resemble a water colour painting. The technique dates from the Heian period of Japanese history when it was often used in conjunctio ...

, a type of paper

collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an Assemblage (art), assemblage of different forms, thus creat ...

. In the 16th century, the works were dedicated to Nishi Honganji which was located in Ishiyama in the Osaka Prefecture. The temple was later moved to Kyoto and divided, and at this point the works became part of the formal

Nishi Hongan-ji is a Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist temple in the Shimogyō ward of Kyoto, Japan. It serves as the head temple of the sub-sect Honganji-ha. It is one of two Jōdo Shinshū temple complexes in Kyoto, the other being Higashi Hongan-ji, which is th ...

National Treasures, where they are still stored. The set contains thirty-nine volumes of which thirty-two are original in ACE1109-1112. One (collected poems of

Fujiwara no Kanesuke , also known as the , was a middle Heian-period '' waka'' poet and Japanese nobleman. He is designated as a member of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals. His great-granddaughter was Murasaki Shikibu, author of the well-known monogatari the ''Tale ...

) was altered to another late

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 ...

manuscript. Four volumes are from the mid-17th century (

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...

). Two volumes are replicas by Tanaka Shinbi (1875–1975) produced c. 1920s. The original two volumes were separated and sold to collectors as single leaves in 1929. The manuscripts are '' Detchōsō'' bound (glued books). 20 cm x 16 cm and the paper ornamented with silver, gold, colour, mica, and ink. Image:36poets collection Turayuki 1stVol.JPG ,

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 ...

1st volume Fujiwara no Sadazane Image:36poets collection SHITAGO.JPG,

Minamoto no Shitagō was a mid Heian '' waka'' poet, scholar and nobleman. He was also a male-line descendant of Emperor Saga. He was the original compiler of the ''Wamyō Ruijushō'', the first Japanese dictionary organized into semantic headings. He was designate ...

volume Image:36poets collection MITSUNE1L.jpg, Ōshikōchi Mitsune volume Image:36poets collection AKAHITO2.jpg, Yamabe no Akahito volume Image:36poets collection SOSEI.JPG,

Sosei Sosei ( ja, 素性 or 素性法師, 844 – 910) was a Japanese waka poet and Buddhist priest. He is listed as one of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals, and one of his poems was included in the famous anthology ''Hyakunin Isshu''. His father Hen ...

volume Image:36poets collection HENJO.jpg,

Henjō , better known as , was Japanese waka poet and Buddhist priest. In the poetry anthology '' Kokin Wakashū'', he is listed as one of the six notable waka poets and one of the thirty-six immortals of poetry. Biography Munesada was the eighth son ...

volume Image:36poets collection SANEAKIRA.JPG,

Minamoto no Saneakira Minamoto no Saneakira (Japanese: 源信明) (910–970) was a middle Heian ''waka'' poet and nobleman. Along with his father Minamoto no Kintada he was designated a member of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals The are a group of Japanese poe ...

volume Image:36poets collection MOTOZANE.JPG, Fujiwara no Motozane volume Image:36poets collection MOTOZANE2.jpg, Fujiwara no Motozane volume Image:36poets collection TADAMINE.jpg, Mibu no Tadamine volume Image:36poets collection MOTOSUKE.JPG,

Kiyohara no Motosuke was a Heian period '' waka poet'' and Japanese nobleman. His daughter was the Heian poet and author Sei Shōnagon, famous today for writing ''The Pillow Book''. He is designated a member of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals, and one of his poems i ...

Image:36poets Collection Yoshinobu.JPG,

Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu (921–991, 大中臣能宣, also Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu Ason 大中臣能宣朝臣) was a middle Heian period '' waka poet'' and Japanese nobleman. His granddaughter was the famous later Heian poet Ise no Taiu. He is d ...

Image:36poets collection KANEMORI.JPG,

Taira no Kanemori Taira no Kanemori ( ? –991, 平兼盛) was a middle Heian period ''waka'' poet and Japanese nobleman. He is designated as a member of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals and one of his poems is included in the famous anthology Hyakunin Isshu. ...

volume

Ishiyama-gire

In 1929, The two original volumes: the second volume of poems by

and the volume of those by

Lady Ise , also known as , was a Japanese poet in the Imperial court's '' waka'' tradition. She was born to of Ise Province, and eventually became the lover of the and a concubine to Emperor Uda was the 59th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Ag ...

, were dismembered into separate sheets and sold to collectors for the purpose of gaining funds for Musashino University.

Masuda Takashi Baron , was a Japanese industrialist, investor, and art collector. He was a prominent entrepreneur in Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa period Japan, responsible for transforming Mitsui into a '' zaibatsu'' through the creation of a general ...

, manager of this sale, named fragments Ishiyama-gire. Most of them are mounted to hanging scroll format. Image:Page from the Ishiyama-gire - Google Art Project.jpg,

volume2 Image:ISIYAMAGIRE TURAYUKI2nd.JPG,

volume2 Image:36poets collection TURAYUKI2nd2.JPG,

volume2 Image:36poets ISE ISIYAMAGIRE.JPG,

Museum of Japanese Art is a museum of Asian art in Nara, Nara. The museum was established in 1960Martin, John ''et al.'' (1993) ''Nara: a Cultural Guide to Japan's Ancient Capital,'' p. 139./ref> to preserve and display the private collection of Kintetsu Corporation (n ...

Yamato Bunkakan)

References

{{Reflist National Treasures of Japan Works of calligraphy