Month: June 2012

Parting Ways: Poem Number 77

In honor of my wife’s birthday, I thought I’d write about her favorite poem from the Hyakunin Isshu:

JapaneseRomanizationTranslation
瀬をはやみSe wo hayamiBecause the current is swift,
岩いわにせかるるIwa ni sekarurueven though the rapids,
滝川がわのTakigawa noblocked by a boulder,
われてもすゑえにWarete mo sue niare divided, like them, in the end,
逢はわむんとぞ思ふうAwan to zo omouwe will surely meet, I know.
Translation by Dr Joshua Mostow

This poem was composed by Sutoku-in (崇徳院, 1119 – 1164), of “Retired Emperor Sutoku“. My new book notes that Sutoku had very tragic fortune in life. Sutoku was the son of Emperor Toba, but there were persistent rumors, and some limited historical evidence that his real father was Toba’s grandfather, Emperor Shirakawa. 😮😮 This strained Sutoku’s relationship with his father Toba, and so Toba did not step down as emperor until 23, despite installing Sutoku as the next emperor at age 5. Though his reign was long, and oversaw many poetry competitions, it ended poorly when he was forced to abdicate, and later exiled.

You see, his father Toba was infatuated with one of his other wive, Fujiwara no Nariko, and designated her son, Konoe as the next Emperor after Sutoku at age 3. Konoe however died at age 17 before ascending, and Nariko believed that a jealous Sutoku had cursed her son. This scandal eventually forced Sutoku off the throne, and his younger brother, Go-Shirakawa was installed next.

After Toba passed away, the bitter Sutoku became embroiled in a succession dispute with the regent Tadamichi (poem 76) that boiled over into the Hōgen Rebellion in 1156. The Rebellion was a disaster, and being on the losing side of the conflict, Sutoku was exiled to Sanuki Province, lived a monastic life until he died in 1164.

Coincidentally, the Hōgen Disturbance marks the beginning of the end of the Heian Court,1 and the rise of the samurai class, so legends existed that Sutoku’s angry spirit helped bring down the Court. A related legend is that while in exile, Sutoku lived a monastic life and sometimes sent poetry back to the Court, but the Court refused them on the grounds that they might be cursed. Evidentially, rumors of his curse from the death of Konoe, plus his ill-will from rebellion and exile, dogged him even later in life.

Sutoku was said to have taken great offense at this:

Vengeful Sutoku in Japanese art
“The Lightning Bolt”, a famous painting depicting Sutoku’s vengeful spirit, by Utagawa Yoshitsuya (same artist with the name Ichieisai Yoshitsuya), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

I mention all this because this poem on its own is quite lovely, and because it’s signed as “Retired Emperor Sutoku” it’s quite possible he wrote this while in exile, pining for someone he left behind in the capitol. Was it rejected as the legend says? If so, it’s a tragic waste of great poetry, and fuel for supernatural speculation. But if not, then this poem is still a lovely read and a reminder that old friends and loved ones will reunite again someday.

In any case, Happy Birthday, honey!

1 This is reflected quite a bit in the “mood” of the later poems of the Hyakunin Isshu, especially in the 90’s onward. Some of them have a sense of lost glory as the Heian Period ends, and the Court nobles become utterly powerless to the samurai class.

Playing with Hyakunin Isshu cards

Edit: you can read a more up to date and detailed post about how to play karuta here.

On a recent Saturday, my daughter, wife and I were stuck at home and a little bored, so we decided to play a little game. I took out a box of Hyakunin Isshu karuta or “cards” in Japanese my wife had since she was a young, and my daughter and I set them up. This is a game known in Japanese as uta-garuta or “poetry cards” featuring the Hyakunin Isshu. I’ve mentioned it before here and here. Usually, it’s played on or around Japanese New Year’s, but as the links above show, there are youth clubs devoted to it too as an extra-curricular activity. To play, you need minimum 3 people: one to read the poems, and the others to compete at collecting them.

As you can see in the photo, the cards are all laid on a table. Those ones only have the last 2 verses of each poem, and no pictures, while someone “reads” a card from the other stack with pictures. This stack has the full poems plus pictures of each poet as you can see above. Here’s a photo for clarity:

The card on the left is the full poem, plus illustration, while the card on the right shows on the last 2 lines of verse.

Anyhow, as the reader recites the poem out loud, the other people try to find the card that matches the last half of the poem, hopefully before their opponent person does. Since my daughter is 5 years old, and Japanese is my second language, it was slow going, and there were only 2 of us playing. One of us would read the illustrated card awkwardly, and then we’d both try to find the one that had the last 2 verses of the same poem. It was fun, but took a little while, especially with 100 poems to wade through.

Later, my wife joined us. Since she’s a native Japanese speaker, she could recite the poems faster, freeing up my daughter and I to find the related card. Mommy and daughter teamed up together, but we all took turns reading cards so that my wife would have a chance too. By the end of the game, they won by a ratio of 2:1, but I am happy to still found some cards. 😉

It was my first time playing uta-garuta and we had a great time. If you are in Japan and/or can read Japanese well enough, you may want to pick up a deck yourself. They look great because of the illustrated cards, and are fun for a rainy afternoon. Especially if you 3 or more people, and one of them happens to be a native speaker.

P.S. Have been busy with other projects related to other blog, but hoping to get back into this one soon. My goal is to get to 50 poems or halfway in the near future.