Category: Japan
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The Diary of Lady Murasaki
Of all the poets of the Hyakunin Isshu anthology, arguably the most famous, especially overseas is Lady Murasaki (poem 57), who in Japanese is called Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部). She is the author of the Tales of Genji, which epitomized life in Japanese antiquity, and is arguably the first novel in history. But another work by…
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Hyakunin Isshu Crackers, Redux!
In Japan, gift-giving (omiyagé お土産) among friends and relatives is a common tradition, and recently a friend returned from Japan and gave us some special crackers (senbei) featuring poems from the Hyakunin Isshu. The crackers come in different flavors, and the wrapper each has a random poem. I got a curry-flavored one: The first two…
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Karuta Competitions
Since initially making this blog way back in 2011, I have learned that you can now find karuta competitions (競技かるた kyōgi karuta) online on the official Youtube channel! Here’s a recent high school playoff competition in 2022 for men: and ladies playoff competition: As you can see, it’s a very formal, elegant affair, with traditional…
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The Beautiful Village of Yoshino
The town of Yoshino (yoshino-chō, 吉野町), near the old capitol of Nara, was a popular spot in ancient times and was often the subject of poetry in the Hyakunin Isshu anthology, for example poem 31 and poem 94. Last spring, the Yasaka Taxi company in Japan posted a terrific photo of Yoshino (original link on…
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Bozu Mekuri: Karuta for Beginners
Wow, it’s been a while. Recently, while playing with my wife and kids a game of karuta with our hyakunin isshu set, I learned about a simple, introductory way to enjoy the game without spending a lot of time learning the poems or mastering the rules of the competition. This simple game is called bōzu-mekuri…
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A Cold Mat: Poem 91
A fitting poem for winter and those who somehow missed out on Valentine’s Day recently: Japanese Romanization Translation きりぎりす Kirigirisu When the crickets 鳴くや霜夜の Naku ya shimoyo no cry in the frosty night, さむしろに Sa mushiro ni on the cold reed-mat, 衣かたしき Koromo katashiki spreading out my robe just for one, ひとりかも寝む Hitori kamo nen…
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Short As A Reed: Poem Number 88
If you like word-play, you’ll enjoy this poem quite a bit: Japanese Romanization Translation 難波江の Naniwa-e no Due to that single night 芦のかりねの Ashi no karine no of fitful sleep, short as a reed’s joint cut at the root 一夜ゆへ Hitoyo yue from Naniwa Bay, 身をつくしてや Mi wo tsukushite ya am I to exhaust myself,…
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New Blog Page
Hello, I’ve been making small updates to the blog apart from the poems themselves. The main change is that I’ve added a new “page” that talks about the history of Imperial poetry anthologies. Poetry collections were very popular in the “classical age” of Japanese history, when Court nobles cultivated the finer arts and wrote lots…
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Sleepless Nights: Poem Number 85
Whereas the last love poem expressed love and anxiety after a first-meeting, this poem is quite a different story: Japanese Romanization Translation 夜もすがら Yo mo sugara All through the night 物思ふ頃は Mono omou koro wa recently, as I dwell on things, 明けやらぬ Ake yaranu even the gap between the doors ねやのひまさへ Neya no hima sae…
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The Plovers’ Cry: Poem Number 78
As the weather gets colder, I’ve been saving this one for a time like this: Japanese Romanization Translation 淡路島 Awaji shima The crying voices かよふ千鳥の Kayou chidori no of the plovers who visit なく声に Naku koe ni from Awaji Island— いくよねざめぬ Ikuyo nezamenu how many nights have they awakened him, すまの関守 Suma no sekimori the…
The Hyakunin Isshu 