Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each): Poem 94 (Fujiwara no Masatsune)

   Hyakunin Isshu, Poem 94

Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn
(version September 2022)


the autumn wind blowing
from fair Mount Yoshino
deepens the night
and in the old capital, cold,
I hear the sound of beating cloth

miyoshino no
yama no akikaze
sayo fukete
furusato samuku
koromo utsu nari

みよし野の
山の秋風
さよふけて
ふるさとさむく
衣うつなり

Fujiwara no Masatsune 藤原雅経 (1170-1221)

[”Fulling cloth" by Katsushika Oi]

A poem on "fulling cloth," the practice of pounding fabric to bring out a glossy sheen. The poem was part of a 100 poem sequence composed in 1202 and is again a "honkadori" poem, drawing on both Chinese and Japanese examples to create a mood of autumnal melancholia. Poems alluded to are kanshi by Li Bai and Bai Juyi, as well as Kokinshi No 325 by Ki no Korenori.

Notes

- miyoshino: utamakura for Yoshino, the mountainous area south of Nara not only famous for cherry blossoms and ascetic priests, but also for being the location of the Rikyu palace of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jito.
- sayo fukete: as the night deepens, the autumn wind gets increasingly cold
- furusato: here "the old capital", i.e. the site of the palace of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jito.
- samuku (cold): a pivot word between "furusato" (old capital) and "koromo utsu" (beating clothes) - conveys the double sense of the cold of the evening and the chilly sound of the mallet.
- koromo utsunari: the sound of fulling blocks (kinuta) was also a sign of autumn in Sinitic poetry.

The Poet

Fujiwara no Masatsune (1170-1221, a.k.a. Asukai Masatsune) was a son of Nanba Yoritsune and the ancestor of the Asukai family, who were known for their skill at both poetic composition, calligraphy and kemari. He studied poetry with Shunzei (poem 83) and was one of the editors of the Shinkokinshu. He left a private collection, the Asukaishu, which was posthumously edited by his grandson in 1292. Twenty-two of his poems were included in the Shinkokinshu, and a total of 134 in the imperial anthologies.

[Mr Yoshino]

Visiting

Although you won't hear the interesting sound of cloth fulling anymore, Mt Yoshino is a fascinating destination, sitting on the crest of a ridge extending to the heart of the Yoshino mountains. Located in Nara Prefecture, Mt Yoshino is a major religious and literary site. Its peaks were once climbed chiefly for devotional purposes by "mountain ascetics." Several important religious and pilgrimage destinations are located on and around Mt Yoshino, including Kinpusenji Temple, with the Zaodo  whose principal image is Zao Gongen. The hall is the second largest wooden building in Japan (after the Daibutsuden of Todaiji) and possesses great architectural beauty. Other interesting temples in the area are Nyoirinji and Chikurinji. As shrines go, we have the Yoshimizu Shrine, the Yoshino-Mikumari Shrine (built in the Momoyama period), the Kinpu Shrine and the Kokeshimizu Shrine, which stands in the vicinity of the site of the hermitage of the famous 12th c. Buddhist priest and poet Saigyo.

The area is renowned for its more than 30,000 flowering cherry trees, which have inspired Japanese waka poetry for centuries, including the 10th century poetry compilation Kokinshu and the above-mentioned Saigyo. Yoshino's cherry trees were planted in four groves at different altitudes, so they would come into bloom at different times in spring. Find more information about Yoshino and ways to get there on the Visit Nara website.

References: Pictures of the Heart, The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua S. Mostow (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996); One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each, by Peter MacMIllan (Penguin Classics); Traditional Japanese Poetry, An Anthology, by Steven D. Carter (Stanford University Press, 1991); Hyakunin Isshu by Inoue Muneo, etc. (Shinchosha, 1990); Genshoku Hyakunin Isshu by Suzuki Hideo, etc. (Buneido, 1997); Chishiki Zero kara no Hyakunin Isshu, by Ariyoshi Tamotsu (Gentosha); Hyakunin Isshu Kaibo Zukan, by Tani Tomoko (X-Knowledge);  Ogura Hyakunin Isshu at Japanese Text Initiative (University of Virginia Library Etext Center); Hyakunin Isshu wo aruku by Shimaoka Shin (Kofusha Shuppan); Hyakunin Isshu, Ocho waka kara chusei waka e by Inoue Muneo (Chikuma Shoin, 2004); Basho's Haiku (2 vols) by Toshiharu Oseko (Maruzen, 1990); The Ise Stories by Joshua S. Mostow and Royall Tyler (University of Hawai'i Press, 2010); Kokin Wakashu, The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry by Helen Craig McCullough (Stanford University Press, 1985); Kokinshu, A Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern by Laurel Rasplica Rodd and Mary Catherine Henkenius (University of Tokyo Press, 1984); Kokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1994); Shinkokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1995); Taketori Monogatari-Ise Monogatari-Yamato Monogatari-Heichu Monogatari (Shogakkan, 1994).

    Illustration: Wikipedia. Photo Mt Yoshino: own work.

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