Emotional Integrity and Passionate Longing in Heian Japan

All Heian poem translations by Temca on Wakapoetry.net

Poetry is not a genre that is typically viewed with enthusiasm when taught in schools.  Several students come to hate poetry for its quote-on-quote “overuse” of imagery and symbolism by the writers to get their point across, when it’s so much easier to just come out and plainly state what you really want to say.  And when considering literature from around the globe, it is fair to say that few make more use out of symbolism and impressionism than the Japanese.  So much meaning is packed into such short poems, that it can be hard to even begin to understand why the Japanese would waste their time on such sentimental dribble.  However, there is much more to Japanese poetry than just “dribble.”  Japanese poetry, in my experience, is filled with emotional integrity and passionate longing – with overwhelming sentiment and refined contemplation.  To me, it is obvious that poetry was concentrated on so much by the Japanese, because it is the only form of communication next to music where you can convey a great deal more information quite effectively to the listener/reader.  And two of the most masterful examples of this are the poets Izumi Shikibu and Ono no Komachi.

These two writers are famous for their work in a form of poetry called waka.  With a history spanning over 1,000 years, waka was the dominant form of literature in Japan for several hundred years, and has therefore been created and influenced by a number of poets.  However, few can rival the pathos and gravitas that Shikibu and Komachi could muster in their works.  For the purposes of this article, I wanted to share with you, the reader, my love of Japanese poetry (and classical Japanese culture) through the works of these masterminds by analyzing some of my favorite of their poems.  And I would like to begin by explaining a little about the form of poetry these two women (yes, that’s right, many of the most brilliant writers in Japanese history were incomparably wonderful women) wrote, and how it worked.

The word waka literally translates to “Japanese poem,” and was coined during an era of early Japanese history called the Heian Period to separate native poetry from the kanshi, or Chinese poetry.  At first, waka was a general term used to describe many different specific types of poetry, as before the Heian Period, there were several poetic forms abundant in Japan – like tanka, chōka, bussokusekika, and more – all with their own specific rules and nuances.  However, as the Heian Period began, many of these forms vanished, leaving only tanka.  It should be noted at this point that many of the terms used to name poetic forms in Japanese literature, including tanka and haiku, were created by the 20th century poet and critic Masaoka Shiki.  This can help explain why the use of the term waka was so general.

Waka do not have a sense of rhyme or line.  In fact, you will seldom see rhyme schemes in Japanese poetry.  This is because certain arrangements of rhymes, even if they were accidental, would be seen as dire faults in the poem.  Waka are categorized into the unit and the phrase – which are turned into lines when they are Westernized.  Typically, waka have 5 units and 2 phrases, with the pattern 5-7-5/7-7.  The 5-7-5 phrase is called the kami-no-ku, or upper phrase, while the 7-7 phrase is called the shimo-no-ku, or lower phrase.  

To further understand the works of Izumi Shikibu and Ono no Komachi, we have to not only understand the form of poetry they wrote, but also the time period in which they lived and worked; the Heian Period (794 AD to 1185 AD).  Japanese culture at this time was dominated by the goings-on of the Imperial Court.  During the Heian Period, the court surrounded itself with arts and literature, which themselves were dominated by a series of important aesthetics.  The two most important aesthetics during this time were miyabi and mono no aware.  Miyabi – which can be translated as “refinement,” “elegance,” or “courtliness” – is the removal of all things vulgar or absurd, while mono no aware – which can be translated as “sensitivity” – is the ability to be moved by nature; a melancholy over the impermanence of things in this world.  Both of these aesthetics needed to be exhibited for anything (or anyone, for that matter) to be considered beautiful in Heian Japan.

As it happens, miyabi and mono no aware were mainly expressed through poetry.  Poems were the first and main form of communication between members of the court.  Men wrote poems to men, women to women, and lovers and married couples to one another.  Poetry was so beloved that competitions were held regularly, and the most sought-after qualities in poems were a display of sensitivity, and a referencing of proper seasonal and other older poetic tropes.

Now that we have established the genre and the time period of these women’s works and lives, let us begin to learn about the poets themselves, starting with Izumi Shikibu.  Shikibu was a mid Heian-era poet who lived in the late 10th century to the early 11th century.  She was born to a father who was a minor court official named Oeo no Masamune, and later on married twice, while also becoming the lover of both Prince Tametaka and his brother Prince Atsumichi.  In fact, Shikibu’s best known work is a diary that charted her five-year romance with Prince Atsumichi.  She was also a member of the entourage of Empress Shōshi (aka Empress Akiko), who was the wife of Emperor Ichijo.  This entourage also included Murasaki Shikibu (of unrelated family roots), who’s literary work , The Tale of Genji is credited for being the first novel written in human history.  This entourage was very strategic; if Empress Shōshi, a member of the Fujiwara clan, was tutored and influenced by these ladies, then she would remain in favor of the Emperor – thus the clan’s influence would be safeguarded.

Unfortunately, women at this time did not have a public name beyond their status, so Izumi Shikibu was known by the name Shikibu, meaning secretariat (as it was the position of her father), and Izumi, from her marriage to the governor of Izumi (Tachibana no Michisada).  Her poems are part of a tradition of court love poetry; they frequently combine erotic and romantic longing with Buddhist contemplation.  Out of all the Heian poets, Shikibu is said to have had the most poignant Buddhist sensibility.  Today, she is memorialized at Seishin-in Temple in central Kyōto. The first poem I chose of Shikibu’s is called Tachinoboru, which reads as follows:

For context, this poem was written by Shikibu while she was living in a mountain temple, and witnessed a funeral. When I went about analyzing these poems to create an interpretation for myself, I decided the best process would be to focus on the context and imagery found in each poem. Therefore, since a funeral is the context of this poem, let us begin by talking about funerals in Japan. Japan is a Shinto-Buddhist society; Shinto is the religion, whereas Buddhism is viewed more as the way of life, or the philosophy. Since Shinto is a religion that worships and celebrates life, the Shrines, priests, and priestesses do not deal with funerals. Rather, this is left to the philosophical contemplation of Buddhism. Japanese Buddhists pray to Amida Buddha for safe passage to the Pure Land, a realm of gold where it is most easy to attain nirvana (a Sanskrit word that roughly translates to “enlightenment,” which is the goal of all Buddhists). Pure Land Buddhism teaches that once you die, your spirit changes names so that it can cut ties with its human past self to transition into the afterlife, and embrace its new existence. Incense is also a very important part of Buddhism, as the smoke created by it acts as a means to cleanse oneself, and will also be lit at temples for the ancestors. Taking all of this into account, the interpretation I created is that the smoke is incense, which rises to the sky. Thoughts are sent to the heavens in prayer, and like smoke, which lingers, Shikibu’s memory will return to people like this – a faint scent of the past. Thoughts and memories are like smoke, and the memories of people long past will still remain, which keeps them “alive.”

The other poem of Shikibu’s I chose is called Hito no mi mo, which reads as follows:

For this interpretation, I decided to start by learning about moths, and then move on to love in Japan.  Moths and butterflies in Japan are said to contain the spirits of the dead, thus are revered and respected.  As for love, there are more stories of love in Classical Japanese literature between unmarried couples than there are between married couples.  Love in Japan was seen as something felt intuitively, and not verbally expressed.  Once it was expressed, it could be seen as rather cheap.  Romance, and also sex, was seen as a natural thing.  Both were not only accepted, but celebrated through different fertility festivals rooted in even Japan’s most ancient traditions.  This is because Shinto itself doesn’t really have a concept of sin, especially towards desire and sex like there is in Christianity.  Therefore, for my interpretation, I said that people seem to fall quickly into love, and throw themselves into fickle situations in fits of passion, as they see only their desire.  This is similar to moths, who are attracted to fire.  Although it is quite plain to everyone around them that this is against better judgment, the lovers are blinded by their love and desire, and plunge head-first into the flames.

Now that we have spent some time on Izumi Shikibu, let us now turn our heads to the one and only Ono no Komachi.  Komachi was an early Heian poet of unparalleled beauty and renown, and was one of the most famous and well respected poets of her time.  Indeed, even today, she is seen as such.  Most experts believe that Komachi was born around 825 in Dewa, which is now Yuzawa City in Akita Prefecture.  Her father, Yoshisada, was the lord of Dewa, and when she was around 12 or 13, he sent Komachi to the capital to serve in the Imperial court.  Although we do not know too much about her, we do know that Ono no Komachi excelled in the world of the Heian court.  This is because though she is most famous for her poetry, she was also known for her skills at the koto, calligraphy, singing, and dancing.  As far as her poetry is concerned, Komachi wrote mainly about love, and mainly to her many lovers.  Her poetry is filled with heartache, longing, and emotional intensity, and can actually help us to understand when specifically she served in the court.  Komachi was the living personification of the aforementioned aesthetics of miyabi and mono no aware.  She was known as an Akita Bijin, or a beautiful woman from Akita and other parts of Tōhoku.  The Akita Bijin had several qualities of beauty that they were said to have all shared.  These women were said to have had white or pale skin, round faces, straight brows, double eyelids, a small nose, and a small mouth with full lips.  Ono no Komachi was said to have all of these qualities in abundance.

The first poem I chose of Komachi’s is titled Hana no iro wa, which reads as follows:

For this interpretation, I started by researching flowers in Japan.  Flowers are incredibly important in Japanese culture, as there are many important aspects of it that are represented by them.  There are several examples of this – for instance, the Emperor sits on the Chrysanthemum Throne, the lotus symbolizes purity and enlightenment in Buddhism, and sakura (or cherry blossoms) are seen as the embodiment of wabi-sabi – the acceptance of and attraction to imperfection. Even plum blossoms are important, as they were the original sign of spring, the beginning of the hanami (or blossom viewing) tradition, and are associated with good fortune, and thought to ward off evil.

I also did research about rain in Japan, which was most enlightening.  Traditional Japanese society lived off of rain.  Rain was seen as the means by which rice grew, thus it literally fed the Japanese people.  There is even an important god – Kuraokami – who is a mythological dragon said to be the god of rain and snow.  There were even many rain dances and festivals dedicated to bringing another god – named Raijin, the god of thunder – to areas suffering from drought.  To begin my interpretation, I said that Ono no Komachi most likely wrote this poem in contemplation of Buddhist philosophy.  I came to this conclusion because it highlights the impermanence of the world, and coming to terms with this, as represented by the fading colors of the flowers – a visual trope seen throughout the Buddhist world.  She sits contemplating nothing of importance whilst the rains fall, bringing life and meaning to many of her countrymen, but not her.  This poem is a clear example of the heartache that several of Komachi’s works are famous for.

The final poem of Ono no Komachi’s I analyzed is called Oroka naru, which is a very interesting, yet straightforward one.  Komachi wrote this poem in response to another poem she received from a man named Abe no Kiyoyuki.  This man had listened to a sermon given by the Monk Shinsei at a memorial service and composed the following:

Komachi’s response:

I found this poem quite funny, and interpreted it thusly: tears that are hidden by sleeves are meaningless in passion, whereas true emotions are uncontrolled, and flow willingly outward to the external world in force.  Basically, this was a more polite way of telling Kiyoyuki that she wasn’t interested, and that he should hit the road if he knows what’s good for him.

Finally, because I was so inspired by my studies of poetry, I decided to write a poem of my own.  Though I wrote this poem in the style of haiku rather than waka, I was still inspired by the works of these two brilliant poets.  For my poem, I focused on the imagery of the moon.  In Japan, the moon has important significance in both Shintoism and Buddhism.  In Shintoism, the moon is represented by the god Tsukiyomi, who represents dreams, fertility, spirituality, and the balance of masculine and feminine energy.  In Buddhism, the moon is equally important, as it is the representation of inner enlightenment.  Being inspired by this, I wrote the following waka in Japanese, and then translated it into English:

In the end, it is clear that poetry has dominated Japan’s literary world for nearly 1,000 years, if not longer.  It was used for artistic purposes, contemplation, storytelling, communication, and even entertainment.  There is also a festival called Kyokusui no En, held at the Kitano Tenmangū Shrine in Kyōtō where reenactors dressed in Heian period clothing drink, enjoy performances of sung poetry, and compose poems of their own.  There are several poets famous for their contributions to Japanese poetry throughout the centuries, but of them few have had as much of a unique impact in the annals of history as Izumi Shikibu and Ono no Komachi have.  Through Shikibu, we can see the balanced combination between erotic longing and philosophical contemplation, while through Komachi we see the power of words to convey such intense emotions as heartache, longing, and overall waves of passion.  To me, Japanese poetry – and specifically classical poetry – is such a beautiful portal to not only the way of life, but the philosophy and perspective of the Japanese people throughout history.  Japanese literature seems to spring from poetry, and Japanese culture seems to spring from literature.  So the next time you look at a poem from anywhere, I invite you to try doing your own research on it.  I promise you will find it most illuminating.

Works Cited

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Dexter, Kristen. “Ono No Komachi and The Standard of Japanese Female Beauty.” Tofugu, Tofugu, 10 Oct. 2014, www.tofugu.com/japan/ono-no-komachi/.

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Infosino, Charles. “After Death Beliefs of Japanese People.” Synonym, 21 Nov. 2017, classroom.synonym.com/after-death-beliefs-japanese-people-17439.html.

“Izumi Shikibu.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/izumi-shikibu.

Keyes, Hilary. “Plum Blossoms – The Original Japanese Sign Of Spring: MATCHA – JAPAN TRAVEL WEB MAGAZINE.” MATCHA, MATCHA, 29 Nov. 2017, matcha-jp.com/en/3983.

“A Study of Rain Deities and Rain Wizards of Japan.” JAPANESE MYTHOLOGY & FOLKLORE, 2 Aug. 2013, japanesemythology.wordpress.com/a-study-of-rain-deities-and-rain-wizards-of-japan/.

“Symbolism of Japanese Flowers.” HR Group KK, morethanrelo.com/en/symbolism-of-japanese-flowers/.

Temca. “KKS II: 113.” Waka Poetry, 31 Oct. 2015, www.wakapoetry.net/kks-ii-113/.

Temca. “KKS XII: 556.” Waka Poetry, 4 Nov. 2015, www.wakapoetry.net/kks-xii-556/.

Temca. “KKS XII: 557.” Waka Poetry, 4 Nov. 2015, www.wakapoetry.net/kks-xii-557/.

Temca. “GSIS X: 539.” Waka Poetry, 7 Nov. 2015, www.wakapoetry.net/gsis-x-539/.

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Temca. “GSIS XIV: 820.” Waka Poetry, 8 Nov. 2015, www.wakapoetry.net/gsis-xiv-820/.

Temca. “Waka Poetry.” Waka Poetry, 19 Jan. 2016, www.wakapoetry.net/.

“Waka (Poetry).” Waka (Poetry) – New World Encyclopedia, www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Waka_(poetry)“What Is a Waka?: Asia for Educators: Columbia University.” What Is a Waka? | Asia for Educators | Columbia University, Columbia University, afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/japan_600ce_waka.htm.