Hyakunin Isshu: Meet the Poets
Chūnagon Kanesuke

Meaning

Like the Izumi River that wells up and flows through Mika Plain — when did I first see you, that I should long for you so?

Commentary

Falling in love with someone you have never actually met may seem strange by modern standards. Yet in the Heian period, opportunities for aristocratic men and women to meet face to face were extremely limited. It was entirely possible — and quite common — to fall deeply in love based on a chance glimpse, a rumor, or a reputation alone.

Mika Plain lies near the northern bank of the Kizu River in the southern part of present-day Kyoto Prefecture, and Izumi River was an ancient name for that same Kizu River. Just as the spring waters never cease to flow, Kanesuke's feelings toward his unseen beloved flowed on without pause or end.

There is something openly and honestly romantic in the way Kanesuke pours his ardent longing — for someone he has never even met — directly into verse. It reveals a deeply passionate and tender side of his character.

Learn More