Hyakunin Isshu: Meet the Poets
Priest Nōin

Meaning

The storm blows through Mimuro Mountain, and the scattered maple leaves become a brocade on the Tatsuta River.

Commentary

Mt. Mimuro (near Kasuga) and the Tatsuta River were among the most famous poetic places associated with autumn leaves. The image of falling leaves turning the river into a nishiki (brocade) of colors is one of the most vivid in classical poetry — wind, leaves, and water unified in a single sweeping vision.

Priest Nōin was a wandering poet who traveled throughout Japan visiting famous poetic sites (utamakura). He was passionate about the connection between poetry and place. This poem about Tatsuta River is often cited alongside Ariwara no Narihira's poem as one of the defining images of Japanese autumn.

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