Hyakunin Isshu: Meet the Poets
Lay Novice of Hosshō-ji Temple, former Kampaku and Chancellor

Meaning

Rowing out onto the open sea and looking around — the white waves far off on the water seem to blur into the clouds.

Commentary

"Watano-hara" (the sea expanse) is an established poetic term for the open ocean. The merging of white waves and white clouds where sea meets sky creates a sublime, boundless image. "Hisakata no" is a pillow word for the sky. The poem achieves a rare sense of vast, quiet grandeur.

Fujiwara no Tadamichi, who became a lay monk at Hosshō-ji Temple, was a leading statesman and poet of the late Heian period. The poem is said to have been composed during a sea voyage. Despite its brevity, it conveys a majestic sense of scale that was unusual in the inward-looking poetry of his era.

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