Hyakunin Isshu Columns
Waka Poems Featured in
Berabou
In episode 14 of the 2025 NHK historical drama Berabou, the proprietors of the pleasure quarters traded poems that parodied the Hyakunin Isshu.
Thumbnail image:
Source: ColBase, cropped
The Rokkasen
Six poets singled out by Ki no Tsurayuki in the Kana Jo of the Kokin Wakashū. Later revered as the "Six Poetic Sages" (Rokkasen), they actually received surprisingly harsh reviews from Tsurayuki himself.
Thumbnail image:Kitagawa, Utamaro, 1753?-1806, artist, Public domain, via
Wikimedia Commons
The Six Cat Sages
of the Current Style
A look at Utagawa Kuniyoshi's playful print, which reimagines the famous "Rokkasen" poets as fluffy cats.
Thumbnail image:Image: Tokyo National Museum
Research Information Archives
The Thirty-Six Immortal Poets
The 36 poets selected in the Sanjūroku-nin Sen, an anthology compiled by Fujiwara no Kintō. A list of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets, each with one poem and a modern-language translation.
Thumbnail image:Ogata Kōrin (1658-1716), Public domain, via Wikimedia
Commons
Who Were the
Women Writers of the Heian Period?
Women writers like Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shōnagon. How did they come to know the inner workings of the court so intimately? This column also explores the circumstances behind the creation of their masterpieces.
Thumbnail image:Yashima Gakutei (1786 – 1868), Public domain, via
Wikimedia Commons
