Biographies CXLVII: The Waka Poets, Part III

Fujiwara-no-Nagatō

¶Fujiwara-no-Nagatō was a great-great-grandson of Gon-Chūnagon (Provisional Middle Counsellor) Nagara and a son of Ise-no-kami (Governor of Ise) Tomoyasu (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He was known as a master of waka and was ranked together with Fujiwara-no-Michinobu, Fujiwara-no-Sanekata, and Minamoto-no-Michinari (Note: following the Yakumo Mishō). He served under three emperors, En'yū, Kazan, and Ichijō, and was granted Junior Fifth Rank Upper. He was appointed Governor of Iga (Note: following the Nagatō-shū and the Chūko Kasenden).

¶When Fujiwara-no-Kintō gathered guests for a poetry gathering lamenting the passing of spring, it happened to be the last night of the third month, a short month. Nagatō composed a poem that lamented it as a grievous kind of year in which spring had ended after only twenty-nine days. Kintō found fault with it, saying, "Why should spring end without waiting for the thirtieth day?" Nagatō was deeply ashamed, went home, and took to his bed. When his illness grew grave, Kintō sent someone to inquire after him. Nagatō said, "The other day you faulted my poem on the passing of spring, and my shame and remorse have become so extreme that I have come to this." When Kintō heard it, he regretted it bitterly. Nagatō died soon afterward (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi and the Jikkinshō).

Tachibana-no-Nagayasu

¶Tachibana-no-Nagayasu was a descendant in the tenth generation of Minister of the Left Moroe (Note: following the Tachibana-shi Keizu; another text makes it the eleventh generation). He was a son of Tōtōmi-no-kami (Governor of Tōtōmi) Tadamochi, and was adopted by his elder brother Higo-no-kami (Governor of Higo) Motoyasu. Nagayasu became a Monjōshō (student of letters) and was styled the "Higo Shinshi" (Note: following the Chūko Kasenden). He loved waka by nature. At that time Fujiwara-no-Nagatō was famed in the world as a poet, so Nagayasu called at his gate and asked about the essentials of waka. Nagatō showed him a single poem, in which rain falls in the depths of the mountains upon maple leaves that have fallen and piled up, drifting down onto the dry layer above, and said, "This is the form a poem should take." Nagayasu was deeply moved and in the end became Nagatō's disciple. The relationship of master and pupil in waka is said to have begun with this (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi and the Chūko Kasenden).

¶Later he shaved his head and changed his name to Nōin (Note: following the Tachibana-shi Keizu). He lived at Kosobe in Settsu, and so was called in the world the Kosobe Nyūdō, the Lay Monk of Kosobe (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi and the Chūko Kasenden).

¶Once, when he was riding in the same carriage as Fujiwara-no-Kanefusa and had come to Nijō-Higashi-no-Tōin, Nōin suddenly got down from the carriage. Kanefusa wondered at this and asked the reason. Nōin answered, "This is the old residence of the gifted woman Ise-no-Go, and the pine in her garden still stands. It would be discourteous to pass it by like this." He walked some dozens of paces until the pine was out of sight, and only then returned to the carriage. So deeply did he revere whatever was connected with waka (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi and the Yakumo Mishō).

¶There was a man of curious tastes named Fujiwara-no-Tokinobu. One day he met Nōin and the two got on remarkably well. Nōin felt in the brocade bag in his breast, took out a fragment, and said, "This is a rotted piece of a pile from Nagara Bridge. I have treasured it for many years, but today I will bring it out for you." Tokinobu was delighted; he too felt in his breast, took out a dried frog, and said, "This is a frog of Ide." The two admired each other's treasures, enjoyed themselves greatly, and parted (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi).

¶When Fujiwara-no-Norikuni went to his post in Iyo, Nōin accompanied him. That year there was a terrible drought and the common people suffered. Norikuni said to Nōin, "I have heard that waka can move the gods. I beg you to offer a poem to the god of Mishima, praying for rain on my behalf." Nōin then composed and presented a poem asking the Heavenly River to open its sluice and send water to the rice seedbeds, and saying that if the god who descends from heaven is truly a god, he should answer. At once clouds rose in the sky and heavy rain fell for three days. The paddies near and far were all soaked, and even seedlings that had been withering revived (Note: following the Kin'yōshū, Minamoto-no-Toshiyori's Mumyōshō, the Jikkinshō, and the Kokon Chomonjū. Norikuni is also written Sanekuni or Saneoka).

¶Later he traveled to Mutsu, and on passing the Shirakawa Barrier he composed a poem saying that he had left the capital with the spring mists, yet autumn winds were now blowing at the Shirakawa Barrier (Note: following the Goshūi Wakashū). Nōin himself considered it a matchless masterpiece (Note: following the Jikkinshō and the Kokon Chomonjū. According to this book, Nōin, while still in the capital, happened to obtain this poem and, thinking it his finest work, said, "I have never yet been to Mutsu, and yet I made this poem." People took this to be a falsehood. Nōin therefore shut himself up in his house for many days, exposing his skin to wind, rain, and sun so as to look like one who had made a long journey, and only then told people, "I traveled to Mutsu, passed the Shirakawa Barrier, and obtained this one poem." However, the Fukuro-zōshi says that Nōin traveled to Mutsu and wrote the "Yasoshima-ki," so that the earlier story may be a later fabrication. It is added here only for reference).

¶He often told people, "If you wish to improve in waka, you must love it deeply. If you love it for long, you will naturally enter the realm of the divine." His works include the "Gengenshū" (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi and the Yakumo Mishō), and he also compiled the "Utamakura," which he circulated in the world.

Taira-no-Kanemori

¶Taira-no-Kanemori was a great-grandson of Imperial Prince Koretada. His father Atsuyuki was the first to receive the surname Taira, and became Dazai-no-daini, Senior Assistant Governor-General of Dazaifu (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). Kanemori excelled at waka (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Yakumo Mishō) and was also rich in literary talent. In his youth he entered the Daigaku, the state university, and passed its examination (Note: following the Honchō Monzui). In the Tenryaku era he became Echizen-no-gon-no-kami (Provisional Governor of Echizen), and afterwards, passing through the posts of Yamashiro-no-suke and Ō-kenmotsu, he rose to Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Governor of Suruga (Note: following the Honchō Monzui and the Kasenden). In the Tentoku era a poetry contest was held in the palace and Kanemori presented a poem. On that day he composed himself in court dress and sat upright in the Jin-no-za, the guards' hall, and when he heard that his poem had won, he did not so much as ask about the other results, but performed the obeisance dance and withdrew (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi). He died in the first year of Shōryaku (990) (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Kasenden). People of the time praised him as a Kasen, an immortal of poetry (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Sanekata

¶Fujiwara-no-Sanekata was a grandson of Minister of the Left Morotada. His father Sadatoki was a Jijū, Chamberlain (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Chūko Kasenden). He was adopted by his uncle Gon-Dainagon (Provisional Major Counsellor) Nariyoshi (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). He served Emperor Ichijō, passed through the posts of Jijū and Uhyōe-no-gon-no-suke, was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper, and rose to Sakonoe-no-chūjō, Middle Captain of the Left Palace Guards (Note: following the Chūko Kasenden and the Eiga Monogatari).

¶He excelled at waka. Once, when he was visiting Higashiyama, a sudden rain began to fall, and Sanekata drew near the blossoms and sheltered beneath them. The poem he composed on that occasion was praised by the people of the time as a matchless masterpiece. The next day Fujiwara-no-Tadanobu praised it warmly in the emperor's presence, but Fujiwara-no-Yukinari, who was sitting nearby, said, "That man is proud and overbearing. Even if his words are beautiful, is it anything worth speaking of?" When Sanekata heard of this he was greatly angered (Note: following the Senjūshō).

¶By chance he fell into a quarrel with Yukinari in the Tenjō, the emperor's court chamber, and unable to restrain his anger, he snatched Yukinari's cap and threw it to the ground. The emperor was enraged at this discourtesy and dismissed Sanekata from his post as Middle Captain. Yet he regretted losing so gifted a man, and saying, "Go and seek out utamakura for me," he appointed Sanekata Governor of Mutsu, imposing the penalty in that form (Note: following the Jikkinshō, the Kojidan, and the Genpei Seisuiki. Utamakura means famous places that are sung of in poems). On setting out for his post he was summoned to the Tenjō, granted wine, and advanced one rank (Note: following the Gonki and the Nihon Kiryaku). In the fourth year of Chōtoku (998) he died at his post (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Chūko Kasenden).

¶Once, when Sanekata was passing Kasashima, there was a small shrine by the roadside. Sanekata asked a villager, "What god is this?" The villager answered, "It is handed down that this is the daughter of the Dōsojin, the road-guardian deity of Izumoji in the capital, who offended her father and was driven away to this place. The local people built a shrine and worship her, and she is greatly efficacious. You should dismount and pay respect." Sanekata said, "Then she is no exalted god," and rode past without dismounting. At once the horse he was riding died suddenly, and Sanekata himself died soon afterward. People took this to be the god's curse and buried Sanekata beside that shrine (Note: following the Genpei Seisuiki). Sanekata's fame as a poet was very great (Note: following the Yakumo Mishō and the Konjaku Monogatari), and his shrine at Hashimoto in Kamo was named together with the shrine at Iwamoto of Ariwara-no-Narihira; in later ages those who studied waka all prayed to them (Note: following the Tsurezuregusa). His son Tomomoto, Junior Fourth Rank Lower and Governor of Mutsu, likewise excelled at waka (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari and the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Akisue

¶Fujiwara-no-Akisue was the second son of Tōgū-no-daishin (Senior Secretary to the Crown Prince's Household) Takatsune, and was adopted by Dainagon (Major Counsellor) Sanesue (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Kugyō Bunin). He excelled at waka, and his style naturally formed a school of its own. He constantly revered Kakinomoto-no-Hitomaro. Earlier, Fujiwara-no-Kanefusa had seen Hitomaro in a dream and had a painter draw his likeness, which he later presented to Emperor Shirakawa. Akisue petitioned the throne to borrow the portrait, had Uemon-no-taifu Nobushige copy it, had Fujiwara-no-Atsumitsu compose an inscription for it, and had Minamoto-no-Akinaka write it out. In the early years of Gen'ei (1118) he invited Minamoto-no-Toshiyori and others and held a rite in honor of the portrait. Thereafter he made it an annual custom (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū and the Jikkinshō). When the emperor heard of this, he granted by edict the village of Sato-ama in Sanuki as land to support the rite (Note: following the Tō Tsuneyori Kikigaki).

¶The original portrait that Kanefusa had painted was later reduced to ashes in a fire, and the world treated the copy Akisue had made as the genuine one. Akisue prized it greatly, and had himself vowed not to hand it on to anyone not versed in the way of waka, even his own son. His son Akisuke excelled especially at waka, and so in the end he gave it to him (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū and the Jikkinshō).

¶Akisue served successively as Governor of Harima and of Mimasaka and was appointed Shuri-no-daibu, Master of the Office of Palace Repairs. In the early years of Tennin (1108) he was promoted one step after another until he reached Senior Third Rank. In the Ten'ei era he became Dazai-no-daini, with the post of Shuri-no-daibu unchanged. In the Hōan era he died, at the age of sixty-nine (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Because he built his residence at Rokujō-Karasuma, he was known in the world as the Rokujō Shuri-no-daibu (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). His writings include the "Meigetsushō" (Note: following the Ninna-ji Shoseki Mokuroku). His grandson was Kiyosuke.

Fujiwara-no-Kiyosuke

¶Fujiwara-no-Kiyosuke. Kiyosuke's father Akisuke served four emperors, Horikawa, Toba, Sutoku, and Konoe, and rose to Senior Third Rank, Sakyō-no-daibu and Kōtaigō-gū-no-suke (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). He excelled at waka and was unrivaled in his time (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). By edict of Emperor Sutoku he compiled the "Shika Wakashū" (Note: following the Yakumo Mishō and the Chokusen Shidai. Up to this point the account concerns Fujiwara-no-Akisuke).

¶Kiyosuke excelled at waka above all and was ranked together with Fujiwara-no-Toshinari and the monk Saigyō (Note: following the Yakumo Mishō). At first he served in a minor post, and lamenting his own misfortune, he gave expression to his feelings in waka. Retired Emperor Toba pitied him and granted him Fifth Rank (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi). Afterwards he rose further to Senior Fourth Rank Lower, concurrently Taikōtaigō-gū-no-daishin and Governor of Nagato (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶He was constantly absorbed in the study of poetry and pursued his researches day and night. Once someone, wishing to test his ability, asked him about a matter that was scarcely known to anyone; Kiyosuke answered without hesitation and explained it in detail and with clarity, so that all who heard were amazed and filled with admiration. He loved to read the "Man'yōshū," and is said to have told people, "If you wish to compose good poems, it is essential to read the old collections" (Note: following Kamo-no-Chōmei's Mumyōshō).

¶In the second year of Jōan (1172) he held a Shōshikai, a gathering in honor of long life, for waka, and assembled the elderly poets of the day at the Hōshōgon-in. Seven attended: Sani (out of office) Fujiwara-no-Atsuyori, eighty-four years old; Jingi-haku (Head of the Office of Shinto Rites) Prince Akihiro, seventy-eight; the Hie shrine priest Hōri-no-Narinaka, seventy-four; Shikibu-no-taifu (Master of the Bureau of Ceremonial) Fujiwara-no-Naganori, seventy-two; Ukyō-no-gon-no-daibu (Provisional Master of the Right Capital Office) Minamoto-no-Yorimasa and Kiyosuke, sixty-nine; and the former Shikibu-no-shō (Junior Assistant of Ceremonial) Ōe-no-Korimitsu, sixty-three. Each composed waka to express his feelings, and Kiyosuke himself wrote the preface. The world has handed this down as a splendid occasion (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū and the Hyakurenshō).

¶Earlier, by edict of Emperor Nijō, he had been compiling the "Shoku Shika Wakashū," but as the work neared completion the emperor died. Because it had not passed under the emperor's eye, it was not ranked among the formal imperial collections (Note: following the Yakumo Mishō). His writings include the "Ōgishō," "Shogakushō," "Ichijishō," "Bokutekiki," "Imasenshū," "Fukuro-zōshi," and "Wakadai Rin" (Note: following the Yakumo Mishō and the Ninna-ji Shoseki Mokuroku).

¶He died in the first year of Jishō (1177). Fujiwara-no-Kanezane had once studied waka under Kiyosuke and always praised his talent, comparing him to Ki-no-Tsurayuki and Fujiwara-no-Kintō. At Kiyosuke's death Kanezane lamented, "The way of waka has been cut off" (Note: following the Gyokuyō). His younger brother was the monk Kenshō.

Monk Kenshō

¶The monk Kenshō likewise excelled at waka (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Sakusha Burui). He was close to the monk Jakuren, and whenever the two met they glared and strained with spirit and fought out fierce debates. Kenshō would hold a tokko, an Esoteric Buddhist vajra, in his hand as he delivered his critiques, while Jakuren raised his face and argued back without yielding. At that time there was a saying, "Tokko Kenshō, Kamakubi Jakuren" (Note: following the Seiansho).

¶At about this time Fujiwara-no-Toshinari wrote judgments for the "Roppyakuban Utaawase," but Kenshō read them and was not satisfied, and wrote a Chinjō (Note: a written statement of objection) of his own to refute them (Note: following the Kenshō Chinjō). Kenshō once grieved that he held no office or rank, presented his own "Nihongi Kachū," and also composed a poem expressing his feelings. For this he is said to have been granted the rank of Hokkyō (Note: following the Meigetsuki, the Jikkinshō, and the Shasekishū). His writings include the "Kokin Wakashū Shō" and the "Shūchūshō."

Fujiwara-no-Michitoshi

¶Fujiwara-no-Michitoshi was the second son of Dazai-no-daini Tsunehira (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). His learning ranged over both Japanese and Chinese, and he was deeply versed in the principles of government. In the second year of Ōtoku (1085), a report came from Dazaifu stating, "Auspicious flowers have appeared on the stone inkstone and on the steps of the high seat at the upper shrine of Kōra in Chikugo Province," and the matter was put to the court nobles. Michitoshi argued as follows: "According to the 'Kantsūden' of the Zen master Chikaku, not only did strange flowers bloom at the four corners of the high seat, but white lotuses once grew from the five fingers of his right hand. Yet these were not natural auspicious signs; they merely showed the wonder of his power of the Law. The flowering for no apparent reason of the stone inkstone of the high seat this time might likewise suffice as a fortunate omen. However, when Shinano Province presented a white pheasant in the Kanna era, the discussion at the time held that 'in general, an auspicious sign is correct when it matches the color of its direction.' In light of this, even if it is a fortunate omen, one should examine the color of the direction in detail before judging whether it is good or ill." Whenever he took part in a great deliberation, it is said, his arguments were always precise, orderly, and clear in this way (Note: following the Shikanki).

¶Emperor Shirakawa valued his talent exceedingly, and he was ranked with Ōe-no-Masafusa as an eminent minister of recent times (Note: following the Kojidan). Michitoshi had long been confident of his skill in waka and often disputed with Minamoto-no-Tsunenobu, Ōe-no-Masafusa, and others, but he envied talents greater than his own and sought to monopolize a name for the moment by compiling a collection. He therefore petitioned the throne for leave to compile waka from after the "Shūishū." Emperor Shirakawa, who had long intended such an undertaking without yet carrying it out, saw Michitoshi's memorial with great pleasure and granted it. Michitoshi received the edict, but because his official duties were pressing, he completed it only after several years. He named it the "Go-Shūi Wakashū." He also compiled the "Zoku Shinsen Wakashū" (Note: following the Yakumo Mishō).

¶His rank rose to Gon-Chūnagon (Provisional Middle Counsellor), Junior Second Rank. He died in the first year of Kōwa (1099), at the age of fifty-three (Note: following the Honchō Seiki and the Kugyō Bunin. The Sonpi Bunmyaku says fifty-seven, but this is probably an error). He adopted Sadamichi, a son of Chūnagon Fujiwara-no-Yasuzane. Sadamichi became U-no-shōben (Junior Controller of the Right) in the early years of Kōwa (1099), but died after only seven days. The world called him the "Nanoka Ben," the Seven-Day Controller (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Atsuyori

¶Fujiwara-no-Atsuyori was a descendant of Naidaijin (Minister of the Interior) Takafuji and a son of Jibu-no-jō (Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Administration) Kiyotaka. He served in the reign of Emperor Sutoku and became Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Sama-no-suke, Assistant Director of the Left Bureau of Horses (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶In the fourth year of Hōen (1138) he served as Meryō-shi, envoy of the Bureau of Horses. By old custom, when the duty was finished the grooms of the Bureau were to be given festive garments as a tip, but Atsuyori accepted them and did not hand them over, falsely saying, "These are borrowed, and I intend to give you real ones at a later date." The grooms pressed him repeatedly afterward, but Atsuyori never gave them anything, and the grooms came to bear a great grudge. The following year Atsuyori became Shidai-shi, a leading official in the procession of the Saiō, and as he was passing Ichijō-Ōmiya, several dozen grooms suddenly ran up, abused and berated him in the harshest terms, and stripped him of his court cap and garments, even his socks and sash. Atsuyori ran off naked. At that time a nickname arose for him, "Hadaka-no-Uma-no-suke," the Naked Assistant of the Horses (Note: following the Kojidan).

¶Later he shaved his head and took the name Dōin (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū). He was constantly absorbed in waka, and even at the age of eighty he walked every month to the Sumiyoshi shrine to pray that he might obtain fine poems. Whenever there was a poetry gathering, since he was old and hard of hearing, he always pressed in to sit close to the reader and listened with unflagging eagerness. Such was his devotion.

¶Once, when Fujiwara-no-Tadazane summoned a kugutsushi, a puppeteer-entertainer, from the village of Kagami to see his performance, the entertainer happened to sing a waka composed by Minamoto-no-Toshiyori. Toshiyori was present and was delighted to hear it. People of the time are said to have envied him for it. The monk Eien, who wished to make a name in the world, bribed a blind entertainer to sing his own poems. Atsuyori too asked a blind entertainer, but demanded that he sing without being bribed, and the people of the world are said to have laughed at him.

¶When Fujiwara-no-Toshinari compiled the "Senzai Wakashū" by imperial edict, Atsuyori had already died, but Toshinari, thinking of his painstaking labor, selected eighteen of his poems. Afterwards Atsuyori appeared in Toshinari's dream and thanked him, and Toshinari is said to have added and selected two more (Note: following Kamo-no-Chōmei's Mumyōshō).

Fujiwara-no-Norinaga

¶Fujiwara-no-Norinaga was a son of Owari-no-kami (Governor of Owari) Nakakiyo (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He became known in the world through waka and was ranked together with Taira-no-Munenaka, Fujiwara-no-Tsunehira, Minamoto-no-Kanenaga, Minamoto-no-Yoriie, and Minamoto-no-Yorizane, and they were called the "Waka Rokutō," the Six Factions of Waka (Note: following the Ōe-no-Masafusa-ki and the Yakumo Mishō. The Zoku Kojidan writes Munenaka as Muneyoshi. Another account holds that the six factions were Munenaka, Tsunehira, Yoshikiyo, Yoriie, Shigenari, and Yorizane). Norinaga was the foremost of them (Note: following the Yakumo Mishō).

¶Once at a poetry gathering at Henjō-ji temple, he composed on the theme "Autumn Moon in a Mountain Dwelling" a poem saying that on an autumn night in a mountain village where not even anyone lives, the light of the moon too is lonely. When Fujiwara-no-Kintō saw it he praised it highly, and wrote on the draft, "Who is this Norinaga? How well he has grasped the form of waka." Norinaga was greatly pleased on hearing this, obtained the draft, stored it in a brocade bag, and treasured it (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi and the Jikkinshō).

¶He served successively as Governor of Owari, Tajima, Awa, Settsu, and Hōki, was appointed Kurōdo, Chamberlain, and was granted Senior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Taira-no-Munenaka

¶Taira-no-Munenaka was a son of Aki-no-kami (Governor of Aki) Shigeyoshi, was appointed Governor of Inaba and Suō, and was granted Junior Fifth Rank Upper (Note: following the Heishi Keizu).

Fujiwara-no-Tsunehira

¶Fujiwara-no-Tsunehira, formerly named Kageyoshi, was a grandson of Sangi (Counsellor) Arikuni. His father was Kinnari. Tsunehira was appointed Governor of Yamato and was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶At that time Fujiwara-no-Michimasa once ordered those who excelled at waka to compose poems to be pasted on the sliding screens of his villa on Hachijō (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi). Tsunehira was given the theme "a guest at the gate after snow at a mountain dwelling," and composed a poem saying that on the deeply snowed road it was plain that in the mountain village no one had come before him (Note: following the Goshūi Wakashū). Tsunehira himself worried, "I am young, so the judges may not take up my poem," and secretly went to Michimasa's residence to learn how things stood. Michimasa was discussing the merits of poems with Fujiwara-no-Ietsune, and Ietsune, citing Tsunehira's poem, judged that none surpassed it. When Tsunehira heard this he was delighted from the bottom of his heart, and went home without giving his name (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi).

Minamoto-no-Kanenaga

¶Minamoto-no-Kanenaga, formerly named Shigenari, was a son of Bingo-no-kami (Governor of Bingo) Michinari. He was appointed Uhyōe-no-suke, Assistant Captain of the Right Gate Guards, and Governor of Bizen and Sanuki, and was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶At a poetry contest at the house of Imperial Princess Yūshi, when poets were selected for six pairs on left and right, one was lacking. Kanenaga and Tsunehira both wished to be included in the selection. Fujiwara-no-Yorimichi and Yorimune were present, and set a theme as a trial and had them compose, intending to give the place to the better of the two. Kanenaga composed a poem asking how it could be that the kerria roses that bloom in double layers on the bank should look like a single layer on the bottom of the pond. Tsunehira composed a poem saying that the kerria blossoms spilling over the pond water looked to him like a branch sunken on the bottom. Yorimune judged it a "ji," a draw. A ji means that neither is superior. But the feeling of those present leaned toward Kanenaga. Just then, however, Kanenaga happened to be in mourning for his father, so in the end the place was given to Tsunehira (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi).

Minamoto-no-Yoriie

¶Minamoto-no-Yoriie was a son of Sama-no-gon-no-kami (Provisional Director of the Left Bureau of Horses) Yorimitsu (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). After Norinaga, Munenaka, and the others had died, Tachibana-no-Tamenaka, who was in Mutsu, sent Yoriie a letter saying, "Now the poets have nearly all died out, and only you and I remain." Yoriie was angered and said, "Tamenaka is not one to stand beside the Six Factions. How could he be my equal?" So great was his pride in his waka (Note: following the Fukuro-zōshi, the Jikkinshō, and the Zoku Kojidan). His office rose to Governor of Chikuzen and Junior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Minamoto-no-Yorizane

¶Minamoto-no-Yorizane was a nephew of Yoriie. He became Saemon-no-jō, Lieutenant of the Left Gate Guards, and was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He once prayed to the god of Sumiyoshi, "If you will let me compose a poem that astonishes the world, I will be content even if my life is shortened." Before long he obtained a poem saying that, as the leaves fall, the house cannot tell apart the nights when the winter rain comes and the nights when it does not. Afterwards, when he fell ill, the god of Sumiyoshi spoke through a person and told him, "You have already fulfilled your wish, so you will not rise again." Yorizane realized that he would surely die (Note: following Kamo-no-Chōmei's Mumyōshō and the Imakagami).