Shinpen kokka taikan no. 9 Heian-chō uta’awase taisei no. 19 Title 本院左大臣家歌合 Romanised Title Hon’in sadaijin-ke uta’awase Translated Title Poetry Contest at the House of the Hon’in Minister of the Lef Alternative Title(s) Hon’in sadaijin tokihira senzai awase 本院左大臣時平前栽合 (‘Garden Contest held by Tokihira, Hon’in Minister of the Left’)Date Autumn, Engi 5-8 [905-908] Extant Poems 20 Sponsor Fujiwara no Tokihira 藤原時平 (871-909) Identifiable Participants Judgements N Topics pinks (nadeshiko なでしこ); silver grass (susuki すすき); reaping silver grass (かるかや); maidenflowers (ominaeshi をみなへし); orchids (rani らに); bush clover (hagi はぎ); mountain orange (yamatachibana 山立花); scarlet leaves (momiji もみぢ); bamboo (take たけ); asters (shioni しをに); evergreens (tokiwagi ときはぎ); gentians (rindō りむだう)
This is the oldest extant example of a senzai awase 前栽合, a contest where examples of different types of plants were compared and appreciated. These events could be relatively informal, with a group of close friends sitting together at someone’s house looking out at the grounds and admiring the plants in the garden; or very elaborate, with plants specially grown for the occasion and presented in manufactured settings. Poems were often composed to accompany the enjoyment of the plants, but these were less frequently judged than was the case in other uta’awase .
We know nothing of the details of this contest, other than that it was sponsored by Tokihira during the period when he was Minister of the Left (905-908) and, given the plants and content of the poems, it would seem to have been an autumn contest.
From a poetry contest at Sadafun’s house.
みねはもえふもとはこほるふじ川のわれもうき世を住みぞわづらふ
mine Fa moe At the peak it burns and
Fukayabu
This is the sole surviving poem from ‘Sadafumi’s Poetry Contest ‘.
Shinpen kokka taikan no. Heian-chō uta’awase taisei no. 18 Title 貞文歌合 Romanised Title Sadafumi uta’awase Translated Title Sadafumi’s Poetry Contest Alternative Title(s) Date Year unknown Extant Poems 1 Sponsor Taira no Sadafun 平定文 Identifiable Participants Kiyowara no Fukayabu Judgements N Topics
The only record of this contest is a single poem in Fubokushō (XXIV: 11156) with the headnote ‘From a poetry contest at Sadafumi’s house’ (sadafumi no ie uta’awase 定文家歌合). While this is a variant title used for the earlier ‘Poetry Contest held by Sadafumi, Assistant Captain of the Outer Palace Guards, Left Division ‘, the poem here does not occur in that competition’s text, nor is its topic suited to the other contest Sadafun is known to have held, and thus it seems more likely that this is from another, minor contest.
Same as the previous poem.
わたの海にふるしら雪は消えながら波の心にさむさをぞそむ
wata no umi ni Across the broad sea sweep
Anonymous
On waves chilled to the heart due to snow, from the poetry contest at Sadafun’s house, Engi 6.
ふる雪に波の心もさむからしかざがくれとやへたにたちよる
Furu yuki ni With the falling snow
Anonymous
A wave of chill in the heart due to snow (依雪波心寒)
Left
わだづもにふるしら雪は消えながら波の心にさむさをぞそむ
wadadumi ni Across the broad sea sweep
10
Right (Win)
ふる雪に波の心もさむからし風とかくれやへたにだによる
furu yuki ni With the falling snow
11[1]
[1] Minor variants on these poems appear in Fubokushō (XVIII: 7269 ) and (XVIII: 7268 ).
Gazing at snow on the mountain pines in the morning (秋山望松雪)
Left
おりもせず雲もかからぬ山のはに松の上なる雪をこそみれ
ori mo sezu Not descending
8
Right
山のはのさやかに照れる朝には松にかかれる雪もみえける
yama no Fa no The mountains’ edge is
9
Same as the previous poem.
紅のはちすうきたるみどりぬにしら波たてばこきまぜの花
kurenawi no Scarlet,
Anonymous
Scarlet lotus flowers floating on marsh water, from the poetry contest at Sadafun’s house, Engi 6
みどりぬにうきたるはちすくれなゐにみづにごるなり波たつなゆめ
midorinu ni Upon the green marsh
Anonymous
Scarlet lotus flowers floating on marsh water (緑沼紅蓮浮)
Left (Win)
みどりぬにうきたるはちすくれなゐにみづにごるなり波たつなゆめ
midorinu ni Upon the green marsh
6
Right
紅のはちすうきたるみどりぬにしら波たてばこきまぜの花
kurenawi no Scarlet,
7[1]
[1] These poems are included in Fubokushō (XXIV: 11386 ) and (XXIV: 11387 ).
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