The Jidai fudō uta’awase 時代不同歌合, or the ‘Poetry Match of Differing Ages’ is what’s known as a senka awase 選歌合, or ‘match of selected poems’, where the are selected according to principles set by the ‘organiser’ of the match and assembled into an uta’awase format. While these types of matches can be created for specific purposes, or events, more often the purpose is critical – to showcase differences in approach to topics or images by different poets.
In the case of this match, the ‘organiser’ was former Emperor Gotoba (1180-1239; r. 1183-1198) while in exile on the island of Oki in the late 1230s, making it one of the last poetic endeavours of his life. His purpose, as should be apparent from the match’s title, was to demonstrate how poets from different historical periods approached similar topics. He provided no judgements, or commentary, on his text, so we have no way of knowing which poems he felt were superior, or even if that was a consideration.
For the match he selected three poems each by one hundred poets, producing a match in three hundred rounds. The poets of the left, the ancient poets, date from the late seventh through to the mid-eleventh century, while the poets of the right, the modern poets, date from the mid-eleventh through to early-mid thirteenth century, although only five of them would still have been living at the time Gotoba assembled the match, including the former emperor himself.
The poets names are given below, and many will be familiar as major and significant poets of their time. A substantial number of these poets are also represented in the Ogura hyakunin isshu 小倉百人一首 collection of one hundred exemplary poems by famous poets, which is thought to have been initially worked on by Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241) around 1235 or later, making it contemporaneous with this match.
Poets
| Left | Right |
| Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (late C7th) | Middle Counsellor [Minamoto no] Tsunenobu (1016-1097) |
| Yamabe no Akahito (active 724-737) | The Hosshōji Lay Priest and Former Chancellor and Palace Minister [Fujiwara no Tadamichi] (1097-1164) |
| Middle Counsellor [Ōtomo no] Yakamochi (ca. 716-785) | Middle Counsellor [Minamoto no] Kunizane (1069-1111) |
| Consultant Ono no Takamura (802-853) | Monk Saigyō (1118-1190) |
| Middle Cousellor [Ariwara no] Yukihira (818-893) | Master of the Dowager Empress Household Office [Fujiwara no] Toshinari [Shunzei] (1114-1204) |
| Archbishop Henjō (816-890?) | Former Major Archbishop Jien (1155-1225) |
| Ono no Komachi (f) (ca. 833-857) | [Fujiwara no] Ietaka, Senior Third Rank (1158-1237) |
| Lord Ariwara no Narihira (825-880) | The Gokyōgoku Regent and Former Palace Minister [Saionji Kintsune] (1171-1244) |
| Lord Fujiwara no Toshiyuki (?-901/907) | Tango (f) (dates unknown)[i] |
| Ise (f) (877?-940?) | Lord Fujiwara no Kiyosuke (1104-1177) |
| Prince Motoyoshi (890-943) | Supernumerary Middle Counsellor [Fujiwara no] Sada’ie [Teika] (1162-1241) |
| Monk Sosei (ca. 844-910) | Master of the Palace Repairs Office [Fujiwara no] Akisue (1055-1123) |
| Ariwara no Motokata (active late 800s-900s) | The Naka no in Minister of the Right [Minamoto no Masasada源 雅定] (1094-1162) |
| Engi [Emperor Daigo] (884-930; r. 987-930) | The Later Hosshōji Lay Priest and Former Chancellor and Palace Minister [Fujiwara no Kanezane] (1149-1207) |
| Taira no Sadafun (870?-923?) | Senior Assistant Governor-General of Dazai, [Fujiwawa no] Shige’ie (1128-1181) |
| Middle Counsellor [Fujiwara no] Kanesuke (877-933) | Supernumerary Middle Counsellor [Fujiwara no] Toshitada (1073-1123) |
| Ki no Tomonori (850?-904?) | Monk Ryōzen [ca. 998-1064] |
| Ki no Tsurayuki (872?-945) | Master of the Left Capital Office [Fujiwara no] Akisuke (1090-1155) |
| Ōshikōchi no Mitsune (active 898-922) | Murasaki Shikibu (f) (?-1014?) |
| Mibu no Tadamine (active 898-920) | Lord Minamoto no Toshiyori [Shunrai] (1055?-1129?) |
| Consultant Minamoto no Hitoshi (880-951) | Kii, in service to the First Princess[ii] (mid-Heian period) |
| Ōe no Chisato (active 889-923) | Consultant [Asukai] Masatsune (1170-1221) |
| Sakanoue no Korenori (?-930) | Monk Shun’e (1113-1191?) |
| Kiyowara no Fukayabu (dates unknown) | Lord Fujiwara no Norinaga (993-?) |
| Semimaru (dates unknown) | Monk Nōin (988-1051) |
| Seishin-kō [Fujiwara no Saneyori] (900-970) | Former Emperor Sutoku (1119-1164; r. 1123-1142) |
| Middle Counsellor [Fujiwara no] Atsutada (906-943) | Sagami (f) (1000?-?) |
| The Ise Virgin and Junior Consort [Princess Yoshiko (Kishi)] (929-985) (f) | Imperial Princess Shikishi (f) (1149-1201) |
| Ukon (f) (active 933-966) | Handmaid Koshikibu (f) (999?-1025) |
| Nakatsukasa (f) (912-991) | The Hanazono Minister of the Left [Minamoto no Arihito 源有仁] (1103-1147) |
| Minamoto no Sane’akira (910-970) | Minister of Justice [Fujiwara no] Norikane (1107-1165) |
| Kentoku-kō [Fujiwara no Koretada/Koremasa藤原 伊尹] (924-972) | Former Emperor Shirakawa (1053-1129; r. 1073-1087) |
| Taira no Kanemori (?-991) | Fujiwara no Hideyoshi/Hidetō (1184-1240) |
| Minamoto no Shitagō (911-983) | Monk Jakunen/Jakuzen (1118?-?) |
| The Mother of Lord Michitsuna (f) (935?-995) | Kojijū (f) (1121-1202) |
| Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu (921-991) | Hōribe no Narinaka (1099-1191) |
| Kiyowara no Motosuke (908-990) | Lord Fujiwara no Takanobu (1142-1205) |
| Minamoto no Shigeyuki (?-1000?) | Monk Jakuren (1139?-1202?) |
| Kō no naishi [Takashina no Takako (Kishi) 高階 貴子] (?-996) (f) | Sanuki (f) (1141?-1217?)[iii] |
| Former Emperor Kazan (968-1008; r. 984-986) | The Later Tokudaiji Minister of the Left [Tokudaiji Sanesada 徳大寺 実定] (1139-1192) |
| Monk Egyō (dates unknown) | Fujiwara no Mototoshi (1060-1142) |
| Sone no Yoshitada (dates unknown | Former Middle Counsellor [Ōe no] Masafusa (1041-1111) |
| Minamoto no Michinari (?-1019) | [Fujiwara no] Kinhira Middle Captain of the Inner Palace Guards, Left Division (1158?-1193) |
| Fujiwara no Nagayoshi/Nagatō (949-1009) | Minister of the Treasury [Fujiwara no] Ari’ie (1155-1216) |
| Lord Fujiwara no Sanekata (958-998) | Taikenmon’in Horikawa (f) (dates unknown) |
| Lord Fujiwara no Michinobu (972-994) | Major Archbishop Gyōson (1055/57-1135) |
| Minister of Central Affairs, Prince Tomohira (964-1009) | A Fool’s Composition [Gotoba] (1180-1239; r. 1183-1198) |
| Uma no naishi (f) (949-1011) | Supernumerary Middle Counsellor [Minamoto no] Morotoki (1077-1136) |
| Akazome Emon (f) (active 976-1041) | Inpumon’in no Taiyu (dates uknown; active 1130-1200) (f) |
| Izumi Shikbu (f) (976?-?) | Kunaikyō (f) (dates unknown) |
See here for a list of the poets names and titles in romanised transcription and Japanese script.
Go to the contest’s poems here.
[i] This poet has a range of sobriquets, although she is most commonly known as Tango, in service to former Empress Taeko (Gishūmon’in no tango宜秋門院丹後), as she was a lady-in-waiting to Kujō Taeko (Ninshi) 九条任子 (1173-1239), known posthumously as Gishūmon’in 宜秋門院, who was empress to Emperor Gotoba. Tango’s other sobriets are Tango in service to the Regent’s Household (Sesshō-ke no tango 摂政家丹後), Tango-shōjō 丹後少将 and the Nun Tango (Tango zen’ni 丹後禅尼).
[ii] More commonly known as Kii, from the Residence of Imperial Princess Sukeko (Yūshi-naishinnōke no kii 祐子内親王家紀伊).
[iii] More generally known as Sanuki from the Nijō Palace (Nijō’in no sanuki 二条院讃岐).