Poetry Contest held by Sadafumi, Junior Lieutenant of the Outer Palace Guards, Right Division
Alternative Title(s)
Date
Engi 6 [906]
Extant Poems
11
Sponsor
Taira no Sadafun 平定文
Identifiable Participants
Judgements
Y
Topics
the warm feeling of spring enveloped by smoke (haru no ki wa kemuri o komete atatakashi 春気籠煙暖); the depth of colour of spring waters (haru no mizu iro o soete fukashi 春水添色深); scarlet lotus flowers floating on marsh water (midorinu ni kurenai no hachisu ukitari 緑沼紅蓮浮); gazing at snow on the mountain pines in the morning (ashita no yama matsu yuki o nozomu 秋山望松雪); a wave of chill in the heart due to snow (yuki ni yorite nami no kokoro samushi 依雪波心寒)
This is a simple six round contest on extended seasonal topics, although one poem is missing from the record. As it bears his name, Taira no Sadafun was clearly the organiser, and he may have been responsible for the judgements, too, although this is uncertain.
The only remaining evidence of this poetry competition is that one of its poems was included in Kokinshū (V:251) with the headnote, ‘Composed at a poetry competition on the topic of autumn’. Hagitani (1963, 115) suggests that the contest should be considered as taking place prior to Engi 4 [904], as the vast majority of poems selected for Kokinshū were composed prior to that year. The absense of any further identifying information about the contest further suggests it was a small-scale private event. Yoshimochi is generally better known for his compositions in Chinese, and this poem is the only surviving evidence we have for his participation in uta’awase.
Only the title of this event survives, referenced in a number of court histories and other texts. As such, it is difficult to be certain that it was a separate event from the Poetry Contest held in a Certain Place dated ten days earlier; equally, however, it is entirely possible that two separate events were held (Hagitani 1963, 114).
Only the date of this contest remains, along with two of its poems. Given the season, it would clearly have been an autumn-themed event and, as the 15th day of the Eighth Month was when conventionally the moon was at its brightest, it is not surprising that it seems to have been held at night, and contained at least some poems where the moon was a theme.
Of the two surviving poems, one was included in Fubokushō (XIV: 5840), while the other is only recorded here.
いそのかみふるのやしろにはふくずもあきにしなれば色かはりけり
isonokami Furu no yasiro ni haFu kuzu mo aki ni shi nareba iro kaFarikeri
In Isonokami At the ancient shrine of Furu Even the creeping kudzu vine When the autumn comes Does change its hues.
1
Right
山のはももみぢてちりぬ月影のかくるるところなくなりぬべし
yama no Fa mo momidite tirinu tukikage no kakururu tokoro nakunarinubesi
Along the mountains’ edge Scarlet leaves have scattered In the moonlight A place concealed Is there none, at all.
Poetry Contest held by Sadafumi, Assistant Captain of the Outer Palace Guards, Left Division
Alternative Title(s)
Sahyōe no suke sadafumi ason uta’awase 左兵衛佐定文朝臣歌合 (‘Poetry Contest held by Lord Sadafumi, Assistant Captain of the Outer Palace Guards, Left Division’); Uhyōe no shōjō sadafumi uta’awase 右兵衛少尉貞文歌合 (‘Poetry Contest held by Sadafumi, Junior Lieutenant of the Outer Palace Guards, Right Division’); Hyōe no suke sadafun ga ie no uta’awase 兵衛佐さだふんが家の歌合 (‘Poetry Contest held at the House of Sadafun, Assistant Captain of the Outer Palace Guards’); Taira no Sadafun taku uta’awase 平定文宅歌合 (‘Poetry Contest at Taira no Sadafun’s Residence’); Taira no sadafun no ie uta’awase 平定（貞）文家歌合 (‘Poetry Contest at Taira no Sadafun’s House’); Sadafun no ie uta’awase 定文家歌合 (‘Poetry Contest at Sadafun’s House’); Sadafun uta’awase 定（貞）文歌合 (‘Sadafun’s Poetry Contest’); Hei chūjō uta’awase 平中将歌合 (‘Poetry Contest held by the Taira Middle Captain’)
Date
28/4 Engi 5 [3.6.905]
Extant Poems
38
Sponsor
Taira no Sadafun 平定文
Identifiable Participants
Mibu no Tadamine 壬生忠岑; Ariwara no Motokata 在原元方; Taira no Sadafun 平定文; Sakanoue no Korenori 坂上是則; Ki no Tsurayuki 紀貫之; Ōshikōchi no Mitsune 凡河内躬恒
Judgements
Y
Topics
the beginning of spring (shushun 首春); the middle of spring (chūshun 仲春); the end of spring (boshun 暮春); the beginning of summer (shuka 首夏); the end of summer (banka 晩夏); the beginning of autumn (shoshū 初秋); the middle of autumn (chūshu 仲秋); the end of autumn (boshū 暮秋); the end of winter (bantō 晩冬); love without meeting (awanu koi 不会恋); love on meeting (au koi 会恋)
Many of the poems from this contest are included in various imperial, and other, anthologies, as well as other uta’awase, but it is only from the third imperial anthology, Shūishū 拾遺集, which was completed between 1005-11, that headnotes begin to mention the contest, while in earlier anthologies other contexts of composition are described. This has led to some suggestions that the contest is partially a senka awase including poems which the participants had composed prior to the contest itself.
Given the proposed date for the contest, the title would seem to have been assigned later, as Sadafun was not appointed Assistant Captain in the Outer Palace Guards, Left Division (sahyōe no suke 左兵衛佐) until the 28th day of the First Month, Engi 19 [3.3.919], fourteen years after it is believed to have taken place. The alternate title including ‘Lord’ (ason 朝臣) is also suspect, as Sadafun’s highest rank was Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade, and ason was only used for individuals of the Fourth Rank and above.
See below for a listing of the contest’s poems, with the other collections in which these poems appear.
It is apparent from the above table that Shūishū was the imperial anthology which drew most heavily on this competition, with the mammoth Kokin waka rokujō 古今和歌六帖, compiled at some point between 970-984, also includes its poems.
the Day of the Rat (ne no hi 子日); spring blossom (haru no hana 春花); plum blossom (ume no hana 梅花); scarlet plum blossom (kōbai no hana 紅梅花); cherry blossom (sakura no hana 桜花); kaniwa cherry blossom (kaniwazakura no hana 樺桜花); kerria blossom (yamabuki no hana 款冬花); azalea blooms (tsutsuji no hana 躑躅花); kanbi blossoms (kanbi no hana 雁靡花); orchids (sakoku no hana 石解花); wisteria blossom (fuji no hana 藤花)
There are no detailed records of this contest being conducted, other than the text of the uta’awase itself, but it is clear from this that it was, indeed, an acrostics (mono no na) match, where poets spelled out the names of the topics in the course of their poems. It seems clear that it must have taken place after the compilation of Kokinshū, as none of its poems are included in that anthology, and, given that the contest was sponsored by Uda, it is unlikely to have been ignored, had its contents been available (Hagitani 1963, 120-21). Of the named participants, Tsurayuki has the most poems with eight, followed by Tadamine and Sadafun with three each, Tomonori with two, and then Okikaze and Fukayabu with one each.
In fact, there is some doubt about the authorship of one of Tomonori’s poems (18), as it is included in Ise-shū 伊勢集 and attributed to her. Given Ise’s close relationship with Uda, it seems likely that she was involved in the organisation of this contest.
You can read through all the contest’s poems, starting here.