| Shinpen kokka taikan no. | 17 |
| Heian-chō uta’awase taisei no. | 31 |
| Title | 保明親王帯刀陣歌合 |
| Romanised Title | Yasuakira shinnō tachihaki no jin uta’awase |
| Translated Title | Poetry Match held by the Bodyguards of Imperial Prince Yasuakira |
| Alternative Title(s) | 東宮保明親王帯刀陣歌合 Tōgū yasuakira shinnō tachihaki no jin uta’awase Poetry Match held by the Bodyguards of Crown Prince Yasuakira |
| Date | Autumn, Engi 4-22 [904-922] |
| Extant Poems | 17 |
| Sponsor | |
| Identifiable Participants | Sakanoue no Kuzusuke; Tomo no Toshizane; Yoshimine no Yukikara; Miyaji no Okifuru; Taira no Yasū; Tomo no Tadanori; Tachibana no Yasūdoki; Minamoto no Satake; Fujiwara no Kakena; Miyaji no Sukeon; Fujiwara no Akane; Miharu no Miyakoe; Taira no Tōmi; Taira no Sanenao; Ariwara no Suetaka; Fujiwara no Aritoki; Fujiwara no Tsurayasu |
| Judgements | N |
| Topics | 萩、螽斯、女郎花、松虫、秋月、雁、霧、薄 (Bush-clover, crickets, maidenflowers, pine cricketes, autumn moon, geese, mist, cogon grass) |
Imperial Prince Yasuakira 保明親王 (904-923) was a son of Emperor Daigo 醍醐 (885-930; r. 897-930), who died at a tragically young age and so never became emperor as originally intended. When he was young, a visiting physiognomist from the Korean kingdom of Goryeo examined him and stated that his features were those of one who would ascend to the highest in the state—something which Murasaki Shikibu was later to adopt for the protagonist of Genji monogatari.
The dates of this match are uncertain—it could have taken place while Yasuakira was alive, or be a memorial for him after his passing, as the headnote to the contest identifies him as the ‘Former former Crown Prince’ (zen zen bō 前前坊). Nevertheless, Hagitani (1957, 235–236) suggests the match took place during Yasuakira’s lifetime, but provides no definitive evidence.
Little is known about the poets as a result of their lowly status as bodyguards, although this does make for some less conventional language in their poems in places. Given these participants, there is no doubt the contest was a private one and thus almost certainly took place in person rather than via the submission of pre-written poems.
The contest is historically significant in that it is the first example of a ‘pure’ poetry match with composition on a wide range of seasonal topics. Prior to this point this type of range was only seen in ‘garden matches’ (zenzai awase 前菜合), where the focus was divided between the poetry and the plants which were displayed for the company in garden or nearby.