One wonders what sort of answer one would get from Japanese scholars today to the question of who was the finest poet of the Japanese uta form. The mid–Edo period poet-scholar Mushanokōji Sanekage was unequivocal about the subject: “One should continually ponder the masterworks of the poets of the past,” he said, “and among these it is the poems of Tonna most of all that one should continually savor.”¹

Of course, Sanekage was not a modern reader. In fact, he was probably not thinking about readers at all, modern or otherwise, when he made his comment, but rather about...

In fair Yoshino

the wind low

on the mountain slopes

grows more chilly still;

and half-hidden

in the haze—

fine flakes of falling snow.

Leaving unclosed

my door

of black pine,

I go

to bed for the night,

pillowed on an arm

awash

in plum scent—and light

from the moon.

All atangle

in the wind,

but then slowly

after its passing

disentangling on their own—

threads

on the green willows.

Even in

a world

full of false promises

they will not

forget

their pledge

to come back home—

those geese now flying away.

Gazing far, I see

haze spreading...

The late master Tameyo said: “Shunzei’s style is that of mystery and depth,¹ which is most difficult to achieve; Teika’s style is that of profound meaning,² which is difficult to master. Hence it is the style of Lay-Monk Minister of Popular Affairs [Tameie] that you should learn.” This is a profound insight.

According to the late master Tameyo, Tameie said this: “My late father’s poems were superb, of course, but if descendants who know nothing about poetry put them into anthologies indiscriminately, there are many bad poems among them. My own poems are stupid by comparison, but even if descendants...