Ariwara no Narihira
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese waka
poet
and aristocrat
. He was one of six waka poets referred in the preface in kana
to Kokin Wakashū by Ki no Tsurayuki
, and has been named as the hero of The Tales of Ise
, whose hero was an anonym in itself but most of whose love affairs could be attributed to Narihira.
He was the fifth son of Prince Abo, a son of Emperor Heizei
. His mother Princess Ito was a daughter of Emperor Kammu
, so he was therefore linked to Emperor Kammu by both maternal and paternal lineage. Along with his other brothers, he was relegated to civilian life, receiving a new clan name, Ariwara.
Although he belonged to the noblest lineage, his political life was not prominent, especially under the reign of Emperor Montoku
. During the thirteen years of the Emperor's reign, Narihira was not raised to a higher rank within the court. This setback was supposedly caused by a scandal involving him and Fujiwara no Takaiko (藤原高子), an imperial consort or another loyal lady. Both love affairs were referred to in The Tales of Ise.
As a waka poet, his thirty waka were included in Kokin Wakashū. Traditionally he was considered the model for the hero of Tales of Ise, which contains many of his waka, although not all waka in it were his works and some of its episodes can hardly belong to his real life. Thanks to a reference to him in the preface of Kokin Wakashū he is listed as one of the Six best Waka poets
and also one of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals
.
He has been traditionally regarded as the epitome of the beau homme in the Japanese culture. It is believed he was one of the men who inspired Murasaki Shikibu
when she created Hikaru Genji
, the hero of Genji Monogatari, especially in the aspects of her story concerning forbidden love between a high ranked woman and a member of the court.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese waka
Waka (poetry)
Waka or Yamato uta is a genre of classical Japanese verse and one of the major genres of Japanese literature...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
. He was one of six waka poets referred in the preface in kana
Kana
Kana are the syllabic Japanese scripts, as opposed to the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji and the Roman alphabet known as rōmaji...
to Kokin Wakashū by Ki no Tsurayuki
Ki no Tsurayuki
was a Japanese author, poet and courtier of the Heian period.Tsurayuki was a son of Ki no Mochiyuki. He became a waka poet in the 890s. In 905, under the order of Emperor Daigo, he was one of four poets selected to compile the Kokin Wakashū, an anthology of poetry.After holding a few offices in...
, and has been named as the hero of The Tales of Ise
The Tales of Ise
is a Japanese collection of tanka poems and associated narratives, dating from the Heian period. The current version collects 125 sections, with each combining poems and prose, giving a total of 209 poems in most versions....
, whose hero was an anonym in itself but most of whose love affairs could be attributed to Narihira.
He was the fifth son of Prince Abo, a son of Emperor Heizei
Emperor Heizei
, also known as Heijō-tennō. was the 51st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Heizei's reign lasted from 806 to 809.-Traditional narrative:...
. His mother Princess Ito was a daughter of Emperor Kammu
Emperor Kammu
was the 50th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Kammu reigned from 781 to 806.-Traditional narrative:Kammu's personal name was . He was the eldest son of Prince Shirakabe , and was born prior to Shirakabe's ascension to the throne...
, so he was therefore linked to Emperor Kammu by both maternal and paternal lineage. Along with his other brothers, he was relegated to civilian life, receiving a new clan name, Ariwara.
Although he belonged to the noblest lineage, his political life was not prominent, especially under the reign of Emperor Montoku
Emperor Montoku
was the 55th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.The years of Montoku's spanned the years from 850 through 858.-Traditional narrative:...
. During the thirteen years of the Emperor's reign, Narihira was not raised to a higher rank within the court. This setback was supposedly caused by a scandal involving him and Fujiwara no Takaiko (藤原高子), an imperial consort or another loyal lady. Both love affairs were referred to in The Tales of Ise.
As a waka poet, his thirty waka were included in Kokin Wakashū. Traditionally he was considered the model for the hero of Tales of Ise, which contains many of his waka, although not all waka in it were his works and some of its episodes can hardly belong to his real life. Thanks to a reference to him in the preface of Kokin Wakashū he is listed as one of the Six best Waka poets
Six best Waka poets
The Six Immortals of Poetry were famous poets of Waka in the early Heian period of Japanese history. They were:* Henjo* Ariwara no Narihira* Fun'ya no Yasuhide* Kisen* Ono no Komachi* Ōtomo Kuronushi...
and also one of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals
Thirty-six Poetry Immortals
The Thirty-six Poetry Immortals are a group of Japanese poets of the Nara, Asuka and Heian periods selected by Fujiwara no Kintō as exemplars of Japanese poetic ability. There are five female poets among them...
.
He has been traditionally regarded as the epitome of the beau homme in the Japanese culture. It is believed he was one of the men who inspired Murasaki Shikibu
Murasaki Shikibu
Murasaki Shikibu was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court during the Heian period. She is best known as the author of The Tale of Genji, written in Japanese between about 1000 and 1012...
when she created Hikaru Genji
Hikaru Genji
is the protagonist of Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji. In the story, he is described as the most handsome man in the world and he attracts all women. Genji is the second son of Emperor Kiritsubo , but he is delegated to civilian life for political reasons and begins a career as an imperial...
, the hero of Genji Monogatari, especially in the aspects of her story concerning forbidden love between a high ranked woman and a member of the court.