Nakatsukasa was a Japanese 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...

 from the middle Heian period

Heian period

The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...

. Nakatsukasa was the granddaughter of Emperor Uda

Emperor Uda

was the 59th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Uda's reign spanned the years from 887 through 897.-Name and legacy:Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was or Chōjiin-tei....

 and the daughter of poet Lady Ise

Lady Ise

Lady Ise was a female Japanese poet in the Imperial court's waka tradition. She was born the Fujiwara no Tsugukage of Ise, and eventually became the lover of the Prince Atsuyoshi and a concubine to Emperor Uda; her son by him was Prince Yuki-Akari.Her poems were emblematic of the changing styles...

. She is one of only five women numbered as 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...

. (She married another of the famous thirty-six, Minamoto no Saneakira

Minamoto no Saneakira

Minamoto no Saneakira was a middle Heian waka poet and nobleman. Along with his father Minamoto no Kintada he is designated as a member of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals....

 (源信明).

Many of her poems are included in the Japanese imperial poetry anthology Gosen Wakashū (後撰和歌集), issued in 951.

External links

• Nakatsukasa's poetry online in Japanese