Otomo no Sakanoe no Iratsume
Encyclopedia
was a female Japanese poet, important in her time , with 79 poems in the Man'yōshū.
and after his early death, she married his half-brother. After he also died, she went to live with Ōtomo no Tabito
.
It is believed by Donald Keene
and Tsuchihashi (in his Man' yō Kaigan, II, p. 200) that Ōtomo no Tabito sent for Lady Ōtomo in c. 728 to educate his son, Ōtomo no Yakamochi
, although her becoming Tabito's mistress or replacing Tabito's recently deceased wife in performing religious ceremonies for the Ōtomo clan
have both been suggested as reasons for Otomo's summons. She made songs while performing rituals. Also, when the nun Rigan died, she wrote a song of mourning.
Her daughter Ō Iratsume received two of her songs, which expressed how much she missed her daughter. Ō Iratsume would later marry Yakamochi.
Life
In her teens, she married Prince HozumiPrince Hozumi
was a Japanese prince, the son of Emperor Temmu and Soga no Ōnu-no-iratsume. His wife was the poet Ōtomo no Sakanoe no Iratsume....
and after his early death, she married his half-brother. After he also died, she went to live with Ōtomo no Tabito
Otomo no Tabito
was a Japanese poet, best known as the father of Ōtomo no Yakamochi, who contributed to compiling the Man'yōshū alongside his father. Tabito was a contemporary of Hitomaro, but lacked his success in the Imperial Court...
.
It is believed by Donald Keene
Donald Keene
Donald Lawrence Keene is a Japanologist, scholar, teacher, writer, translator and interpreter of Japanese literature and culture. Keene was University Professor Emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature at Columbia University, where he taught for over fifty years...
and Tsuchihashi (in his Man
Otomo no Yakamochi
was a Japanese statesman and waka poet in the Nara period. He is a member of the . He was born into the prestigious Ōtomo clan; his grandfather was Ōtomo no Amaro and his father was Ōtomo no Tabito. Ōtomo no Kakimochi was his younger brother, and Ōtomo no Sakanoe no Iratsume his aunt...
, although her becoming Tabito's mistress or replacing Tabito's recently deceased wife in performing religious ceremonies for the Ōtomo clan
Otomo clan
The Ōtomo clan was a Japanese clan whose power stretched from the Kamakura period through the Sengoku period, spanning over 400 years. The clan's hereditary lands lay in Kyūshū....
have both been suggested as reasons for Otomo's summons. She made songs while performing rituals. Also, when the nun Rigan died, she wrote a song of mourning.
Her daughter Ō Iratsume received two of her songs, which expressed how much she missed her daughter. Ō Iratsume would later marry Yakamochi.
Sources
- pg 140 of Woman poets of Japan, 1977, Kenneth Rexroth, Ikuko Atsumi, ISBN 0-8112-0820-6; previously published as The Burning Heart by The Seabury Press.
- pg 147 and pg 174-175 of Seeds in the Heart