kakuraku oshi mo
and we grieve at its concealment.
In another text, the second poem is the envoy to a poem from the time of the temporary burial palace of another sovereign prince.17
The Yoshino Praise Poems
According to the Nihon shoki, Empress Jitō made thirty-one visits to the Yoshino Palace between 689 and 696, the year of her abdication, an average of three or four times a year. Yoshino, located about ten miles south of the Asuka capital, was a site of great symbolic importance for the Jitō court because of its association with Jitō’s husband and predecessor, Tenmu, who had established his headquarters at Yoshino before the Jinshin war. Thus Yoshino was seen as the origin of the current political order. Yoshino also seems to have been associated with a Daoist cult of immortality, which may have been a factor in Tenmu’s choice of this site.
As the Man’yōshū compilers speculate in the endnote, the poems probably date from the time around Jitō’s official accession to the throne. The two chōka have an almost identical structure, the first describing the empress’s rule over the human world and the second, her rule over the divine world. Both poems are characterized by the presence of binary measures (tsuiku) with spatial and temporal motifs. In the first chōka, the empress is described as building the “palace pillars,” and the courtiers cross the river to the palace in the morning and in the evening (suggesting that they are at her service all day long). The chōka ends with the mountain that “commands the heights” and the river that “flows unceasingly.” Both are metaphors praising the palace. In the envoy, the courtiers’ pledge to “return to see [Yoshino] flow unceasingly” is a reference to a poem by Emperor Tenmu, in which he commands his descendants to “look well on Yoshino.”
In the second chōka, the empress again “raises high the high halls” and climbs to the top of the palace to “look on the land,” just as Jomei climbed Mount Kagu in Man’yōshū 1:2. Here the mountain gods are said to present offerings in the spring and in the autumn (indicating that they are at her service all year round), and the river gods send cormorants to the “upper shoals” and cast nets across the “lower shoals” to present food to her. This pairing of “mountain and river” is influenced by Chinese precedent, in which it stands as a metaphor for the entire realm. The climax of the chōka describes Empress Jitō as a god who rules over the lesser gods of the mountains and rivers and defines her reign as “the age of a god.” Empress Jitō is thus presented as an absolute ruler, reigning over people, gods, space, and time.
1:36–39
At the time of the Heavenly Sovereign18 going to the Yoshino palace, poems composed by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro.
yasumishishi waga ōkimi no
Our great lord of the eight corners,
kikoshiosu ame no shita ni
she who commands and rules all beneath heaven,
kuni wa shi mo sawa ni aredomo
although her lands are indeed many,
yamakawa no kiyoki kafuchi to
for the clear pools of its mountain river
mikokoro o Yoshino no kuni no
her heart is drawn to the land of Yoshino,19
hana jirau Akizu no nohe ni
and on the Akizu plains, where flowers scatter
miyabashira futoshikimashite
she firmly builds the palace pillars
momoshiki no ōmiyahito wa
and thus the courtiers of the glorious palace
funa namete asakawa wataru
line up the boats to cross the morning river
funa gioi yūkawa wataru
and race the boats to cross the evening river.
kono kawa no tayuru koto naku
This river that flows unceasingly,
kono yama no iya takashirasu
this mountain that commands the heights,
mina sosogu tagi no miyako wa
the glorious palace by the surging water,
miredo akanu kamo
we never tire to see.
hanka
Envoy
miredo akanu
We never tire to see
Yoshino no kawa no tokoname no
the eternal bed of the Yoshino River
tayuru koto naku mata kaerimimu
may we return to see it flow unceasingly.20
yasumishishi waga ōkimi
Our great lord who reigns in peace,
kamu nagara kamu sabisesu to
being divine, acts divinely,
Yoshinogawa tagitsu kafuchi ni
and by the rapids of Yoshino River
takadono o takashirimashite
raises high the high halls,
noboritachi kunimi o seseba
and when she climbs up to look on the land,
tatanaharu aokakiyama no
from the green and manifold mountains
yamatsumi no matsuru mitsuki to
the mountain gods present their offerings,
haru he wa hana kazashimochi
bringing her blossoms in the spring
aki tateba momichi kazaseri
and yellow leaves when autumn comes,
yukisou kawa no kami mo
and the running river gods too
ōmike ni tsukaematsuru to
make their offerings for the sacred meal,
kamitsuse ni ukawa o tachi
sending cormorants to the upper shoals
shimotsuse ni sade sashiwatasu
and casting nets in the lower shoals.
yamakawa mo yorite tsukauru
Such is this glorious age of a god
kami no miyo kamo
whom both mountain and river come to serve.
hanka
Envoy
yamakawa mo yorite tsukauru
Being a god
kamu nagara
whom both mountain and river come to serve
tagitsu kafuchi ni funade sesu kamo
in the rapids she sets her boat to sail.
In reference to the preceding, the Nihon shoki states, “In the New Year of the third year of the reign (689), the Heavenly Sovereign went to the palace of Yoshino. In the eighth month the Heavenly Sovereign went to the palace of Yoshino. In the second month of the fourth year of the reign (690), the Heavenly Sovereign went to the palace of Yoshino. In the fifth month, the Heavenly Sovereign went to the palace of Yoshino. In the New Year of the fifth year of the reign (691), the Heavenly Sovereign went to the palace of Yoshino. In the fourth month, the Heavenly Sovereign went to the palace of Yoshino.” It is not clearly known in which month (Hitomaro) was in attendance and the poems were composed.
The Lament for Prince Takechi
The following is the second of Hitomaro’s “poems on temporary burial” and is the longest poem in the Man’yōshū. Prince Takechi died in the year 696 at the age of forty-three. For the last six years of his life, he was Empress’s Jitō’s chancellor (daijō daijin). Although in principle Takechi’s mother was of too low a rank for him to become emperor, in the heading to the poem he is styled as “the sovereign Prince” (miko no mikoto), indicating that he does appear to have been, at least temporarily, the next in line to the throne. He was the highest in rank of Emperor Tenmu’s surviving sons, since both Prince Kusakabe and Prince Ōtsu had died. The Nihon shoki suggests that by granting him larger fiefs, Empress Jitō made him far more powerful than any of the other princes. Takechi’s death was therefore of immense significance to the entire court.
The poem begins by describing the Jinshin war and Tenmu’s command to subdue the “unruly peoples” and the “defiant lands,” which refer to the forces of Emperor Tenchi’s son Prince Ōtomo and the allies of the Ōmi court. Takechi receives Tenmu’s command, and the first half of the poem is a mythical narrative of the war, resulting in Tenmu’s unchallenged rule of the “land of rice and reed plains” (a mythical name for Japan). The Nihon shoki also cites Takechi’s central role in the war. The second half of the poem begins by mentioning Takechi’s role as chancellor and describes his death i
n tragic terms similar to that of Prince Kusakabe, Takechi’s “building” his own palace of temporary burial, and the courtiers’ bereavement and confusion at his death.
2:199–201
At the time of the temporary burial palace of the sovereign Prince Takechi, a poem composed by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, with short poems.
kakemaku mo yuyushiki kamo
Too sacred to utter aloud,
iwamaku mo aya ni kashikomi
too awesome even to speak of,
Asuka no Makami no hara ni
he21 who in Asuka on the Makami plains
hisakata no amatsu mikado o
established in awesome splendor
kashikoku mo sadametamaite
the celestial heavenly palace
kamu sabu to iwagakurimasu
and now hides divinely in the rocks,
yasumishishi waga okimi no
our great lord of the eight corners,22
kikoshimesu sotomo no kuni no
in the northern lands he commands and rules,
maki tatsu Fuwayama koete
crossed Mount Fuwa of the evergreen trees,23
koma tsurugi Wazami ga hara no
and on the plain of Wazami of the Korean swords24
karimiya ni amoriimashite
descended from heaven25 to his temporary palace:
ame no shita osametamai
let us conquer all beneath heaven
osu kuni o sadametamau to
and bring peace and rule to the lands,
tori ga naku azuma no kuni no
let us summon the glorious troops
miikusa o meshitamaite
from the Eastern Lands where birds cry
chihayaburu hito o yawase to
to vanquish the unruly peoples
matsurowanu kuni o osame to
and conquer the defiant lands.
miko nagara maketamaeba
Thus by the sun prince26 appointed to the task,
ōmimi ni tachi torihakashi
to his27 glorious body he girded his sword,
ōmite ni yumi torimotashi
in his glorious hand he grasped his bow,
miikusa o adomoitamai
and as he called the troops into battle,
totonouru tsuzumi no oto wa
the sound of the summoning drums
ikazuchi no koe to kiku made
was like the booming voice of thunder
fukinaseru kuda no oto mo
and the sound of the blowing horns,
ata mitaru tora ga hoyuru to
like the roar of a hunting tiger,
morohito no obiyuru made ni
terrified the enemy multitudes.
sasagetaru hata no maneki wa
The rippling of the hoisted banners
fuyugomori ham sarikureba
wafting and waving in the wind
nogoto ni tsukite aru hi no
was like the fires that alight on the plains
kaze no muta nabikau gotoku
when spring arrives, emerging from winter,28
torimoteru yuwazu no sawaki
and the resounding of the bowstrings
miyuki furu fuyu no hayashi ni
was so awesome to hear
tsumuji kamo ima kiwataru to
it felt like a whirlwind was blowing
omou made kiki no kashikoku
through the snow in a winter forest;
hikihanatsu ya no shigekeku
and the swarm of arrows that flew
ōyuki no midarete kitare
came scattering down like a snowstorm,
matsurowazu tachimukaishi mo
and the defiant as they stood,
tsuyushimo no kenaba kenu beku
like the dew and the frost destined to perish,
yuku tori no arasou hashi ni
like flying birds were fighting to the last,
Watarai no itsuki no miya yu
when from the sacred shrine of Watarai29
kamikaze ni ifukimatowashi
a divine wind suddenly blew forth,
amakumo o hi no me mo miezu
the heavenly clouds concealed the sun,
tokoyami ni ōhitamaite
and they were covered by an eternal darkness.
sadameteshi mizuho no kuni o
Thus was conquered the land of rice and reed plains,
kamu nagara futoshikimashite
which being divine, he30 firmly ruled,
yasumishishi waga ōkimi no
and our great lord of the eight corners,31
ame no shita ōshitamaeba
since he governed32 the realm beneath heaven,
yorozu yo ni shika shi mo aramu to
we thought it would be for a myriad ages,
yūhana no sakayuru toki ni
but just at the time of the flourishing blossoms,
waga ōkimi miko no mikado o
the glorious halls of our great lord the prince
kamumiya ni yosoimatsurite
we decorate as his divine palace
tsukaishishi mikado no hito mo
and the people who served his glorious halls,
shirotae no asagoromo kite
wearing long robes of fine white hemp,
Haniyasu no mikado no hara ni
on the plain of the Halls of Haniyasu,
akanesasu hi no kotogoto
every single striking red day,33
shishijimono iwaifushitsutsu
like wild beasts lie prostrated,
nubatama no yūhe ni itareba
and when the gem-black evenings come,34
ōtono o furisake mitsutsu
look up to the glorious palace
uzura nasu iwaimotohori
and crawl around like quail:
samoraedo samoraieneba
they35 would serve, but there is no one to serve,
harutori no samayoinureba
and wailing like spring birds
nageki mo imada suginu ni
their sorrow does not pass,
omoi mo imada tsukineba
their pain is not exhausted,
koto saeku Kudara no hara yu
as on the plain of chattering Kudara36
kamu haburi haburiimashite
in divine burial they bury him,
asa mo yoshi Kinoe no miya o
and Kinoe palace, fair in the morning,37
tokōmiya to takaku shitatete
as his eternal palace he38 builds high
kamu nagara shizumarimashinu
and being divine, rests there in peace.
shikaredomo wa ga ōkimi no
And yet the palace of Mount Kagu,39
yorozu yo to omohoshimeshite
which our lord built to stand
tsukurashishi Kaguyama no miya
for a myriad ages, who can doubt
yorozu yo ni sugimu to omoe ya
that it will outlast a myriad ages?
ame no goto furisake mitsutsu
As we look up at it, as if to heaven,
tamadasuki kakete shinowamu
with cords of gems let us mourn him in sorrow,
kashikoku ari to mo
though we be full of awe.
tanka nishū
Two Short Poems
hisakata no ame shirashinuru
He has left to rule the celestial heavens,
kimi yue ni
our lord for whom we grieve
hitsuki mo shirazu koiwataru kamo
with no regard for the days and the months.
Haniyasu no ike no tsutsumi no
In the enclosed marsh of Haniyasu Lake
komorinu no yukue o shira ni
the courtiers are lost
toneri wa matou
and do not know which way to go.
Poems on Passing the Ruined Capital of Ōmi
The date that the following sequence of poems was composed is unknown. The occasion is a journey on which the travelers pass by th
e ruined capital of Ōmi. In 668, Emperor Tenchi (r. 662–671) moved the capital from its historical location in Asuka (in the province of Yamato) to the province of Ōmi (on Lake Biwa). This was an unprecedented move. According to the Nihon shoki, Tenchi had named his brother Prince Ōama his successor, but shortly before he died Tenchi appears to have changed his mind and transferred the succession to his son Prince Ōtomo. After Tenchi’s death, a conflict known as the Jinshin war broke out between the forces of Ōtomo, who was based in the Ōmi capital, and Ōama, who was based in Yoshino, close to the old Asuka capital in Yamato. Ōama won the war and moved the capital back to Asuka, reigning as Emperor Tenmu. Tenmu was then succeeded by his wife (Tenchi’s daughter), Empress Jitō. Thus, for the Jitō court, for which Hitomaro was writing, the Ōmi capital was a problematic topic. On the one hand, the present court was the product of a war that had been waged on the Ōmi capital. On the other, the Jitō court had many ties with the Ōmi court, not the least of which was the fact that the Ōmi emperor, Tenchi, was the current sovereign’s father.
Traditional Japanese Literature Page 8