by Donald Keene
Yamato monogatari (Tales of Yamato): This loosely structured collection compiled around 951 comprises vignettes centring on poets and poetic exchanges. More disjointed than the Tales, it provides a record of court life in the early decades of the tenth century.
Appendix 2
Historical Characters
The following are those characters in the Tales that are based on historical figures rather than being purely fictional. Some of them may be referred to by more than one name. For example, an emperor would often acquire a new name after he died, based on the location of his mausoleum, hence ‘Mizunoo Emperor’. An empress might be referred to by the location in which she lived, hence ‘Empress of the Fifth Avenue’. For the significance of ‘Left’ and ‘Right’, see the glossary (here). See also ‘Appendix 3: Genealogies of the Historical Characters’ (here).
Aritsune (Ki no) (815–77). A member of the Ki clan, one of the families that lost influence at court due to the rise of the Fujiwara in the ninth century (see commentary to Episode 16). Narihira’s father-in-law. His sister Shizuko (d. 866) was a consort of Emperor Montoku and the mother of his firstborn, Prince Koretaka, and Princess Yasuko (later the Priestess of Ise).
Aritsune’s daughter Narihira’s wife. Her name is not known.
Emperor Junna (786–840, r. 823–33). The Emperor of the Western Pavilion; father of Princess Takaiko.
Emperor Koko (also known as Ninna; 830–87; r. 884–7). Great-uncle of Emperor Ninmyo; he replaced Emperor Yozei. A highly cultivated man, he restored many ancient court rituals and ceremonies, one example of which was the hawking in Serikawa (see Episode 114).
Emperor Montoku (827–58, r. 850–58). The Tamura Emperor. Son of Emperor Ninmyo and Fujiwara no Junshi, the Empress of the Fifth Avenue. Father of Prince Koretaka and the Emperor Seiwa.
Emperor Ninmyo (808–50, r. 833–50). The Fukakusa Emperor. Son of Emperor Saga (r. 809–23) and Tachibana no Kachiko.
Emperor Seiwa (850–78, r. 858–76). The Mizunoo Emperor. Son of Emperor Montoku, father of Emperor Yozei. The son of Yoshifusa’s daughter, the Somedono Empress, he replaced her firstborn son, Prince Koretaka, and ascended the throne at the tender age of eight, with his grandfather, Yoshifusa, as regent.
Emperor Yozei (868–949; r. 876–84). Son of Emperor Seiwa and the Empress of the Second Avenue, he was removed from the throne by Mototsune and replaced by his great-uncle Emperor Koko.
Empress of the Fifth Avenue Fujiwara no Junshi (809–71). Consort of Emperor Ninmyo and mother of Emperor Montoku.
Empress of the Second Avenue Fujiwara no Takaiko (842–910). Sister of Mototsune and Kunitsune. Became consort of Emperor Seiwa in 866; mother of Emperor Yozei.
Itaru (Minamoto no) A noble of the Heian period, chiefly known as the grandfather of Minamoto no Shitago.
Kunitsune (Fujiwara no) (828–908). Older brother of Takaiko, Empress of the Second Avenue.
Masachika (Fujiwara no) (823–75). A member of the Ceremonial Branch of the Fujiwara clan.
Mototsune (Fujiwara no) (836–91). Older brother of Takaiko, Empress of the Second Avenue; the Horikawa minister. Regent under Emperor Yozei and again under Emperor Koko.
Narihira (Ariwara no) (825–80). The hero of the Tales. One of the finest poets of his generation. Despite his imperial blood – he was the grandson of two emperors − he never reached positions of importance at court. Because of his consummate poetic skills and devotion to the way of love, he was celebrated as the ideal lover of the period. (See the Introduction, ‘Depicting the Hero’, here, for more about him.)
Priestess of Ise Yasuko (or Tenshi; c.848–913). Daughter of Shizuko and Emperor Montoku and youngest sister of Prince Koretaka. She became priestess in 859, went to Ise in 861 and remained in office until 876.
Prince Kaya (794–871). The seventh son of the Emperor Kanmu (r. 781–806), he was the uncle of Narihira on his mother’s side and his great-uncle on his father’s.
Prince Koretaka (844–897). First son of Emperor Montoku and nephew of Aritsune. Likely heir to the throne until his half-brother Korehito (Emperor Seiwa) was named crown prince just months after his birth. Ordained as a Buddhist priest in 872.
Prince Saneyasu (831–72). The ‘cloistered prince’, a son of Emperor Ninmyo with the same mother as Emperor Koko. He excelled at the biwa lute. Suffering from illness, he took Buddhist vows in 859.
Princess Ito (?–861). A daughter of Emperor Kanmu (r. 781–806), she was the wife of Prince Abo and mother of Narihira. (See also the Introduction, here.)
Princess Takaiko (d. 848). The daughter of Emperor Junna, she died at the age of eighteen.
Shitago (Minamoto no) (911–83). One of the compilers of the Gosenshū (see here).
Somedono Empress Fujiwara no Akirakeiko (829–900). Daughter of Yoshifusa. Consort of Emperor Montoku and mother of Emperor Seiwa.
Takakiko (Fujiwara no) (d. 858). A consort of Emperor Montoku, she was the daughter of Yoshimi and the cousin of both the Empress of the Second Avenue and the Somedono Empress.
Toru (Minamoto no) (822–95). The Riverside Minister of the Left; a courtier known for his magnificent palaces and exquisite taste. The son of Emperor Saga (r. 809–23), he was considered by many to have been one of the models for Genji in The Tale of Genji (see here). (See also the Introduction, here.)
Toshiyuki (Fujiwara no) (d. 907?). Member of the southern branch of the Fujiwara. A fine poet and one of the most famous calligraphers of the Heian Period. Narihira’s brother-in-law.
Tsuneyuki (Fujiwara no) (836–75). Eldest son of the Minister of the Right, Yoshimi.
Yoshifusa (Fujiwara no) (804–872). Head of the northern branch of the Fujiwara family and an early architect of the clan’s success. Father of Akirakeiko, the Somedono Empress. First commoner to hold office of chancellor, regent to Emperor Seiwa.
Yoshimi (Fujiwara no) (813–867). A once-powerful member of the Fujiwara who eventually lost most of his political influence. Father of Takakiko.
Yukihira (Ariwara no) (818–93). Narihira’s older brother and also a distinguished poet. The first son of Prince Abo. He rose high in the court hierarchy, despite his father’s exile following the events known as the Kusuko incident (see here).
Appendix 3
Genealogies of the Historical Characters
Overleaf is a family tree for each of the two noble clans that appear in the Tales, the Ki and the Fujiwara, followed by a genealogy of the imperial family. For further details on the historical figures that appear in the Tales, see Appendix 2 (here).
Appendix 4
Principles of Romanization
For the Tales, historical kana usage is brought into conformity with modern pronunciation as far as possible, based on the Hepburn system of romanization. Kana is a phonetic lettering system. With a few minor exceptions, each sound in the Japanese language is represented by one character. Ancient kana orthography does not distinguish between voiced and unvoiced consonants, and many of the poems in the Tales take advantage of this to create puns and verbal play – see the commentary to Episodes 98 and 119, for instance. The examples of syllables listed below are taken from a standard table. Only proper nouns are capitalized (see ‘Musashino’ below) and the word at the beginning of each poem.
H column (ハ行) syllables are rendered wa, u, i, e and o when they do not come at the beginning of a word:
あは→awa
あふ→au
あひ→ai
あへ→ae
あほ→ao
W column (ワ行) syllables are rendered wa, i, e and o:
われ→ware
うゐ→ui
ゑひ→ei
あを→ao
Mu (ム) is rendered n when used as a suffix:
あらむ→aran
Particles are rendered as follows:
は→wa
へ→e
を→o
なむ→nan
When historical kana usage diverges from standard modern pronunciat
ion, macrons are used to represent long vowels:
あふぎ（扇）→o-gi
けふ（今日）→kyo-
Parts of speech (verbs, particles, nouns, etc.) are as a rule separated by spaces, as in this example from Episode 12:
むさしのは
けふはなやきそ
わかくさの
つまもこもれり
われもこもれり
Musashino wa
kyō wa na yaki so
wakakusa no
tsuma mo komoreri
ware mo komoreri
Appendix 5
Romanized Transliterations of the Poems
For the principles of romanization used here, see Appendix 4 (here).
1. Coming of Age
a.
Kasugano no
wakamurasaki no
surigoromo
shinobu no midare
kagiri shirarezu
b.
Michinoku no
Shinobu-mojizuri
tare yue ni
midare-somenishi
ware-naranakuni
2. Endless Rains
Oki mo sezu
ne mo sede yoru o
akashite wa
haru no mono tote
nagame kurashitsu
3. A Gift of Seaweed
Omoi araba
mugura no yado ni
ne mo shinan
hijiki-mono ni wa
sode o shitsutsu mo
4. The Spring of Old
Tsuki ya aranu
haru ya mukashi no
haru naranu
waga mi hitotsu wa
moto no mi ni shite
5. Nod Off to Sleep
Hito shirenu
waga kayoiji no
sekimori wa
yoi-yoi goto ni
uchi mo nenanan
6. Pearls of Dew
Shiratama ka
nani zo to hito no
toishi toki
tsuyu to kotaete
kienamashi mono-o
7. The Returning Waves
Itodoshiku
sugiyuku kata no
koishiki ni
urayamashiku mo
kaeru nami kana
8. Mount Asama’s Peak
Shinano naru
Asama no take ni
tatsu keburi
ochikochi-bito no
mi yawa togamenu
9. Departing for the East
a.
KAra-goromo
KItsutsu narenishi
TSUma shi areba
BArūbaru kinuru
TAbi o shi zo omou
b.
Suruga naru
Utsu no yamabe no
utsutsu ni mo
yume ni mo hito ni
awanu narikeri
c.
Toki shiranu
yama wa Fuji no ne
itsu tote ka
kanoko madara ni
yuki no fururan
d.
Na ni shi owaba
iza koto towan
miyakodori
waga omou hito wa
ari ya nashi ya to
10. The Call of the Wild Goose
a.
Miyoshino no
tanomu no kari mo
hitaburu ni
kimi ga kata ni zo
yoru to nakunaru
b.
Waga kata ni
yoru to naku naru
Miyoshino no
tanomu no kari o
itsu ka wasuren
11. The Revolving Moon
Wasuruna yo
hodo wa kumoi ni
narinu tomo
sora yuku tsuki no
meguri-au made
12. Grasses of the Musashi Plain
Musashino wa
kyō wa na yaki so
wakakusa no
tsuma mo komoreri
ware mo komoreri
13. Stirrups of Musashi
a.
Musashi abumi
sasuga ni kakete
tanomu ni wa
towanu mo tsurashi
tou mo urusashi
b.
Toeba iu
towaneba uramu
Musashi abumi
kakaru ori ni ya
hito wa shinuran
14. Cocooning with Silkworms
a.
Nakanakani
koi ni shinazu wa
kuwako nizo
narubekarikeru
tama no o bakari
b.
Yo mo akeba
kitsu ni hamenade
kutakake no
madakini nakite
sena o yaritsuru
c.
Kurihara no
Aneha no matsu no
hito naraba
miyako no tsuto ni
iza to iwamashi o
15. A Pathway to the Heart
Shinobūyama
shinobite kayou
michi mogana
hito no kokoro no
oku mo mirubeku
16. Robes of a Heavenly Maiden
a.
Te o orite
aimishi koto o
kazoureba
tō to iitsutsu
yotsu wa henikeri
b.
Toshi dani mo
tō tote yotsu wa
henikeru o
ikutabi kimi o
tanomi kinuran
c.
Kore ya kono
ama no hagoromo
mubeshi koso
kimi ga mikeshi to
tatematsurikere
d.
Aki ya kuru
tsuyu ya magau to
omou made
aru wa namida no
furu ni zo arikeru
17. Fickle Blossoms
a.
Ada nari to
na ni koso tatere
sakurabana
toshi ni marenaru
hito mo machikeri
b.
Kyō kozu wa
asu wa yuki to zo
furinamashi
kiezu wa ari tomo
hana to mimashiya
18. From White to Red
a.
Kurenai ni
niou wa izura
shirayuki no
eda mo tōo ni
furu ka to mo miyu
b.
Kurenai ni
niou ga ue no
shiragiku wa
orikeru hito no
sode ka to mo miyu
19. A Raging Gale
a.
Amagumo no
yoso ni mo hito no
nari yuku ka
sasuga ni me ni wa
miyuru mono-kara
b.
Amagumo no
yoso ni nomi shite
furu koto wa
waga iru yama no
kaze hayami nari
20. No Such Thing as Spring
a.
Kimi ga tame
taoreru eda wa
haru nagara
kaku koso aki no
momiji shinikere
b.
Itsu no ma ni
utsurou iro no
tsukinuran
kimi ga sato ni wa
haru nakarurashi
21. Seeds of the Forgetting-Grass
a.
Idete inaba
kokoro karushi to
ii ya sen
yo no arisama o
hito wa shiraneba
b.
Omou kai
naki yo narikeri
toshitsuki o
ada ni chigirite
ware ya sumaishi
c.
Hito wa isa
omoi ya suran
tamakazura
omokage ni nomi
itodo mietsutsu
d.
Ima wa tote
wasururu kusa no
tane o dani
hito no kokoro
ni
makasezu mogana
e.
Wasuregusa
uu to dani kiku
mono naraba
omoikeri to wa
shiri mo shinamashi
f.
Wasururan to
omou kokoro no
utagai ni
arishi yori keni
mono zo kanashiki
g.
Nakazora ni
tachi iru kumo no
ato mo naku
mi no hakanaku mo
narinikeru kana
22. A Thousand Nights
a.
Ukinagara
hito o ba e shimo
wasureneba
katsu uramitsutsu
nao zo koishiki
b.
Aimite wa
kokoro hitotsu o
kawashima no
mizu no nagarete
taeji to zo omou
c.
Aki no yo no
chiyo o hitoyo ni
nazuraete
yachiyo shi nebaya
aku toki no aran
d.
Aki no yo no
chiyo o hitoyo ni
naseri tomo
kotoba nokorite
tori ya nakinan
23. The Measuring Well
a.
Tsutsuitsu no
izutsu ni kakeshi
maro ga take
suginikerashi na
imo mizaru ma ni
b.
Kurabekoshi
furiwakegami mo
kata suginu
kimi narazu shite
tare ka agubeki
c.
Kaze fukeba
oki tsu shiranami
Tatsuta-yama
yowa ni ya kimi ga
hitori koyuran
d.
Kimi ga atari
mitsutsu o oran
Ikoma-yama
kumo na kakushi so
ame wa furutomo
e.
Kimi kon to
iishi yogoto ni
suginureba
tanomanu monono
koitsutsu zo furu
24. The Bow of the Crescent Moon
a.
Aratama no
toshi no mitose o
machi wabite
tada koyoi koso
niimakura sure
b.
Azusa-yumi
ma-yumi tsuki-yumi
toshi o hete
waga seshi ga goto
uruwashimi seyo
c.
Azusa-yumi
hikedo hikanedo
mukashi yori
kokoro wa kimi ni
yorinishi mono-o
d.
Ai omowade
karenuru hito o
todomekane
waga mi wa ima zo