One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each (Hyakunin Isshu)

"Hyakunin Isshu" is a traditional Japanese anthology of poems, focusing specifically on waka (a type of classical Japanese poem). The title translates to "One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each," featuring a collection of poems by one hundred different poets. It was compiled by Fujiwara no Teika, a poet from the Heian period, in the early 13th century.

The themes of Hyakunin Isshu often touch upon love, the changing seasons, and the beauty of nature. Each waka consists of 31 syllables arranged in a rhythmic pattern of 5-7-5-7-7. These poems hold significant cultural importance in Japan, being widely studied in education and arts.

 

Six different waka poems from the Hyakunin Isshu were made into works of art.

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Upper Right (Abe no Nakamaro)

天の原ふりさけ見れば春日なる三笠の山に出でし月かも 

When I look up

into the vast sky tonight,

is it the same moon

that I saw rising 

from behind Mt. Mikasa

at Kasuga Shrine

all those years ago?

 

Upper Middle (Priest Sosei)
いまこむといひしばかりに長月の有明の月を待ち出でつるかな　

Just because you said,

' I'm coming right away, '

I waited for you

all through the late

autumn night,

but only the moon

came to greet me

at the cold light of dawn!

 

Upper Left (Sakanoue no Korenori)
朝ぼらけ有明の月とみるまでに吉野の里にふれる白雪　

The first light

over Yoshino village－

The snow has piled

so deep, so white

I cannot tell it from the 

dawn's pale moonlight.

 

Lower Right (Murasaki Shikibu)
めぐり逢いて見しやそれともわかぬまに雲がくれにしよはの月かな　

Was it you that I met

after all this time?

You were gone so quickly

like the midnight moon

disappearing behind clouds.

 

Lower Middle (Fujiwara no Akisuke)
秋風にたなびく雲のたえまよりもれいづる月の影のさやけさ　

Breezes blow long,

trailing clouds

across the sky

on this dark

autumn night.

Through breaks

the moon

so clear, so bright!

 

Lower Right (Priest Saigyō)
嘆けとて月やはものを思はするかこち顔なるわが涙かな　

As if it were the moon

that bids me grieve

I look up and try

to blame her.

But in my heart

I know full well

these bitter tears

flow down my face

for someone else.

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・It takes at least one week from the time of order to the time of shipment.

・We will ask you if you would like to have a frame or not.
※The size shown is the size with a frame.