The medieval Japanese courtier, poet, compiler, copyist, critic, and diarist Fujiwara no Teika (1162–1241) is one of the most influential writers in the history of Japanese literature. Descended from a lineage of courtier poets, Teika achieved early success through linguistic and conceptual innovation and is acknowledged as a virtuoso master of the thirty-one syllable waka form. His patrons included members of the regental, shogunal, and imperial families. Teika’s talents were much in demand as a tutor, judge of poetry contests, and compiler of imperial anthologies of waka. Much of his diary, ... More

The medieval Japanese courtier, poet, compiler, copyist, critic, and diarist Fujiwara no Teika (1162–1241) is one of the most influential writers in the history of Japanese literature. Descended from a lineage of courtier poets, Teika achieved early success through linguistic and conceptual innovation and is acknowledged as a virtuoso master of the thirty-one syllable waka form. His patrons included members of the regental, shogunal, and imperial families. Teika’s talents were much in demand as a tutor, judge of poetry contests, and compiler of imperial anthologies of waka. Much of his diary, Meigetsuki, survives today in Teika’s own hand, and samples of his distinctive calligraphy are coveted by collectors. Teika, the first study of its kind in English, explores the most important and intriguing aspects of Teika’s life and literary works. Individual chapters examine his biography, early poetic style, poetics, understanding of classical Chinese and China, and a history of the reception of his life and works.