Kakinomoto no hitomaro biography of michael

He is one of the 36 Immortal Poets. Personal Profile The Kakinomoto clan is an illegitimate line of the Kasuga clan, who called themselves the descendants of the Emperor Kosho.

Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (柿本 人麻呂 or 柿本 人麿; c.

However, as no proof has survived in contemporary historical sources there is no other choice but to consider all of his background unknown. His career is unknown because there are no records about it even in historical works such as the " Shoku Nihongi " Chronicle of Japan Continued. The only existing source is poems in the " Manyoshu " Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves and the daishi the foreword which was written in Chinese characters and the annotations on the left that are attached to them.

In general, he is considered to have entered the service of the Imperial Court by " Manyoshu " volume 10, the annotation to the left of , and it is usually suggested that he started his activities as a poet in the reign of Emperor Tenmu and flourished during the reign of Empress Jito. However, because he composed an elegy mourning for the death of a minor court lady who served the court while the Imperial Palace in Omi Otsu no Miya was the capital " Manyoshu " volume 2, , there is a theory that he served during the period from to as well Shigeo KITAYAMA.

Although this opinion finds much support, there is no conclusive evidence.

Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (柿本 人麻呂 or 柿本 人麿; c.

Bearing in mind the fact that he presented his poems to several imperial princes and princesses, such as Prince Yuge, Imperial Prince Toneri and Imperial Prince Niitabe , some people do not think that he served a particular prince. But there were no official positions for a court poet in the Asuka period, and the truth remains unclear.

However, those of Hitomaro's poems with certain dates of composition fit almost perfectly the period from Empress Jito 's accession to her death. It is likely to be true that the existence of the empress was regarded as the driving force for Hitomaro's activity. In cheap fiction of later years, such as the"Hitomaro Himitsu-sho", there are some distorted interpretations such as that he was Jito's lover, perhaps to suit the style of a novel.

In the second volume of the " Manyoshu ", a poem about grief over a dead man in Sanuki Province volume 2, survives, and both a farewell poem at Kamoyama in Iwami Province and elegies for his death also survive volume 2, Therefore, it is largely thought that he became an official, was transferred to one office after another and finally died in Iwami Province.