The Poetry Contest in Six Hundred Rounds (2 vols)

Download or read book The Poetry Contest in Six Hundred Rounds (2 vols) written by Thomas E. McAuley and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2019-12-02 with total page 1308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the monumental Poetry Competition in Six Hundred Rounds (Roppyakuban uta’awase), twelve poets each provided one hundred waka poems, fifty on seasonal topics and fifty on love, which were matched, critiqued by the participants and judged by Fujiwara no Shunzei, the premiere poet of his age. Its critical importance is heightened by the addition of a lengthy Appeal (chinjō) against Shunzei’s judgements by the conservative poet and monk, Kenshō. It is one of the key texts for understanding poetic and critical practice in late twelfth century Japan, and of the conflict between conservative and innovative poets. The Competition and Appeal are presented here for the first time in complete English translation with accompanying commentary and explanatory notes by Thomas McAuley.