The Imperial Poems in Hyakunin'isshu

Abstract

Hyakunin'isshu is a compilation of poems by Fujiwara no Sadaie, usually known as Teika. It is said to have been completed in around 1237. It is an anthology of one hundred waka poems, each written by a different poet from the seventh to the thirteenth centuries. Hyakunin'isshu includes eight imperial poems. This research aims to study the role of these eight emperors to be in his collection. The study finds these poems show the emperors' gentle mind and reflect the transition from an age when the emperor held absolut power to an age when political power was seized by noblemen and warriors.