The Hundred Poets of the Inkstand
(Sumi-ire
hyaku-nin isshu)
Publisher: Sa-Ichi of Ichigaya
c. 1843
Hyaku-nin isshu
is an anthology of 100 poems by 100 different poets compiled by the
thirteenth-century critic and poet Fujiwara no Sadaie (also known as Teika). The poems are all five-line poems of 31
syllables arranged as 5, 7, 5, 7 and 7.
This form was known as waka
and is now known as tanka. The 100 poets are in approximately
chronological order from the seventh through the thirteenth centuries. Some of the prints portray the poets, and
some show scenes associated with their lives or poetry. The poem and some descriptive text appear on
each print. The poems were translated by
Clay MacCauley in his book ‘Single Songs of a Hundred Poets’ (1917, Kelly and
Walsh,
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Number: 20 Poet:
Prince Motoyoshi-shinnô Scene:
Prince Motoyoshi-shinnô and his lady by the Robinson:
S27.20 The poem translates: In this dire distress my life is meaningless. So we must meet now, even though it costs my life in the |
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‘Robinson’ refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its unpublished supplement.
The other known prints in
this series are listed below
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Number: 1 Poet:
Emperor Tenchi Tennô Scene:
Emperor Tenchi Tennô on a palace balcony overlooking a misty landscape Robinson:
S27.1 |
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Number: 2 Poet:
Empress Jitô Tennô Scene:
Empress Jitô Tennô and a maid looking back at a garden pavilion Robinson:
S27.2 |
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Number: 3 Poet:
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Scene:
Poet Kakinomoto no Hitomaro at his writing desk, chin in hand, watching a
pheasant in a tree Robinson:
S27.3 |
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Number: 4 Poet:
Yamabe no Akahito Scene:
Poet Yamabe no Akahito on the rocky sea-shore with Robinson:
S27.4 |
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Number: 6 Poet:
Chûnagon Yakamochi (Otomo no Yakamochi) Scene:
Poet Chûnagon Yakamochi on a veranda contemplating a building through the
mist Robinson:
S27.6 |
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Number: 7 Poet: Abe
no Nakamaro Scene:
Poet Abe no Nakamaro seated on the foreign shore with two Chinese men, one of
whom points across the sea towards Robinson:
S27.7 |
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Number: 8 Poet: The
monk Kisen-hôshi Scene: Two
girls seated picking tealeaves while one of them rebukes a wandering child Robinson:
S27.8 |
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Number: 9 Poet: Ono no
Komachi Scene:
Poetess Ono no Komachi seated on a palace veranda Robinson:
S27.9 |
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Number: 10 Poet:
Semimaru Scene: The
blind poet Semimaru seated at the window of his hut listening to the sounds
of passing travelers on the road Robinson:
S27.10 |
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Number: 13 Poet:
Emperor Yôzei-in Scene:
Emperor Yôzei-in bareheaded and seated on a veranda with mist and distant
mountains in the background Robinson:
S27.13 |
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Number: 14 Poet:
Kawara no Sadaijin (Minamoto no Toru) Scene:
Poet Kawara no Sadaijin seated and dozing with folded arms with a river and
drying clothes in the background Robinson:
S27.14 |
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Number: 15 Poet:
Emperor Kôkô Tennô Scene: Two
court ladies and three pages searching for young greens (wakana) in the snow Robinson:
S27.15 |
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Number: 16 Poet:
Chûnagon Yukihira (Ariwara no Yukihira) Scene:
Attendants carrying a palanquin under the watchful eyes of a supervisor with
a wooded hill in the background Robinson:
S27.16 |
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Number: 17 Poet:
Ariwara no Narihira Ason Scene:
Poet Ariwara no Narihira with a page
beside the Tatsuta river viewing the autumn maples Robinson:
S27.17 |
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Number: 18 Poet:
Fujiwara no Toshiyuki Ason Scene:
Poet Fujiwara no Toshiyuki Ason dozing at his writing table by lamplight with
a screen behind him Robinson:
S27.18 |
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Number: 19 Poet: Lady
Ise Scene:
Lady Ise with a fan in hand walking by the sea-shore with distant sailboats
in the background Robinson:
S27.19 |
‘Robinson’ refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its unpublished supplement.
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