Meigetsuki, The Diary of Fujiwara No Teika: Karoku 2.9 (1226) (Critical Essay‪)‬

Fujiwara no Teika [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (also known as Sadaie; 1162-1241) was a courtier and poet of Japan's early medieval period, an era in which political and economic structures were shifting from a court-centered model to one in which power became concentrated in the hands of a military government. This transition, which occurred over a span of almost two centuries, has been typically portrayed as an unmitigated disaster to the aristocratic class as a whole, but Teika was one of a number of courtiers with close ties to military elites who benefited during this time. Within the context of Japanese literary history, Teika was a leading figure in a coterie of poets who revolutionized the use of imagery, allusion, and diction in the 31-syllable waka form, an effort that culminated in the compilation of the eighth imperial anthology of waka poetry, Shin kokin wakashu (or Shin Kokinshu; New Anthology of Ancient and Modern Poetry, ca. 1205). For these two reasons--Teika's position at the nexus of the courtier and warrior classes at a pivotal moment, and his indispensable role in the creation, critique, and compilation of some of Japan's most highly regarded verse--his diary has great importance for scholars of Japanese political, social, and cultural history. Clear evidence for the diary's value is furnished by even a cursory glance through the corresponding volumes of the definitive chronology of premodern Japanese history, Dai Nihon shiryo (Historical Documents of Greater Japan, 1901-, 380+ vols.). The Meigetsuki is frequently cited as a source for significant events, and in many instances it is the only extant source. (1)