Yamazaki Sokan
Encyclopedia
Yamazaki Sōkan (1465–1553) was a renga
and haikai
poet from Ōmi Province
, Japan
. His real name was Shina Norishige, and he was also called Yasaburō; "Yamazaki Sōkan" was a pen-name (haimyō).
Originally serving as a court calligrapher for the ninth Ashikaga shogun
, Ashikaga Yoshihisa
, the poet became a Buddhist monk and entered seclusion following the shogun's death in 1489. Traveling through Settsu
and Yamashiro province
s, he finally settled in a place called Yamazaki
. Establishing his hermitage, which he named Taigetsu-an, he adopted the name Yamazaki Sōkan. (The location of this hermitage is somewhat debated, as the town of Shimamoto, Osaka
claims to contain its remains, as does the Myōkian temple in Ōyamazaki, Kyoto
.)
He left Yamazaki in 1523, and settled five years later in the town of Kan'onji
, in Sanuki province
. On the grounds of Kōshōji, he made a hermitage for himself called Ichiya-an, and would spend the rest of his life there composing poems. Though his poems were not widely distributed at first, they were soon compiled into a text called Daitsukubashū. He also compiled and edited Inu-tsukuba-shū (犬筑波集), another important anthology of renga and haikai poems. His unrefined style came to be quite influential, and inspired the development of the danrin style of poetry which emerged fully in the early 17th century.
Sōkan died in 1553, after gaining a degree of fame and wealth for his poetry and calligraphy.
Renga
' is a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry. A renga consists of at least two or stanzas, usually many more. The opening stanza of the renga, called the , became the basis for the modern haiku form of poetry....
and haikai
Haikai
Haikai is a poetic genre that includes a number of forms which embrace the aesthetics of haikai no renga, and what Bashō referred to as the "poetic spirit" , including haiku, renku , haibun, haiga and senryū ."Haikai" is sometimes used as an abbreviation for "haikai no...
poet from Ōmi Province
Omi Province
is an old province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. It is nicknamed as .Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. His real name was Shina Norishige, and he was also called Yasaburō; "Yamazaki Sōkan" was a pen-name (haimyō).
Originally serving as a court calligrapher for the ninth Ashikaga shogun
Ashikaga shogunate
The , also known as the , was a Japanese feudal military regime, ruled by the shoguns of the Ashikaga clan.This period is also known as the Muromachi period and gets its name from Muromachi Street of Kyoto where the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu established his residence...
, Ashikaga Yoshihisa
Ashikaga Yoshihisa
was the 9th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1473 to 1489 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshihisa was the son of the eighth shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa....
, the poet became a Buddhist monk and entered seclusion following the shogun's death in 1489. Traveling through Settsu
Settsu Province
was a province of Japan, which today comprises the eastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or .Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province.-History:...
and Yamashiro province
Yamashiro Province
was a province of Japan, located in Kinai. It overlaps the southern part of modern Kyoto Prefecture on Honshū. Aliases include , the rare , and . It is classified as an upper province in the Engishiki....
s, he finally settled in a place called Yamazaki
Yamasaki, Hyogo
was a town in Shisō District, Hyōgo, Japan.On April 1, 2005 Yamasaki was merged with the towns of Chikusa, Haga and Ichinomiya, all from Shisō District, to form the new city of Shisō and no longer exists as an independent municipality....
. Establishing his hermitage, which he named Taigetsu-an, he adopted the name Yamazaki Sōkan. (The location of this hermitage is somewhat debated, as the town of Shimamoto, Osaka
Shimamoto, Osaka
is a town consisting of the entirety of Mishima District, Osaka, Japan.As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of 29,003 and a density of 1,730 persons per km². The total area is 16.78 km²....
claims to contain its remains, as does the Myōkian temple in Ōyamazaki, Kyoto
Oyamazaki, Kyoto
is a town located in Otokuni District, Kyoto, Japan.As of April 1, 2008, the town has an estimated population of 15,203 and a density of 2,527 persons per km²...
.)
He left Yamazaki in 1523, and settled five years later in the town of Kan'onji
Kan'onji, Kagawa
is a city located in Kagawa, Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 63,721, with households 23,480 and a density of 542.44 persons per km². The total area is 117.45 km²....
, in Sanuki province
Sanuki Province
was an old province of Japan on the island of Shikoku, with the same boundaries as modern Kagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called .It faced the Inland Sea and bordered on Awa and Iyo Provinces. Across Naruto strait it bordered Awaji Province too. Administratively it was included as a part of...
. On the grounds of Kōshōji, he made a hermitage for himself called Ichiya-an, and would spend the rest of his life there composing poems. Though his poems were not widely distributed at first, they were soon compiled into a text called Daitsukubashū. He also compiled and edited Inu-tsukuba-shū (犬筑波集), another important anthology of renga and haikai poems. His unrefined style came to be quite influential, and inspired the development of the danrin style of poetry which emerged fully in the early 17th century.
Sōkan died in 1553, after gaining a degree of fame and wealth for his poetry and calligraphy.