Not for Sale
Saigyō meeting his wife
Meiji
From Kōda Rohan`s novel "Stories of Two Days" (Futsuka Monogatari), comes the poignant scene where the wandering monk Saigyo encounters his wife, who has become a nun following his departure.
Saigyō, born Satō Norikiyo in 1118, was a prominent warrior turned monk-poet during the late Heian to early Kamakura period in Japan. Initially part of a noble family, he left his military career to adopt a monastic
life due to a profound sense of crisis about societal values.
Saigyō is celebrated for his mastery of the tanka, a traditional Japanese poetic form, leaving behind approximately 2,300 poems. His works appear in imperial anthologies like "Shinkokinshū," with 94 poems, and a total
of 265 poems across the twenty-one anthologies, marking him as a leading figure in Japanese literature of his time.
Throughout his life, Saigyō traveled extensively across Japan, often living in remote locations to better connect with nature, which profoundly influenced his poetic themes of natural beauty and personal solitude, often
tinged with melancholy. His works and the transformative journey from a noble warrior to a reflective poet continue to resonate deeply, earning him enduring respect and admiration in the annals of Japanese literature.
