Three Poems on Waka Kaishi by Sanjonishi Sanetaka 三条西実隆筆三首和歌懐紙サンジョウニシサネタカヒツサンシュワカカイシ

Description

A court noble and poet of the Muromachi Period, Sanjonishi Sanetaka (1455-1537) inherited the family name and legacy at the mere age of 4 and, later, reached the high court standing of Senior Second Rank, assuming the administrative post of Minister of the Interior. After turning to the Buddhist life in 1516, he adopted the religious name of Shoyo-In Gyoku. Excelling in waka and renga, he received private oral instructions from Iio Sogi (1421-1502) and To Tsuneyori (years of birth and death unknown) in secret interpretations of ancient anthologies. Sanetaka was instrumental in hand-copying and studying the Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji). Closely following in the footsteps of scholarly aristocrat Ichijo Kaneyoshi (1402-81), Sanetaka also contributed greatly to the studies of Chusei Wagaku, or Medieval Japanese Studies, while at the same time cultivating friendships with Zen monks of the Five Sacred Mountains. Thoroughly versed in Chinese and Japanese classics as well as ancient decorum, among other arts, he was one of the foremost intellectuals of the age. He left behind the journal Sanetaka-Ko Ki (Lord Sanetaka’s Diary), several private anthologies such as the Setsugyoku-Shu (lit. “Collection of Snow Gems”) and the Saisho-So (lit. “Restoration Collection), and other publications. Lastly, Sanetaka was an acclaimed calligrapher, and his steady and fluid writing style, which became the Sanjo School, or Shoyo-In School, was later imitated by many.The three poems exhibited here are contained in Sanetaka’s Saisho-So. From the preface of the poem, one can learn that it was written at a monthly poetry party held February 5, 1503, at the house of Provisionary Middle Counselor Ohgimachi Sanjo Sanemochi (1463-1530). Sanetaka was 49 at the time.