Inpumon'in no Taifu
Inpumon'in no Taifu (殷富門院大輔, Inpu-mon'in no Taifu[1]; 1130–1200)[2] was a Japanese noblewoman and waka poet in the Heian period.[3][4] She was a daughter of Fujiwara no Nobunari, and, at court, served Princess Ryōshi (known as Inpumon'in as an honorary empress emerita (女院, nyoin)), a daughter of Emperor Go-Shirakawa.[5][6]
Poetry was integral to this court, and noble courtiers were expected to be skilled poets; writing poetry was an essential part of entertainment, communication, and relationships.[3] Inpumon'in no Taifu belonged to a particular poetry group which focused around the home of poet Shun'e Hōshi - an estate called "the Garden in the Poetic Forest".[2][3] Members of the group held many poetry contests, for which Inpumon'in no Taifu wrote many poems.[2]
Her work appears in a large number of imperial poetry collections, including Shingoshūi Wakashū, Senzai Wakashū, Shokugosen Wakashū, Gyokuyō Wakashū, Shinsenzai Wakashū, Shinchokusen Wakashū, and others.[7][4]
Poetry
One of her poems is included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu:
見せばやな雄島のあまの袖だにも
ぬれにぞぬれし色はかはらず
misebaya na Ojima no ama no sode dani mo
nure ni zo nureshi iro wa kawarazu
If only I could show you — the ama of Ojima Island [dive all day], their sleeves soaked through, yet unchanged — [whereas mine, soaked in tears, glow with a sorrowful red!]
(Senzai Wakashū 14:886)
References
- ^ 「殷富門院大輔 いんぷもんいんの-たいふ」、デジタル版 日本人名大辞典+Plus、講談社 via コトバンク (26 December 2025)
- ^ a b c Mostow, Joshua S. (1996-01-01). Pictures of the Heart: The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1705-3.
- ^ a b c Mostow, Joshua S. (2015-02-04). Courtly Visions: The Ise Stories and the Politics of Cultural Appropriation. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-24943-1.
- ^ a b 眞鍋廣濟 (1941). 王朝文學の代表的女性 (in Japanese). 湯川弘文社.
- ^ るるぶマンガとクイズで楽しく学ぶ！百人一首 (in Japanese). Jtbパブリッシング. 2023-11-21. ISBN 978-4-533-15795-0.
- ^ 信濃 (in Japanese). 信濃史學會. 1969.
- ^ 国語・国文・国語教育解釈 (in Japanese). 寧楽書房. 1995.
External links
- E-text of her poems in Japanese