Number Two (Sono ni), from the series: The Three Landscapes

Oeyama As the Ikuno roadIkuno no michi no Past Mount OeyamaTo kereba Is so far awayMada fumi mo mizu I’ve yet to tread it and seeAmanohashidate Amanohashidate —Koshikibu no Naishi Ori koso are Now is the time Kasumi watarite Crossing through the mist Murasaki no Of purple Uenaki haru no The unparalleled spring of Hashidate no matsu Hashidate’s pines awaits —Omi Hino Ikenoya Mazumi Although many kyoka on surimono use classical poems as their base, this set is highly unusual in actually incorporating the source, along with a portrait of its creator, directly into the works. The poem here, taken from the well-known anthology Hyakunin isshu (One Hundred Poets, One Verse Each), a work frequently utilized in New Year games, is appropriate to the series theme, as it mentions Amanohashidate, or the “Bridge of Heaven.” This was a long sand bar extending into Miyazu Bay in Tango Province, famous as one of the three great scenic landscapes on the Japanese islands. According to a story about the creation of this poem, when the eleventh century poetess Koshikibu no Naishi arrived at a poetry contest, a courtier in attendance rudely asked her if she had received a note from her mother, who was just then visiting Amanohashidate, implying that Koshikibu must be getting parental help with her poetry. Without hesitation, Koshikibu proved her own merits by answering him with this verse, that includes the phrase mada fumi mo mizu, meaning both “I’ve yet either to walk there or view it,” and “I haven’t seen any letter yet.” Stories like this one lent credence to the claims of kyoka poets like Magao and others that the playful language and hidden messages of kyoka verse had an ancient history in Japan, and that contemporary comic poets were merely following in the footsteps of the exalted greats of poetry.