Ariwara no Narihira - Ariwara no Narihira

A poet of the early Heian period. The fifth son of Prince Abo, son of Emperor Heizei. His mother was Princess Ito, daughter of Emperor Kanmu. He is also called Zaigo Chujo or Zaichujo, meaning the fifth son of the Ariwara clan. In 826 (Tencho 3), he was given the surname Ariwara Ason along with his elder brothers Nakahira, Yukihira, and Morihira, and became a commoner. His main career was as Sakon'e no Shogen in 845 (Jowa 12), Kurodo in 847, Sahyoe no Gonnosuke in 863 (Jogan 5), Sahyoe no Gonnosuke in 864, Sahyoe no Gonsho in 864, Uma no Kami in 865, and was sent to Korokan to entertain the Bohai envoys in 872. He became Ukon'e no Gonchujo in 875 and Ukon'e no To in 879. He died on May 28, 880 (Gangyo 4) as Ukon'e no Gonchujo of the Fourth Rank Upper and Mino no Gonno Kami. As described in the graduation biography in the Sandai Jitsuroku, which records the death of Narihira, "he was of a graceful appearance, uninhibited and unrestrained, had little talent for learning, and was a master of waka poetry," he was seen as a man who, despite being a handsome imperial grandson, lived a free and unrestrained life of passion, and who excelled in waka poetry expressing personal feelings of love, rather than in Chinese literature, which was the educational medium of a bureaucrat.

This image gradually became legendary, and Narihira became the ideal figure of a womanizer living a life of pure love in an anti-political world, giving rise to a variety of love stories. Many of his 30 poems were included in the Kokin Wakashu, compiled twenty-odd years after his death, and many of them stand out for their lengthy descriptions, which are clearly different from those of other poets. One can expect a close relationship with the Tales of Ise, which has a fictionalized Narihira as its protagonist. In the kana preface to the Kokinshu, Narihira is revered as the greatest of the Six Immortal Poets, and his emotional style is praised, saying, "His heart is too strong for words. It is like a withering flower losing its color and leaving only its fragrance." Some of the famous deeds and waka poems about Narihira that are formed by the "Tales of Ise" and "Kokinshu" include "Is it a spring without a moon, or is it not the spring of old, my body is still the same," which describes his troubled love relationship with Empress Nijō Takako, the younger sister of the regent Fujiwara no Mototsune and the consort of Emperor Seiwa; "Is it that spring when the moon is not there, or is it that spring when the sun is shining? I am not afraid of the long journey I have made," which describes his lonely journey east, haunted by feelings of longing for home; his forbidden, dreamlike love with Saigū of Ise; and "If I forget, I wonder if it is a dream, I wonder if I have forgotten that I am walking through the snow to see you," which shows his sympathy for the misfortune of Prince Koretaka, the first son of Emperor Montoku. Whether these are actual facts is questionable, but it is likely that this is a natural result of the qualities and actions of the real Narihira, who was described as "unrestrained and unrestrained," and the sad and sensual melody of his waka poems, which were described as "good at composing Japanese poetry," and the expression of the emotional nature of both. The further development of "The Tales of Ise" further created the image of the "old man," which continued to develop into later generations. There are 88 poems included in the imperial anthology. One of his family anthologies is the "Narihira Collection," which is closely related to the creation of "The Tales of Ise."

[Tadami Fujioka]

"A Study of the History of Heian Culture, by Tokuei Mezaki (1968, Ohfusha)" ▽ "Selected Japanese Poets 6: Ariwara no Narihira and Ono no Komachi, by Tokuei Mezaki (1970, Chikuma Shobo)" ▽ "Ariwara no Narihira and Ono no Komachi - The Illusion and Reality of a Genius Writer, by Yoichi Katagiri (1991, Shintensha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

平安前期の歌人。平城(へいぜい)天皇皇子阿保(あぼ)親王の五男。母は桓武(かんむ)天皇皇女伊登（伊都）(いと)内親王。在原氏の五男の意で在五(ざいご)中将、在中将ともよばれる。826年（天長3）兄の仲平、行平、守平らとともに在原朝臣(あそん)姓を賜って臣籍となる。おもな経歴は、845年（承和12）左近衛将監(さこんえのしょうげん)、847年蔵人(くろうど)、863年（貞観5）左兵衛権佐(さひょうえのごんのすけ)、864年左近衛権少将、865年右馬頭(うまのかみ)、872年鴻臚館(こうろかん)に遣わされて渤海使(ぼっかいし)の慰問にあたる。875年右近衛権中将、879年蔵人頭(とう)となる。880年（元慶4）5月28日、従(じゅ)四位上右近衛権中将兼美濃権守(みののごんのかみ)として没した。業平の死を記す『三代実録』の卒伝に「体貌閑麗、放縦不拘、略無才学、善作倭歌」と評されるように、美貌(びぼう)の皇孫でありながら自由奔放な情熱に生き、官僚の教養としての漢文学よりも私的な恋情などを詠む和歌に秀でた人物とみられた。

　このイメージはしだいに伝説化され、業平は反政治的世界において純愛一途に生きる色好みの理想像として、彼をめぐる多彩な恋愛譚(たん)を生むことになった。彼の死後二十数年に成った『古今和歌集』には30首の多くがとられたが、ほかの歌人の場合とは明らかに異なって長大な詞書(ことばがき)をもつものが目だつ。虚像化された業平を主人公とする『伊勢(いせ)物語』との密接な関係が予想されよう。『古今集』仮名序では業平は六歌仙の随一の歌人として仰がれ、「その心余りて詞たらず。しぼめる花の色なくて匂(にほ)ひ残れるがごとし」と、情感のあふれる歌風を評された。『伊勢物語』『古今集』によって形成される業平像の事蹟(じせき)や和歌として有名なものをあげると、関白藤原基経(もとつね)の妹で清和(せいわ)天皇女御(にょうご)になった二条后高子(にじょうのきさきたかいこ)との障害の多い恋愛関係を示す「月やあらぬ春や昔の春ならぬわが身一つはもとの身にして」、望郷の念のつきまとうわびしい東下(あずまくだ)りの「からごろも着つつなれにしつましあればはるばる来(き)ぬる旅をしぞ思ふ」、伊勢斎宮(いせのさいくう)との夢幻のごとき禁じられた恋、文徳(もんとく)天皇第1皇子惟喬(これたか)親王の不運への同情と親密関係を示す「忘れては夢かとぞ思ふ思ひきや雪ふみ分けて君を見むとは」などがある。これらが実際の事実かどうかは疑問があるが、「放縦にして拘(かか)はらず」と評された実在の業平の資性と行動、「善く倭歌(わか)を作る」と評された和歌の哀艶(あいえん)な調べ、その両面にわたる情的性格の発露がおのずから生み出したものであろう。『伊勢物語』のさらに何次かに及ぶ成長は、「昔男」の像をいっそう生成させ、後世へと展開させてゆくことになる。勅撰(ちょくせん)集入集歌は88首。家集に『業平集』があり、『伊勢物語』の成立と関連が深い。

［藤岡忠美］

『目崎徳衛著『平安文化史論』（1968・桜楓社）』▽『目崎徳衛著『日本詩人選6　在原業平・小野小町』（1970・筑摩書房）』▽『片桐洋一著『在原業平・小野小町――天才作家の虚像と実像』（1991・新典社）』

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