Six Poetic Immortals - Rokkasen

This is the later name for six poets from the mid-9th century, Sojo Henjo, Ariwara no Narihira, Funya no Yasuhide, Kisen Hoshi, Ono no Komachi, and Otomo no Kuronushi, who are criticized in the preface of the Kokin Wakashu as "people whose names were known in recent times." Of these, only Henjo, Narihira, and Komachi have family anthologies and are recognized as active poets, while the other three have little achievements as poets and many aspects of their biographies are unclear. In the preface to the Kokinshu, Henjo is described as "good at poetry but little truth," Narihira as "too much heart and not good at words," and Yasuhide as "skillful with words, but not in his own way." Kisen is assumed to be the author of the waka study book "Wakasakushiki" (Kisenshiki), and is known for the poem "My hut is in the capital, and people call the world where I live like a mountain," which is said to be "faint in words and uncertain in the beginning." Komachi's review is "poignant, yet not weak." Kuronushi was a landowner in Omi Province and the head of Shiga County. He wrote about 10 poems in the Kokinshu and other works, and is said to be "good-looking." The "Shin Rokukasen" and "Zoku Rokukasen" are imitations of these Rokukasen.

[Juro Sugiya]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

『古今(こきん)和歌集』の序文で「近き世にその名聞えたる人」として批評された、僧正遍昭(そうじょうへんじょう)、在原業平(ありわらのなりひら)、文屋康秀(ふんやのやすひで)、喜撰(きせん)法師、小野小町(おののこまち)、大伴黒主(おおとものくろぬし)の9世紀中葉の六歌人に対する後世の呼称。このうち家集があり歌人としての活躍が認められるのは遍昭、業平、小町で、他の3人は歌人としての実績に乏しく伝記も不明な点が多い。『古今集』序文で、遍昭「歌のさまはえたれどもまことすくなし」、業平「その心あまりてことばたらず」、康秀「ことば巧みにてそのさま身におはず」と評されている。喜撰は、歌学書『倭歌(わか)作式』（喜撰式）の作者に仮託されており、「わが庵(いほ)は都のたつみしかぞ住む世をうぢ山と人はいふなり」の一首が残されて、「ことばかすかにしてはじめをはり確かならず」とされている。小町評は「あはれなるやうにて弱からず」。黒主は近江(おうみ)国の地主で滋賀郡大領(だいりょう)、『古今集』ほかに10首ほどの歌がみえ、「そのさまいやし」とされる。この六歌仙を倣ったものに「新六歌仙」「続六歌仙」などがある。

［杉谷寿郎］

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