Associate Professor of Japanese at Brigham Young University. Current research interests include the poet/priest Saigyo (1118-1190) and rare books and manuscripts in the Harry F. Bruning Collection at BYU.
Among the many theories that attempt to explain Saigyo’s (1118-1190) sudden and dramatic transfor... more Among the many theories that attempt to explain Saigyo’s (1118-1190) sudden and dramatic transformation from samurai to Buddhist monk at the age of twenty three, the most controversial is what I am terming “the homosexuality theory.” At the time Saigyo, or Sato Norikiyo, as he was known before his tonsuring, left his family and career to become a monk, he was in the employ of Retired Emperor Toba (1103-1165) as a member of the Northern Guard (hokumen no bushi), an elite group of bodyguards and personal companions. According to the homosexuality theory, Saigyo became a monk in order to avoid the male-male sexuality of Toba’s court circle. Because of the dearth of information surrounding Saigyo’s tonsuring, it would be just as easy to argue that he took the tonsure after the failure of a sexual affair with a male member of Toba’s clique, or even with Toba himself. Regardless of whether Saigyo left court in order to evade the unwanted attention from other males, to escape the sorrow of a failed love affair, or to elude the bitterness of a triangulated relationship, any hypothesis based upon male-male sexuality remains controversial, highlighting the rigid and contentious homosexual vs. homophobic dichotomy that has informed the development of the homosexuality theory in Japanese scholarship. This article will offer a more nuanced understanding of the multiplicity of desires that led men into the Buddhist priesthood by examining part of the poetic record of Saigyo’s tonsuring. We will find that the multivalence of Japanese poetic language became in the hands of monk/poets of the late Heian period (twelfth century) an apt analogue for the conflicted, emotionally charged transition from layman to priest, and that a spectrum of desires—sexual, social, and spiritual—comingled in poetic expressions of longing.
Examining a set of poems exchanged by the monks Saigyō and Jakuzen, the author argues for their i... more Examining a set of poems exchanged by the monks Saigyō and Jakuzen, the author argues for their importance as records of a crucial moment in the development of religious reclusion imagery in waka. The author focuses on Saigyō, demonstrating how he created a new poetic space marked by a deepening of the tropes of sōan and yamazato, yielding a previously unarticulated realm of expression for his rigorous ideal of mountain seclusion. As “grass huts” and “mountain homes” became more commonly associated with hermits monks such as Saigyō, many of whom in fact spent the majority of their lives in the remote and indigent circumstances of mountain reclusion, the imagery relating to these spaces both shifted and expanded. Saigyō was a key figure in this development in Japanese poetics, and his yama fukami poems played an important role in the deepening and expansion of these topoi in the medieval period.
Though it is still impossible to know the exact reasons why the samurai and poet Saigyō西行 (1118-1... more Though it is still impossible to know the exact reasons why the samurai and poet Saigyō西行 (1118-1190) became a Buddhist monk in the winter of 1140, there is value in asking the question one more time--not in an effort to find a definitive answer, but to see what answers have been offered and what those answers tell us about the reception of his poetry and persona. His decision to become a monk remains the great mystery of his life, and a central focus of both popular imagination and scholarly inquiry over the last eight centuries. In the process of attempting to explain this mystery, writers have in fact contributed to the creation of the Saigyō persona that has become an enduring feature of the cultural landscape of Japan. This essay will explore eight theories of Saigyō’s entry into religious life, or shukke, from a variety of premodern and modern sources in order to better understand the ways in which individuals, cultural groups, and scholarly communities have constructed the Saigyō we know today. Two important processes in Saigyō reception will be revealed. The first process illustrates how the perceived intersection of biography and poetry was a powerful catalyst for the development of legend as Saigyō’s remarkable careers as a samurai and a monk and a poet became of utmost importance to readers and storytellers as they interpreted his often introspective and autobiographical poems. The second process illustrates the tendency to transform popular cultural icons to suit the values and interests of ever-changing audiences as images of Saigyō and his poems became vehicles for the diverse expectations and identities of readers from the twelfth century to the present.
This article and bibliography traces the reception of the Heian-period poet Saigyo (1118-1190) in... more This article and bibliography traces the reception of the Heian-period poet Saigyo (1118-1190) in English-language scholarship and translations from the mid-nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries.
The renowned Saigyo scholar Mezaki Tokue wrote a famous essay called "The Saigyo Within Basho" (B... more The renowned Saigyo scholar Mezaki Tokue wrote a famous essay called "The Saigyo Within Basho" (Basho no uchinaru Saigyo) in which he traces the influence of Saigyo's persona and poetry on that of Matsuo Basho. The approach of this essay differs as it aims to uncover and recognize the nascent aspects of Basho's poetics in Saigyo's own unique poetics. Certain aspects of Saigyo's approach to traditional waka poetry were in fact harbingers of what Haruo Shirane has termed "haikai imagination," the sort of poetic approach espoused and developed by Basho five centuries after Saigyo.
Though it is still impossible to know the exact reasons why the samurai and poet Saigyō西行 (1118-1... more Though it is still impossible to know the exact reasons why the samurai and poet Saigyō西行 (1118-1190) became a Buddhist monk in the winter of 1140, there is value in asking the question one more time--not in an effort to find a definitive answer, but to see what answers have been offered and what those answers tell us about the reception of his poetry and persona. His decision to become a monk remains the great mystery of his life, and a central focus of both popular imagination and scholarly inquiry over the last eight centuries. In the process of attempting to explain this mystery, writers have in fact contributed to the creation of the Saigyō persona that has become an enduring feature of the cultural landscape of Japan. This essay will explore eight theories of Saigyō’s entry into religious life, or shukke, from a variety of premodern and modern sources in order to better understand the ways in which individuals, cultural groups, and scholarly communities have constructed the Saigyō we know today. Two important processes in Saigyō reception will be revealed. The first process illustrates how the perceived intersection of biography and poetry was a powerful catalyst for the development of legend as Saigyō’s remarkable careers as a samurai and a monk and a poet became of utmost importance to readers and storytellers as they interpreted his often introspective and autobiographical poems. The second process illustrates the tendency to transform popular cultural icons to suit the values and interests of ever-changing audiences as images of Saigyō and his poems became vehicles for the diverse expectations and identities of readers from the twelfth century to the present.
Among the many theories that attempt to explain Saigyo’s (1118-1190) sudden and dramatic transfor... more Among the many theories that attempt to explain Saigyo’s (1118-1190) sudden and dramatic transformation from samurai to Buddhist monk at the age of twenty three, the most controversial is what I am terming “the homosexuality theory.” At the time Saigyo, or Sato Norikiyo, as he was known before his tonsuring, left his family and career to become a monk, he was in the employ of Retired Emperor Toba (1103-1165) as a member of the Northern Guard (hokumen no bushi), an elite group of bodyguards and personal companions. According to the homosexuality theory, Saigyo became a monk in order to avoid the male-male sexuality of Toba’s court circle. Because of the dearth of information surrounding Saigyo’s tonsuring, it would be just as easy to argue that he took the tonsure after the failure of a sexual affair with a male member of Toba’s clique, or even with Toba himself. Regardless of whether Saigyo left court in order to evade the unwanted attention from other males, to escape the sorrow of a failed love affair, or to elude the bitterness of a triangulated relationship, any hypothesis based upon male-male sexuality remains controversial, highlighting the rigid and contentious homosexual vs. homophobic dichotomy that has informed the development of the homosexuality theory in Japanese scholarship. This article will offer a more nuanced understanding of the multiplicity of desires that led men into the Buddhist priesthood by examining part of the poetic record of Saigyo’s tonsuring. We will find that the multivalence of Japanese poetic language became in the hands of monk/poets of the late Heian period (twelfth century) an apt analogue for the conflicted, emotionally charged transition from layman to priest, and that a spectrum of desires—sexual, social, and spiritual—comingled in poetic expressions of longing.
Examining a set of poems exchanged by the monks Saigyō and Jakuzen, the author argues for their i... more Examining a set of poems exchanged by the monks Saigyō and Jakuzen, the author argues for their importance as records of a crucial moment in the development of religious reclusion imagery in waka. The author focuses on Saigyō, demonstrating how he created a new poetic space marked by a deepening of the tropes of sōan and yamazato, yielding a previously unarticulated realm of expression for his rigorous ideal of mountain seclusion. As “grass huts” and “mountain homes” became more commonly associated with hermits monks such as Saigyō, many of whom in fact spent the majority of their lives in the remote and indigent circumstances of mountain reclusion, the imagery relating to these spaces both shifted and expanded. Saigyō was a key figure in this development in Japanese poetics, and his yama fukami poems played an important role in the deepening and expansion of these topoi in the medieval period.
Discovery and Wonder: The Harry F. Bruning Collection at Brigham Young University compressed, 2022
"Wow, look at that!"
"The detail, the color--it's just amazing."
Such are the reactions--sometim... more "Wow, look at that!" "The detail, the color--it's just amazing." Such are the reactions--sometimes audible--as visitors explore the extraordinary Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese books, scrolls, maps and prints at Brigham Young University. It is an experience defined by discovery and wonder. This book highlights some of the most outstanding items in the collection and includes a complete holdings list. It also offers an introductory essay about the why and the how of Bruning's collecting. But this is not all--this book also shares our journey of discovery about particular moments in Japan's past and Bruning's past, and their wider historical and cultural contexts. This journey was possible through collaborative research as well as undergraduate student experiential learning contributions. Without our students, this project would not have come to fruition. As you peruse its pages, we hope you ponder, as we have, "How did something so valuable make its way to BYU? What can we learn from it?" We hope you are filled with the same sense of awe and curiosity that filled us. The items may be inanimate, but their history is animated by many intriguing human lives which can be discovered and appreciated in the pages of this book.
Among the many theories that attempt to explain Saigyo’s (1118-1190) sudden and dramatic transfor... more Among the many theories that attempt to explain Saigyo’s (1118-1190) sudden and dramatic transformation from samurai to Buddhist monk at the age of twenty three, the most controversial is what I am terming “the homosexuality theory.” At the time Saigyo, or Sato Norikiyo, as he was known before his tonsuring, left his family and career to become a monk, he was in the employ of Retired Emperor Toba (1103-1165) as a member of the Northern Guard (hokumen no bushi), an elite group of bodyguards and personal companions. According to the homosexuality theory, Saigyo became a monk in order to avoid the male-male sexuality of Toba’s court circle. Because of the dearth of information surrounding Saigyo’s tonsuring, it would be just as easy to argue that he took the tonsure after the failure of a sexual affair with a male member of Toba’s clique, or even with Toba himself. Regardless of whether Saigyo left court in order to evade the unwanted attention from other males, to escape the sorrow of a failed love affair, or to elude the bitterness of a triangulated relationship, any hypothesis based upon male-male sexuality remains controversial, highlighting the rigid and contentious homosexual vs. homophobic dichotomy that has informed the development of the homosexuality theory in Japanese scholarship. This article will offer a more nuanced understanding of the multiplicity of desires that led men into the Buddhist priesthood by examining part of the poetic record of Saigyo’s tonsuring. We will find that the multivalence of Japanese poetic language became in the hands of monk/poets of the late Heian period (twelfth century) an apt analogue for the conflicted, emotionally charged transition from layman to priest, and that a spectrum of desires—sexual, social, and spiritual—comingled in poetic expressions of longing.
Examining a set of poems exchanged by the monks Saigyō and Jakuzen, the author argues for their i... more Examining a set of poems exchanged by the monks Saigyō and Jakuzen, the author argues for their importance as records of a crucial moment in the development of religious reclusion imagery in waka. The author focuses on Saigyō, demonstrating how he created a new poetic space marked by a deepening of the tropes of sōan and yamazato, yielding a previously unarticulated realm of expression for his rigorous ideal of mountain seclusion. As “grass huts” and “mountain homes” became more commonly associated with hermits monks such as Saigyō, many of whom in fact spent the majority of their lives in the remote and indigent circumstances of mountain reclusion, the imagery relating to these spaces both shifted and expanded. Saigyō was a key figure in this development in Japanese poetics, and his yama fukami poems played an important role in the deepening and expansion of these topoi in the medieval period.
Though it is still impossible to know the exact reasons why the samurai and poet Saigyō西行 (1118-1... more Though it is still impossible to know the exact reasons why the samurai and poet Saigyō西行 (1118-1190) became a Buddhist monk in the winter of 1140, there is value in asking the question one more time--not in an effort to find a definitive answer, but to see what answers have been offered and what those answers tell us about the reception of his poetry and persona. His decision to become a monk remains the great mystery of his life, and a central focus of both popular imagination and scholarly inquiry over the last eight centuries. In the process of attempting to explain this mystery, writers have in fact contributed to the creation of the Saigyō persona that has become an enduring feature of the cultural landscape of Japan. This essay will explore eight theories of Saigyō’s entry into religious life, or shukke, from a variety of premodern and modern sources in order to better understand the ways in which individuals, cultural groups, and scholarly communities have constructed the Saigyō we know today. Two important processes in Saigyō reception will be revealed. The first process illustrates how the perceived intersection of biography and poetry was a powerful catalyst for the development of legend as Saigyō’s remarkable careers as a samurai and a monk and a poet became of utmost importance to readers and storytellers as they interpreted his often introspective and autobiographical poems. The second process illustrates the tendency to transform popular cultural icons to suit the values and interests of ever-changing audiences as images of Saigyō and his poems became vehicles for the diverse expectations and identities of readers from the twelfth century to the present.
This article and bibliography traces the reception of the Heian-period poet Saigyo (1118-1190) in... more This article and bibliography traces the reception of the Heian-period poet Saigyo (1118-1190) in English-language scholarship and translations from the mid-nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries.
The renowned Saigyo scholar Mezaki Tokue wrote a famous essay called "The Saigyo Within Basho" (B... more The renowned Saigyo scholar Mezaki Tokue wrote a famous essay called "The Saigyo Within Basho" (Basho no uchinaru Saigyo) in which he traces the influence of Saigyo's persona and poetry on that of Matsuo Basho. The approach of this essay differs as it aims to uncover and recognize the nascent aspects of Basho's poetics in Saigyo's own unique poetics. Certain aspects of Saigyo's approach to traditional waka poetry were in fact harbingers of what Haruo Shirane has termed "haikai imagination," the sort of poetic approach espoused and developed by Basho five centuries after Saigyo.
Though it is still impossible to know the exact reasons why the samurai and poet Saigyō西行 (1118-1... more Though it is still impossible to know the exact reasons why the samurai and poet Saigyō西行 (1118-1190) became a Buddhist monk in the winter of 1140, there is value in asking the question one more time--not in an effort to find a definitive answer, but to see what answers have been offered and what those answers tell us about the reception of his poetry and persona. His decision to become a monk remains the great mystery of his life, and a central focus of both popular imagination and scholarly inquiry over the last eight centuries. In the process of attempting to explain this mystery, writers have in fact contributed to the creation of the Saigyō persona that has become an enduring feature of the cultural landscape of Japan. This essay will explore eight theories of Saigyō’s entry into religious life, or shukke, from a variety of premodern and modern sources in order to better understand the ways in which individuals, cultural groups, and scholarly communities have constructed the Saigyō we know today. Two important processes in Saigyō reception will be revealed. The first process illustrates how the perceived intersection of biography and poetry was a powerful catalyst for the development of legend as Saigyō’s remarkable careers as a samurai and a monk and a poet became of utmost importance to readers and storytellers as they interpreted his often introspective and autobiographical poems. The second process illustrates the tendency to transform popular cultural icons to suit the values and interests of ever-changing audiences as images of Saigyō and his poems became vehicles for the diverse expectations and identities of readers from the twelfth century to the present.
Among the many theories that attempt to explain Saigyo’s (1118-1190) sudden and dramatic transfor... more Among the many theories that attempt to explain Saigyo’s (1118-1190) sudden and dramatic transformation from samurai to Buddhist monk at the age of twenty three, the most controversial is what I am terming “the homosexuality theory.” At the time Saigyo, or Sato Norikiyo, as he was known before his tonsuring, left his family and career to become a monk, he was in the employ of Retired Emperor Toba (1103-1165) as a member of the Northern Guard (hokumen no bushi), an elite group of bodyguards and personal companions. According to the homosexuality theory, Saigyo became a monk in order to avoid the male-male sexuality of Toba’s court circle. Because of the dearth of information surrounding Saigyo’s tonsuring, it would be just as easy to argue that he took the tonsure after the failure of a sexual affair with a male member of Toba’s clique, or even with Toba himself. Regardless of whether Saigyo left court in order to evade the unwanted attention from other males, to escape the sorrow of a failed love affair, or to elude the bitterness of a triangulated relationship, any hypothesis based upon male-male sexuality remains controversial, highlighting the rigid and contentious homosexual vs. homophobic dichotomy that has informed the development of the homosexuality theory in Japanese scholarship. This article will offer a more nuanced understanding of the multiplicity of desires that led men into the Buddhist priesthood by examining part of the poetic record of Saigyo’s tonsuring. We will find that the multivalence of Japanese poetic language became in the hands of monk/poets of the late Heian period (twelfth century) an apt analogue for the conflicted, emotionally charged transition from layman to priest, and that a spectrum of desires—sexual, social, and spiritual—comingled in poetic expressions of longing.
Examining a set of poems exchanged by the monks Saigyō and Jakuzen, the author argues for their i... more Examining a set of poems exchanged by the monks Saigyō and Jakuzen, the author argues for their importance as records of a crucial moment in the development of religious reclusion imagery in waka. The author focuses on Saigyō, demonstrating how he created a new poetic space marked by a deepening of the tropes of sōan and yamazato, yielding a previously unarticulated realm of expression for his rigorous ideal of mountain seclusion. As “grass huts” and “mountain homes” became more commonly associated with hermits monks such as Saigyō, many of whom in fact spent the majority of their lives in the remote and indigent circumstances of mountain reclusion, the imagery relating to these spaces both shifted and expanded. Saigyō was a key figure in this development in Japanese poetics, and his yama fukami poems played an important role in the deepening and expansion of these topoi in the medieval period.
Discovery and Wonder: The Harry F. Bruning Collection at Brigham Young University compressed, 2022
"Wow, look at that!"
"The detail, the color--it's just amazing."
Such are the reactions--sometim... more "Wow, look at that!" "The detail, the color--it's just amazing." Such are the reactions--sometimes audible--as visitors explore the extraordinary Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese books, scrolls, maps and prints at Brigham Young University. It is an experience defined by discovery and wonder. This book highlights some of the most outstanding items in the collection and includes a complete holdings list. It also offers an introductory essay about the why and the how of Bruning's collecting. But this is not all--this book also shares our journey of discovery about particular moments in Japan's past and Bruning's past, and their wider historical and cultural contexts. This journey was possible through collaborative research as well as undergraduate student experiential learning contributions. Without our students, this project would not have come to fruition. As you peruse its pages, we hope you ponder, as we have, "How did something so valuable make its way to BYU? What can we learn from it?" We hope you are filled with the same sense of awe and curiosity that filled us. The items may be inanimate, but their history is animated by many intriguing human lives which can be discovered and appreciated in the pages of this book.
The late Heian-period poet/monk Saigyō (西行1118-1190) has long been considered one of the most tal... more The late Heian-period poet/monk Saigyō (西行1118-1190) has long been considered one of the most talented of Japan’s waka poets. His poetry and his legend have found their place in elite and popular culture, spanning social class as well as multiple fields of cultural production, such as poetry, travel literature, painting, woodblock prints, nō and kabuki, and Buddhist tales, to name a few. This study aims to present the reader with a critical analysis of Saigyō, his poetry, and his legend by answering several key questions. Who was the historical Saigyō that lived from 1118 to 1190? How did he become the famous monk and poet? What was it about his poetry that made him famous? How did his life influence his poetry? How did his poetry influence his life? Why did Saigyō become such a popular cultural figure after his death? What were the mechanisms of this process of mythologizing? What role did both his life and his poetry play in this process? In part one of this dissertation, I provide a biographical sketch of Saigyō’s life. Part two is an analysis of Saigyō’s poetics. Here I identify the major elements of Saigyō’s style. I also illustrate the relationship between Saigyō’s life and his poetry. In part three, I illustrate the relationship between Saigyō’s poetry and the development of his legend. The weaving of poetry and life, poetic expression and spiritual journey, into a tapestry was begun by Saigyō himself. Saigyō provided the overall pattern for the tapestry of his life and his poetry. Japanese scholars have failed to recognize Saigyō’s hand in the determination of what the tapestry of his life and poetry would eventually become. Later generations of poets, monks, painters, and authors filled in the spaces, elaborated the patterns, and wove new and more colorful threads into this tapestry. It was always the intersections of the warp of the poet and his life, and the weft of the poems themselves, upon which later weavers tied their colorful threads of story.
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"The detail, the color--it's just amazing."
Such are the reactions--sometimes audible--as visitors explore the extraordinary Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese books, scrolls, maps and prints at Brigham Young University. It is an experience defined by discovery and wonder.
This book highlights some of the most outstanding items in the collection and includes a complete holdings list. It also offers an introductory essay about the why and the how of Bruning's collecting. But this is not all--this book also shares our journey of discovery about particular moments in Japan's past and Bruning's past, and their wider historical and cultural contexts. This journey was possible through collaborative research as well as undergraduate student experiential learning contributions. Without our students, this project would not have come to fruition.
As you peruse its pages, we hope you ponder, as we have, "How did something so valuable make its way to BYU? What can we learn from it?" We hope you are filled with the same sense of awe and curiosity that filled us. The items may be inanimate, but their history is animated by many intriguing human lives which can be discovered and appreciated in the pages of this book.
"The detail, the color--it's just amazing."
Such are the reactions--sometimes audible--as visitors explore the extraordinary Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese books, scrolls, maps and prints at Brigham Young University. It is an experience defined by discovery and wonder.
This book highlights some of the most outstanding items in the collection and includes a complete holdings list. It also offers an introductory essay about the why and the how of Bruning's collecting. But this is not all--this book also shares our journey of discovery about particular moments in Japan's past and Bruning's past, and their wider historical and cultural contexts. This journey was possible through collaborative research as well as undergraduate student experiential learning contributions. Without our students, this project would not have come to fruition.
As you peruse its pages, we hope you ponder, as we have, "How did something so valuable make its way to BYU? What can we learn from it?" We hope you are filled with the same sense of awe and curiosity that filled us. The items may be inanimate, but their history is animated by many intriguing human lives which can be discovered and appreciated in the pages of this book.
In part one of this dissertation, I provide a biographical sketch of Saigyō’s life. Part two is an analysis of Saigyō’s poetics. Here I identify the major elements of Saigyō’s style. I also illustrate the relationship between Saigyō’s life and his poetry. In part three, I illustrate the relationship between Saigyō’s poetry and the development of his legend. The weaving of poetry and life, poetic expression and spiritual journey, into a tapestry was begun by Saigyō himself. Saigyō provided the overall pattern for the tapestry of his life and his poetry. Japanese scholars have failed to recognize Saigyō’s hand in the determination of what the tapestry of his life and poetry would eventually become. Later generations of poets, monks, painters, and authors filled in the spaces, elaborated the patterns, and wove new and more colorful threads into this tapestry. It was always the intersections of the warp of the poet and his life, and the weft of the poems themselves, upon which later weavers tied their colorful threads of story.