Poetry of the Voice of Silence: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro and the Poets of the Land of Kotodama

Poetry of the Voice of Silence: Kakinomoto no Hitomaro and the Poets of the Land of Kotodama

During the Nara period, before "waka" was established as a form, words were prayers and landscapes contained the presence of gods.
During that time, there was a poet who believed in the power of words, or Kotodama, and wrote magnificent poems about nature and human activities.
That person is Kakinomoto no Hitomaro.

He served at the Imperial Court and accompanied the Emperor on his travels, capturing the scenery and history of each place he visited in his poems.
The song is not simply a description of nature, but has a depth that captures the soul that dwells in the landscape.
Hitomaro's poems have a voice in the silence and have the power to resonate across the ages.

The reason he was called the saint of song: a fusion of elegance and sorrow

Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was called the "Saint of Poetry" by people in later generations.
The reason is that his singing was outstanding in both technique and emotion.
Although he makes full use of techniques such as pillow words, introductory lines, couplets, and rhymes, the emotions he conveys are deep, quiet, and poignant.

For example, the following song:

I saw a scorching sun rising in the eastern fields, and when I turned around, the moon was tilted.

I gazed out at the eastern fields as the light of dawn began to shine in, and when I looked back I saw the moon setting.
This poem is filled with the sadness of a passing era and those left behind.
Hitomaro was a master at weaving the passage of time and human emotions into his landscapes.

At the Sea of ​​Iwami - Poetry about Death

In his later years, Hitomaro was assigned to Iwami (present-day Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture), where he is said to have died.
His death song is filled with a tranquility, as if he were acting out his own death.

My sister was waiting for me, not knowing that I was lying on the rocks of Mt. Kamo.

His wife might be waiting for him, unaware that he has been buried beneath the rock roots of Mt. Kamo.
This song is filled with love and sorrow that transcends the boundaries of life and death.
Written from the perspective of the dead, the song gives the feeling that their souls are blending into the landscape.

The perfector of the Nagaka form

Hitomaro is also known as the person who perfected the style of choka (long poem).
A choka is a type of poem that repeats five and seven syllables and ends with a tanka poem.
Using this form, Hitomaro wrote about magnificent nature, mythical history, and human activities.

His long poems have a sense of scale in which the landscape and humans seem to be one.
It's the feeling that words envelop the world, transcending space and time.

Why Hitomaro's poems resonate today

Kakinomoto no Hitomaro's poems still resonate in our hearts even after more than 1,300 years.
The reason is that his songs have a "universal quality."
The beauty of nature, the transience of life, the depth of love—these things appeal to people's hearts, regardless of the era.

His songs have a voice in the silence.
There is a soul that resides in the landscape.
And words have the power to change the world.

This also resonates with WABISUKE's philosophy.
"Beauty in silence," "emotions that transcend time," "prayer for universality" -- Hitomaro's poems are the very embodiment of these things.

Looking at the modern world through the eyes of a poet

Interpreting Kakinomoto no Hitomaro's poems in modern times is not simply a matter of interpreting a classic.
It is also a journey to rediscover our own emotions and landscapes.

For example, witnessing the dawn in Kyoto.
If we recall Hitomaro's song "Kagirohi," the scene becomes not just a morning, but a moment that coincides with the changing of the times.

Or when you feel like you're waiting for someone.
The poem of Hitomaro, who sank into the sea of ​​Iwami, may quietly comfort you.

Summary: As a poet from the land of Kotodama

Kakinomoto no Hitomaro is a poet from the land of Kotodama.
His songs embody a worldview in which words are prayers and landscapes are souls.

The song transcends technique, emotion, and time.
It quietly but surely reaches our hearts.

WABISUKE aims to create "poetic craftsmanship" and "timeless aesthetics."
It resonates deeply with Hitomaro's poem.

Borrowing his gaze, we too,
I would like to listen to the "voice of silence" that lies deep within the landscape.