Yamabe Akahito and the Spirit Residing in Landscapes: The World as Seen by a Manyo Poet

Yamabe Akahito and the Spirit Residing in Landscapes: The World as Seen by a Manyo Poet

During the Nara period, there was a poet who accompanied the Emperor on his journeys and wrote poems about the "heart" that lies deep within the scenery.
His name was Yamabe no Akahito, and he was a "poet saint" who was praised alongside Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, and had a profound influence on the waka culture of later generations.

"If you go out to Tagonoura Bay and look..." - Entrusted to the snow-white Mount Fuji

Speaking of Akahito's masterpiece, this poem was selected as one of the Hyakunin Isshu.

When I stepped out of Tagonoura Bay and looked, snow was falling on the pure white peaks of Mount Fuji.

Fuji as seen from the coast of Shizuoka.
In that white snow, Akajin must have seen more than just a beautiful view.
It is the sacredness of nature, the flow of time, and the tranquility of the human heart.
His songs have the power to make the landscape seem to "speak" to you.

Akahito's philosophy as seen through landscape poems

Akahito's waka poems are not simply descriptions of nature.
Violets blooming in the spring fields, snow falling on plum blossoms - each of these represents the transience of human emotions and time.

I came to the spring fields to pick violets, but I slept there all night, longing for the fields.

This song describes the kind of "immersion" that captivates one's soul and makes one forget to go home.
It may be a feeling we have forgotten in modern times.

Following in the footsteps of the Akahito people: Akahito Temple and Yamabe Shrine in Shiga

In Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture, there are Akajin Temple and Yamabe Shrine, which are known as places associated with Akajin.
According to legend, Akajin was unable to remove his crown from the branch of the cherry tree and settled there permanently.
The Akahito cherry blossoms bloom within the temple grounds, conveying his spirit of poetry to the present day.

What the Red Man's Song Teaches Us

Yamabe no Akahito's waka poems capture the moment when the landscape and the heart resonate with each other.
This is an important perspective when creating a brand or a work.
It's not just beautiful, but that beauty has meaning - Akajin's songs teach us this philosophy.