WAKA of elegy and quotations from “The Tale of Genji”

―About “The Shoku-Shika Wakashu”―

Abstract

　　“Aisho-ka” is an Elegy, a kind of WAKA (an old Japanese poem which consists of 31 syllables) mouring the dead. I have collected and analyzed numerous WAKA of Elegy which include expressions or scenes from “The Tale of Genji”. Those WAKA of Elegy were composed during the latter half of the 12th to 14th century (the Japanese medieval period). In my report, I would like to express my views on “The Shoku-Shika Wakashu” which was compiled around 1165. So I have chosen these quotations, analyzed the way they’ve been used, and provided my interpretation of the compiler’s intentions.

　　Many consider the quotations from “The Tale of Genji”, “The Shin-Kokin Wakashu” as a remarkable piece. However, I think “The Shoku-Shika Wakashu” deserves greater attention, it precedes “The Shin-Kokin Wakashu”.