The Landscape of Nakatsukasanaishi-nikki (the Diary of Nakatsukasanaishi) : Reflections on the Meaning of Writing

Abstract

One of the characteristics of the landscape described in Nakatsukasanaishinikki is its indebtedness to the ways in which landscapes are depicted in the Kyogoku school of waka poetry: there is a deliberate ficticity in representation for the purpose of flattering the tastes of the emperor. For example, to illustrate the setting, sadness was made the dominant emotional tone. The description of landscape was motivated by the special intent of the author, who witnessed the foundation of the Kyogoku school of waka, to record the process of its poetic formation. This is where the author's attitude toward the emperor is indicated, in the different form of representation from the writing in the latter part of the book which mainly records the public events at the court.