The Pursuit of Harmony: Poetry and Power in Early Heian Japan

The Heian court of the ninth and tenth centuries was characterized by pronounced political fragmentation and unprecedented poetic fertility. Gustav Heldt argues that the two were often linked by the act of "harmonizing in verse," a public mode of composition in which the words of a superior were cited in order to establish social hierarchies, affirm communal identities, and accommodate conflicting visions of political authority. Focusing on the period's new forms of poetry--the Kokinshu anthology, poetry matches, and screen poetry--as well as the practices surrounding their production, The Pursuit of Harmony marshals a wide range of historical sources to explore such topics as the interplay between the palace calendar and seasonal cycles, representations of social difference, ritual performances of royal virtue at banquets, and later scholastic interpretations of the Heian poetic legacy. In the process, this book provides new insights into a pivotal era in Japanese literature and culture.