Japanese poetry: from “The Eight views of Xiaoxiang” to “The Eight views of Omi” (poetic cycles by Reizei Tamesuke, Konoe Nobutada and Ota Nampo)

The Eight Views of Xiaoxiang is a concept that appeared in China during the Song period (960-1279). Its creation and spread is associated with the names of famous cultural figures, such as Song Di (1015?-1080?), Shen Gua (1031-1095), Su Shi (1037-1101). In Japan The Eight Views of Xiaoxiang were introduced as a theme of Chan Buddhism art. Japanese authors, primarily the monks of the Zen school, began to create images and write poems on the theme of The Eight Views of Xiaoxiang, first of all they were poems in Chinese, but waka (Japanese songs), written in the form of five-line verses, also appeared. Over time, the concept of the eight views was adapted on Japanese soil. The province of Omi - Lake Biwa - is the first region to which it was spread. During Tokugawa era the theme of the Eight Views of Omi became popular, it was embodied primarily in the visual arts, most often the Eight Views of Omi are presented in color prints. Many prints contain the same cycle of poems. The same poems were presented in the "Collection of poems about famous places in Japan", published in 1680. In this book, like in a number of others, was discussed the question of the authorship of the poems of this cycle. Today the sustained version is that the author is Konoe Nobutada (1565-1614). Parodies were popular in the Tokugawa era. Parodies on the theme of the Eight Views of Omi exist in the visual arts and in poetry as well. Three poetic cycles are presented in the article: the first waka cycle on the theme of The Eight Views of Xiaoxiang by Reizei Tamesuke (1263-1328); “classical” cycle on the theme of The Eight Views of Omi by Konoe Nobutada; and a comic poetic cycle on the theme of The Eight Views of Omi by Ota Nanpo (1749-1823).