Kojijū
Japanese noblewoman and waka poet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kojijū (小侍従; 1121–1202 CE) (also Matsuyoi no Kojijū)[1] was a waka poet and Japanese noblewoman active in the late Heian period.[2][3]
Her father was Ki no Mitsukiyo, and her mother was the poet Hanazono Sadaijinke no Kodaishin.[4][5]
As a lady-in-waiting, she served the twice-empress Fujiwara no Tashi (who was wife, successively, to Emperor Konoe and Emperor Nijō), as well as in the court of the retired Emperor Takakura.[5] Additionally, she took part in poetry contests organized by Emperor Go-Toba.[6][4] During this time, courtiers were expected to be skilled poets, and a great deal of court life involved composing and exchanging poetry, as well as participating in poetry contests.[1][4] Kojijū is designated a member of the Female Thirty-Six Immortals of Poetry (女房三十六歌仙, Nyōbō Sanjūrokkasen). She left a private collection of poems titled the Kojijū-shū.[7]
Contemporaries noted her for her especial skill in composing poems that exactly suited the situation, particularly when writing a verse as a response to someone else's verse.[6]
In 1179, she became a Buddhist nun.[5]
