Kodai no Kimi
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Kodai no Kimi (小大君, fl. circa 990 CE), also known as Koōgimi) was a Japanese waka poet and noble from the middle Heian period.[1][2][3]
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During this period of time, the Japanese court was a place of literary flourishing for noble women, and many of the ladies in waiting were accomplished poets and authors.[1][4] For instance, she was at court as the same time as another renowned female writer, Murasaki Shikibu, author of the great novel The Tale of Genji.[1]
Kodai no Kimi was a lady-in-waiting in the courts of Emperor Ichijo (who reigned from 986-1011 CE) and his son, the crown prince Okisada who would eventually reign as Emperor Sanjo.[1] In the court of the Crown prince, her position appears to have been that of chamberlain and secretary.[5][6] Members of the court were expected to participate complex poetic activities, writing poems to exchange for everything from greetings to games to poet-vs-poet competitions. Kodai-no-Kimi was one of the most skilled.[7]
She is one of only five women numbered as one of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals.[2]
Many of her poems are in Japanese imperial poetry anthologies including Shūi Wakashū.[8] There is some overlap between her personal poetry collection Kodai no Kimishū (小大君集) and Ono no Komachi's personal collection.[3]
