Teika-ki (Memorial Day of Fujiwara no Teika)

What Is Teika-ki?

August 20th is "Teika-ki," the memorial day of Fujiwara no Teika (also read Sadaie), one of the most celebrated poets of the late Heian to early Kamakura period, who died on the 20th day of the 8th month of 1241 in the old lunar calendar (September 26 in the modern calendar).

Remembering the Poet Behind the Shin Kokin Wakashu and Hyakunin Isshu

Teika-ki is a day set aside to remember the legacy of Fujiwara no Teika, whose influence on Japanese poetry remains profound to this day.

• Origin: The memorial day marks Teika's death at age 80 on August 20, 1241.
• Major achievement: He was one of the compilers of the "Shin Kokin Wakashu," an imperial anthology commissioned by Retired Emperor Go-Toba.
• Lasting legacy: He is credited as the compiler of "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu," the classic anthology that still shapes the karuta card game played today.
• Family: His father was the poet Fujiwara no Shunzei, compiler of the "Senzai Wakashu"; Teika himself also compiled the "Shin Chokusen Wakashu."
• His own poem in the Hyakunin Isshu: "Konu hito wo / Matsuho no ura no / yūnagi ni / yaku ya moshio no / mi mo kogare tsutsu" ("Waiting for one who does not come, I burn like the salt-making fires on Matsuho Bay in the evening calm").
• Copying the classics: He also devoted himself to copying and editing works such as "The Tale of Genji" and the "Tosa Diary," and the kana spelling he used, known as "Teika kanazukai," influenced later generations.

A Giant of Japanese Literary History

Teika is also known for his diary, the "Meigetsuki," which covers 56 years from 1180 to 1235 and is now a National Treasure. It even contains an entry, copied from older records, about the supernova of 1054 -- before Teika was born -- that created the Crab Nebula, making it valuable to astronomers as well. Living through the transition from courtly rule to the samurai era, his refined and technically masterful poetic style left a lasting mark on later waka and renga poetry.

Ways to Mark the Day

• Read poems from the "Shin Kokin Wakashu" or "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu"
• Learn about Fujiwara no Teika's life and his diary, the "Meigetsuki"
• Recite a favorite waka poem aloud
• Play a round of Hyakunin Isshu karuta

Words That Still Reach Us Across Eight Centuries

Teika-ki is a day to reflect on a poet who refined the beauty of Japanese verse to its utmost. On August 20th, take a moment to listen again to the words Teika wove nearly 800 years ago.