Ebook: Householders: The Reizei Family in Japanese History

"As direct descendants of the great courtier-poets Fujiwara no Shunzei (1114-1204) and his son Teika (1162-1244), the heirs of the noble Reizei house can claim an unbroken literary lineage that spans over eight hundred years. During all that time, their primary goal has been to sustain the poetic enterprise, or michi (way), of the house and to safeguard its literary assets.

Steven D. Carter weaves together strands of family history, literary criticism, and historical research into a coherent narrative about the evolution of the Reizei Way. What emerges from this innovative approach is an elegant portrait of the Reizei poets as participants in a collective institution devoted more to the continuity of family poetic practices and ideals than to the concept of individual expression that is so central to more modern poetic culture.

In addition to the narrative chapters, the book also features an extensive appendix of one hundred poems from over the centuries, by poets who were affiliated with the Reizei house. Carter's annotations provide essential critical context for this selection of poems, and his deft translations underscore the rich contributions of the Reizei family and their many disciples to the Japanese poetic tradition."

"The modern Reizei may view their history as one of remarkable continuity, but Carter shows how change played its part. Even if that may surprise no one, specific examples challenge familiar cliches concerning traditional elite culture, both civilian and military. Japanese aristocrats may have valued hereditary status, but noble birth guaranteed only the opportunity for success at court; actual success required the right combination of skill and luck. Although the modern Reizei remain in Kyoto, their ancestors occasionally chose to live elsewhere, sometimes because civil war drove them from their home, but other times simply because they could earn a better living, for example, in the warrior capital of Kamakura. That, in turn, reminds us that members of Japan's military elite continued to admire the civilian culture of the ancient court. The warriors of one sort or another who dominated Japan through virtually all eight centuries of Reizei history protected both the family and its poetic livelihood. This pattern persisted, albeit in very different form, even into the first half of the twentieth century. World War II, however, brought unwanted change. The last Reizei trained in its poetic tradition was drafted in 1944 and killed on the China front. After Japan's defeat, the occupation authorities abolished the estate rights that had provided the family's income. Eventually, like Gilbert and Sullivan's impecunious Duke of Plaza Toro, the family chose to incorporate itself and market its tradition to middle class enthusiasts. Since Carter covers a vast range of periods and topics, many historians will find material of interest in his book, but Carter is above all a literature specialist writing about a family of poets, and so poetry has a prominent place in this study. Japanese court poetry might be characterized as consisting of a few themes with endless variations. Carter does his best to help uninitiated readers recognize the stylistic distinctions and deviations from convention that may have startled poets trained in the tradition. He concludes his book with 100 poems, carefully explicated, by 100 poets who worked within the Reizei tradition. Members of the family predominate. Other authors range from the shogun Ashikaga Takauji (13051358) to a woman who kept a teahouse in Kyoto at the start of the eighteenth century. Readers unfamiliar with court poetry might want to read this appendix first to acquaint themselves with the Reizei poetic tradition. Some historians may find themselves skimming over Carter's discussions of poetry, which would be a loss, but far less of a loss than if they neglect this fascinating book."