Ki no Tomonori


Ki no Tomonori was an early Heian waka poet of the court, a member of the sanjūrokkasen or Thirty-six Poetry Immortals. He was a compiler of the Kokin Wakashū, though he certainly did not see it to completion as the anthology includes a eulogy to him composed by Ki no Tsurayuki, his cousin and colleague in the compilation effort. Ki no Tomonori is the author of several poems in the Kokin Wakashū, and a few of his poems appear in later official collections. A collection of his poems from various sources appeared as the tomonori shū.
Tomonori's most famous waka is "Hisakata no", included in Hyakunin Isshu that was compiled in the 13th century:
This waka has been made a choral song "Hisakata No " by Ruth Morris Gray and is sung by various choral groups of the world.