Early Women Writers

Otomo no Sakanoue no Iratsume

Heijo-kyo, Dazaifu (a city in modern day Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu)

8th c

Otomo no Sakanoue no Iratsume was the daughter of Otomo no Yasumaro (d.714). Eighty-four of her poems are included in the Man'yoshu, more than any other woman poet. She was married to Prince Hozumi in her teens, then later married again to his half-brother, Sukunamaro. Following Sukunamaro's deth, she moved to Dazaifu on the island of Kyushu. [Source: Sato, Hiroaki. Japanese Women Poets: An Anthology. New York: Routledge, 2015.]

Japanese

Poetry

Sato, Hiroaki. Japanese Women Poets: An Anthology. New York: Routledge, 2015.