A Court Gentleman’s Life in the Higashiyama Period

What sustained a court gentleman when warfare unsettled Kyoto and estate revenues failed to arrive? Hara Katsurō reconstructs the world of Sanjōnishi Sanetaka through a diary alive with unpaid dues, household servants, gifts, palace ceremonies, and literary work.

Sanetaka’s life connects the imperial court with provincial warriors, merchants, painters, and traveling poets. He copies The Tale of Genji, negotiates for income, visits temples, and cultivates friendships that serve both art and survival. His exchanges with the linked-verse master Sōgi reveal a relationship of instruction, practical assistance, and lasting affection.

First published in 1917, this substantial historical essay places one life within Hara’s provocative interpretation of the Ashikaga age. He considers cultural diffusion, the survival of courtly taste, and the relation of Pure Land faith to literature and painting. The complete new English translation preserves his arguments and uncertainties, with brief notes on names, historical terms, and textual difficulties. Hara Katsurō was a Japanese historian of medieval society and culture. AI-assisted translation, prepared and edited by Valentin Sarić.