<oo> --> <dh> --> <japanese> : a resource for classical japanese

of the Nara period: exploring Classical Japanese and representations of Home Life in Man'yōshū

flower

Reference to Nature

Frequency of Reference to Season

Seasons and Landscapes references are common in Japanese Waka poems. Japanese people believed that natural phenomena such as clouds, rain, and snow possessed souls. Take the poems in Manyoshu for example -- we can see the imperial court poets make references to nature as allegories and symbolism. The careful selection of symbolism is a crucial part in studying japanese poem craftmanship. For time concerns, we decided to tag flowers as a categories. In more extensive studies, because different flowers has different meanings in Classical East Asian poems, interested readers can look for information explaining the meaning of different flowers.

Num. 15 10 5 0 Spring:16 Summer:8 Autumn:4 Winter:5

Seasonal Reference:

Spring: beginning of spring, remaining snow, spring mist, young herbs, green field, willow, cheery blossoms, mountain rose

Summer: orange blossoms, summer rains, cuckoo

Autumn: autumn wind, autumn sadness, deer, autumn grass, fallen leaves, autumn field

Winter: ice and snow, end of year, blossoms in snow