Shirome

Shirome (白女) was a minor female Japanese waka poet, who lived during the 10th century CE.^[1]^[2]

She was born in Eguchi, Settsu Province (摂津国江口, modern day Osaka) and thought to be a daughter of a minor aristocrat Settsunokuni Tamabuchi (摂津国玉淵).^[3] Her occupation was an asobi/yujo (遊女), often translated as courtesan.^[4] Later in history the terms asobi/yujo frequently indicated someone who did sex work, however during the Heian period (794-1185) the terms often referred to a woman who was trained in the art of singing and dancing - similar to the latter day Geisha.^[5] Her performance in front of an abdicated emperor is recorded in a book Okagami (大鏡), The Great Mirror, and other sources.^[6]

A poem of hers was included in the Kokin Wakashū:^[7]

If I were only sure

I could live as long as I wanted to,

I would not have to weep

at parting from you.

命だに心にかなふ物ならばなにか別れの悲しからまし

^ Brocade by Night: 'Kokin Wakashu' and the Court Style in Japanese Classical Poetry. Stanford University Press. October 1985. ISBN 978-0-8047-6645-6.
^ McCullough, Helen Craig (1985). Kokin Wakashu: The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry: With 'Tosa Nikki' and 'Shinsen Waka'. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-1258-3.
^ Fiévé, Nicolas (2003), "Social Discrimination and Architectural Freedom in the Pleasure District of Kyoto in Early Modern Japan", Japanese Capitals in Historical Perspective, Routledge, doi:10.4324/9781315020662-4&type=chapterpdf (inactive 1 November 2024), ISBN 978-1-315-02066-2, retrieved 2024-04-14{{citation}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
^ Nikolaevna, Trubnikova Nadezhda (2019). "Once Again About the "Miraculous Power of Waka": Setsuwa Tales About Poets in the Jikkinshō". Russian Japanology Review. 2 (2): 66–91. ISSN 2658-6444.
^ Goodwin, Janet R. (2006-12-31). Selling Songs and Smiles: The Sex Trade in Heian and Kamakura Japan. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-6425-5.
^ Seigle, Cecilia Segawa (1993-03-01). Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1488-5.
^ Sato, Hiroaki (1977). "Review of The Burning Heart: Women Poets of Japan". The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese. 12 (2/3): 281–284. doi:10.2307/489170. ISSN 0885-9884. JSTOR 489170.

[1] Brocade by Night: 'Kokin Wakashu' and the Court Style in Japanese Classical Poetry. Stanford University Press. October 1985. ISBN 978-0-8047-6645-6.

[2] McCullough, Helen Craig (1985). Kokin Wakashu: The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry: With 'Tosa Nikki' and 'Shinsen Waka'. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-1258-3.

[3] Fiévé, Nicolas (2003), "Social Discrimination and Architectural Freedom in the Pleasure District of Kyoto in Early Modern Japan", Japanese Capitals in Historical Perspective, Routledge, doi:10.4324/9781315020662-4&type=chapterpdf (inactive 1 November 2024), ISBN 978-1-315-02066-2, retrieved 2024-04-14{{citation}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)

[4] Nikolaevna, Trubnikova Nadezhda (2019). "Once Again About the "Miraculous Power of Waka": Setsuwa Tales About Poets in the Jikkinshō". Russian Japanology Review. 2 (2): 66–91. ISSN 2658-6444.

[5] Goodwin, Janet R. (2006-12-31). Selling Songs and Smiles: The Sex Trade in Heian and Kamakura Japan. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-6425-5.

[6] Seigle, Cecilia Segawa (1993-03-01). Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1488-5.

[7] Sato, Hiroaki (1977). "Review of The Burning Heart: Women Poets of Japan". The Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese. 12 (2/3): 281–284. doi:10.2307/489170. ISSN 0885-9884. JSTOR 489170.

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