(13th century) poet, memoirist
Lady Daibu lived during the decline of the Heian court in Japan, between the 12th and 13th century. Like most female writers of the Heian court, little is known of her life, including her real name. The first part of her name, Kenreimon-in, comes from the name of the empress she served as a lady-in-waiting. The second part of her name is the name of her male sponsor at court. Several of Lady Daibu’s poems appeared in the imperial anthology Shinchokusenshu (1232), but she is mostly known for her memoirs, the Kenrei Mon’in Ukyo no Daibu shu (The Journal of Kenreimon-in Ukyo no Daibu, ca. 1233). Her writing can be studied in relation to other Japanese female court writers. The most famous of these writers is murasaki shikibu, author of The Tale ofGenji (ca. 1000).
Lady Daibu is not considered a first-rate writer by most critics, but her writing contains vivid descriptions of court life and moving reflections on her tragic affair with the imperial regent Taira no Sukemori. Although she never writes directly about political events, her words reflect the tumultuous times she lived in, particularly when she describes her despair at the death of her lover in battle. Her memoirs describe her personal experiences, interspersed with the poetry that these events inspired. She also includes poetry that she used to privately communicate with other members of court. She wrote short lyrical poems that used images from nature to express her emotions:
Unforgettable! That time I gazed At the morning glory, With the dawn moon in the sky— But would I had some way to forget!
The sincerity of Lady Daibu’s writing, together with her portrayal of life in uncertain times and her use of imagery to convey emotion, has given her a place in the history of world literature.
An English Version of a Work by Lady Daibu
The Poetic Memoirs of Lady Daibu. Edited and translated by Phillip Tudor Harries. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1980.
