National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

These poems came from the section "Sento" in volume 3 of Nijukanbon utaawase (Poems from the Poetry Match in Twenty Scrolls), which was compiled from a poetry match held at Emperor Yozei's (868-949) detached palace Sendo Gosho. Although the exact date of the match has not been determined, it appears that the gathering was held in 912 (Engi 12) or 913 (Engi 13). The subtitle is "Poetry Match of the Retired Emperor Yozei: Themes of Summer Insects in Love" and the compilation consists of twenty poems in ten sections. Also, two poems from section seven, which were originally missing, written on a section of the third sheet of paper, have been transcribed and replaced.