Prince Munenaga (宗良 親王,Munenaga Shinnō; 1311–1385?), animperial prince (the eighth son ofEmperor Godaigo) and a poet of theNijō poetic school ofNanboku-chō period, mostly known for his compilation of theShin'yō Wakashū.[1] His mother was the poetNijō Tameko.[2]
Prince Munenaga led a turbulent life, which quite likely served as an impetus for his poetic sensibility. In 1326 he took tonsure as aTendai priest onMount Hiei and swiftly advanced in his studies of the Buddhist doctrine.
In 1330 Prince Munenaga became the head priest ofTendai school, but was soon after banished toSanuki inShikoku for his participation in theGenkō War, where he had fought for his father's cause of imperial restoration. After three years of exile he marched his troops intoKyoto. Subsequently, when the imperial army lost toAshikaga Takauji in 1336, Prince Munenaga took refuge on Mount Hiei with his father,Emperor Godaigo.
In 1338, when one of his relatives suggested that Prince Munenaga abandon resistance and return to Kyoto, the prince replied with this poem:
furusato wa
koishiku to te mo
mi Yoshino no
hana no sakari wo
ikaga misuten
Yes, it is true,
I long for my home of old,
But how can I desert
Holy Yoshino, now that
The cherries are in full bloom.[3]
Thus in an elegant poetic form Prince Munenaga replied that he would not abandon his father and stayed in the mountains ofYoshino to continue the fight despite all the hardships.
For the rest of his life, Prince Munenaga was at the head of resistance against theMuromachi bakufu and theNorthern Court.[4] The date of his death is uncertain, but some historians believe it to be around 1385 CE.
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