Toki Yoritoshi (土岐 頼稔, March 20, 1695 – October 17, 1744) was a Japanese daimyō of the Edo period. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa shogunate, including Kyoto Shoshidai (1734–1732) [1] and rōjū. [2]
At some point, there was a devastating fire in Heian-kyō while Toki Tango-no-kami held the office of Kyoto shoshidai. Shortly afterwards, a clever poem which included a play on the shoshidai's name was widely circulated:
- Toki mo toki
- Tango no gogatsuban ni
- kaji dashite
- Edo e shiretariya
- Mi-shoshi senban.
[3]
- A conventional English translation ( Frederic Shoberl, 1822): "Such is the time at present: a fire broke out in the fifth night of the fifth month. When the news shall have reached Edo, there will be numberless applicants who will harass you without ceasing." [2]
- A more literal English translation (Timon Screech, 2006):
- At this very time
- On Tango's evening
- Fire broke out
- Edo was informed
- For the noble governor
- Much [trouble]. [4]
The 18th century poet was Kazehaya Yoshizane, who puns "Tango" ( Tango no sekku), one of the five main festivals of the year (falling on the 5th day of the 5th month), with the daimyo's toponym, "Tango" ( Tango Province). [4] Poetry of this sort was an element of popular culture in this period. Witty and timely word play which somehow married puns on a personal name with a current event became fashionable. It could engender broad public approval, and occasionally such poetry might even receive approbation from the emperor. [2]
Notes
References
- Bolitho, Harold. (1974). Treasures Among Men: The Fudai Daimyo in Tokugawa Japan. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-01655-0; OCLC 185685588
- Screech, Timon. (2006). Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822. London: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 9780700717200' OCLC 635224064
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