Did you know that people in the Man'yoshu era were also passionate about sports?

Did you know that people in the Man'yoshu era were also passionate about sports? They sometimes got into trouble with their bosses for playing too much!

Typically, when we’re supposed to be working, we might find ourselves reading, listening to music, or even sneaking off somewhere...

Have you ever felt tempted to do something like that? If you’re clever, you might avoid getting caught by your boss. But if you do get caught, then you’re really in for it!

Interestingly, we find similar situations in the Man'yoshu. What was so engrossing that they got scolded by their superiors?

The poem we'll explore today is…

Today, we're looking at a poem from Volume 6, number 949, which reads: “Saddened by the passing of the plum and willow season, I played along the Saho River, which caused quite a stir at the palace.”

A linguistic and classical highlight is 'plum and willow.'

The poem starts with "plum and willow." Back in the Man'yoshu era, plums were highly celebrated.

The collection contains 119 poems that mention plums.

Surprisingly, cherries, though possibly expected to be more popular, are mentioned in only 37 poems, showing a significant preference for plums.

By the Nara period, plums were commonly planted in the estates of the nobility and along the streets of Heijo-kyo.

Why did the palace go into an uproar?

The author of this poem is unknown.

The annotation for this poem indicates that the activity involved playing dakyuu — a sport similar to polo or hockey, which originated from Persia and became known as dakyuu in the East.

The players were so immersed in the game that they failed to notice an unexpected storm with thunder.

At that time, thunder meant that palace guards had to quickly return for their duties.

However, because everyone was playing, no one was available, leading to Emperor Shomu’s fury.

Those involved were confined to the Sword Barracks and not allowed to leave.

The phrase "the palace in uproar" captures both the commotion within the palace and the thunderstorm outside.

I hope you found this peek into Japanese culture and history engaging.