Chapter 28 first quarter

Before the story begins, first recall the country of Datang. From the beginning of the seventh century to the beginning of the tenth century, the Tang Dynasty lasted for nearly three hundred years. In the nearly 300-year history of the dynasty, if someone asks me, when was the most Tang Dynasty atmosphere, or when was the Tang Dynasty's heyday?Without thinking, I would answer: the forty-five years between 712 and 756 AD. Generally speaking, this period is known as the flourishing Tang Dynasty. So, what kind of era was the prosperous Tang Dynasty? In this era, the ruler of the Tang Dynasty was the famous Emperor Xuanzong who had a tragic relationship with Concubine Yang; it was also in this era that many talented poets, headed by Li Bai and Du Fu, scattered gems and gold at will. , He created countless poems without hesitation.

The city of Chang'an in this period can be said to be a brilliant fruit that will fall to the ground. In the late spring of the second year of Tianbao (AD 743), a banquet that seemed to symbolize this period was held in the palace. The location is Xingqing Palace in Chang'an.It was the time when the peonies were in full bloom.During the banquet, Xuanzong summoned Li Bai and ordered him to write impromptu lyrics. Li Bai, who appeared drunk in front of Xuanzong, was overflowing with talent as if flowing from the tip of his pen, and he wrote poems with ease. This impromptu poem was sung by Li Guinian, a famous contemporary singer. Accompanied by the orchestral sounds played by court musicians, Concubine Yang also danced.

At that time, Abe Nakamaro, who came from the country of Wa and served the Tang court, was one of the guests present to watch.Later, during the Anlushan Rebellion, Gao Lishi, the eunuch who hanged Concubine Yang Guifei with a silk scarf, was also present. Chang'an in this period is like a fruit whose pulp is about to rot on the branch, exuding the unique sweet fragrance before rot.The banquet in Xingqing Palace can be said to be a symbol of Chang'an in this period. Having said that, what about our Japanese imperial court? In the Heian era, is there any banquet comparable to the feast of the Tang Dynasty with Li Bai's lyrics and Yang Guifei's dance?

The answer is, yes. That was during the reign of Emperor Murakami.That is, the Toku Palace Waka Competition held in the spring of the fourth year of Tiande (AD 960). What is a waka contest? During the waka competition, the court officials in the palace are divided into two groups, the left and the right, and then the wakas that both sides have prepared in advance are compared to compare which side is the best. Waka competitions at that time were carried out in various ways, but the purpose was not limited to competition, and the elements of entertainment and banquets were also quite strong.

It is a kind of court art and cultural activity that not only has orchestras, singing, but also banquets. During the more than 300 years from the first year of Renhe (AD 885) to the era of Wenzhi (AD 1185-1190), there were 472 well-known waka competitions. There are 30 similar activities.Among these more than 500 similar art and cultural activities, in terms of scale, style and historical significance, no matter which one, the court waka contest held by Emperor Murakami can be said to be an outstanding one. It was neither a ritual or sacrifice, nor a ceremony—to put it bluntly, it was just a game.However, in the nearly 400-year history of Heian-kyo, this is the most luxurious and splendid banquet.

It's like a heavy and gorgeous peony blooming on the branch... Just as the Xingqing palace banquet where Li Bai wrote lyrics and Concubine Yang danced was an emblem of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, this court waka competition held in the fourth year of Tiande can also be regarded as one of the emblems of the ancient dynastic culture of the Wa Kingdom . What kind of banquet is this? First of all, the host was the reigning emperor at the time—that is, the 62nd Emperor Murakami. The time is March 30th in the fourth year of Tiande——April 28th in the Gregorian calendar. The location is Qingliangdian in the palace.

Speaking of it, this banquet originated from the waka competition held on August 16th in the third year of Tiande the previous year.At that time, men were divided into left and right groups, each prepared poems and articles, and held a competition of poems and articles in the palace. Stimulated by this activity, the court lady suggested that "the man has already fought articles, and the woman should come to Waka". "Men are always playing games, let's play one too." "If we want to do it, we women will do waka games." Presumably the female officials used to talk to each other like this.

Therefore, Emperor Murakami arranged this event according to his own preferences. Among the emperors of all dynasties, Emperor Murakami is particularly fond of holding such events.Not only can he compose waka, but he is also proficient in musical instruments such as zither, sheng, horizontal flute, and 筚篥.Among the anecdotes of the emperor, the records related to the way of orchestral strings are headed by "Jiang Tan Chao" and "Jian Mi Chao". . It was such a character who used his power as the highest authority in the court to perform an event that he thought was the most ideal and supremely elegant in the spring capital.

On February 29 of this year, Emperor Murakami selected the "Fangren" on both sides. Fangren, pronounced kataudo.Here it means the female official who is the central figure in the Waka competition. Fang people do not compose waka themselves, but entrust singers to compose them, and then let the singers sing in waka competitions, while they themselves are the audience on the spot, judging their own victory or defeat, sometimes happy and sometimes worried. This time the party is a court lady.Headed by changing clothes, female officials such as Dianshi, Zhangshi, internal servants, life wives, and female Tibetans are divided into two groups on the left and right. There are 14 people in each group, and a total of 28 people are selected.

On March 2, the team leaders of the left and right groups changed their clothes and learned the entry list. On March 3rd, the title of the waka was conveyed to each participating female official. The female officials hand over waka according to the topic. On the day of the competition, they recite the waka prepared by the left and right groups according to the topic, and play a confrontation game. Incidentally, there are 20 Wakas to participate in this competition, and the number of Wakas to be recited for each topic is determined in advance.According to the topic category, sometimes it is one, sometimes it is two, and there are even three or five examples.

The titles and the number of wakas are arranged in order of victory and defeat as follows: Xia, one song. Oriole, one song. Liu, one. Sakura, three songs. Ditang, one piece. Wisteria, one song. Twilight, one song. Early summer, one song. Rhododendron, two songs. Shushu, one song. Summer Grass, one song. Love, five pieces. There are ten spring wakas, five summer wakas, and five love wakas.A total of twenty. Since the left and right groups each prepare 20 waka to participate in the competition, a total of 40 waka will be created. The female officials were probably happily discussing with each other in the harem, which topic should be composed by which singer. "Please use the waka below..." "My love song will definitely shake the world..." The singer was probably also busy recommending himself to the female officer. "Do you know anyone who is proficient in waka?" The female officer should also ask acquaintances or people related to the music world. Leaving aside the whole matter here, in short, the list of singers selected at that time is as follows: Left group—— Chao Zhongqing (six poems) Tangerine is so old (2 poems) Young Second Life Wife (1 song) Yuanshun (two pieces) Looking at the City on the Banshang (Three Poems) Dazhongchen Noxuan (Three Poems) Mibu Tadami (four poems) Attendant of Our Court (1 song) right group - Central Affairs (five poems) Fujiwara Motoshin (three pieces) Fujiwara Bogu (one piece) Ping Jiansheng (Eleven Poems) There are eight people in the left group and four people in the right group. Among them, Chaozhong, Shun, Yuanzhen, Nengxuan, Zhongjian, Jiansheng and Zhongwu are all one of the thirty-six singers. Since it is not stipulated that one person can only create one song, that is to say, a singer can create as many songs as possible, so the number of singers participating is less than the number of participating songs, and the number of singers participating in the left and right groups is also different. In addition, generally speaking, waka competitions do not announce the title on the spot, and then let the singers compose poems on the spot, but know the title and complete the waka in advance. The leader of the party on the left is the prime minister who changed clothes. The leader of the party on the right is Masafu Fujiwara. The referee is Zuofang Gongqing Zuo Minister Fujiwara Minorai. It seems a little unfair to let the left minister be the referee who should be in a neutral position, but the left minister is the person in power who is inferior to the emperor, so it is a proper personnel arrangement to let him be the referee. Then again, there is a figure on the left and one on the right who is in charge of reciting waka. The reciter on the left is Yuan Yanguang. The reciter on the right is Yuan Boya. On March 19th, all ministers were divided into left and right groups, and other "Nianren" were also selected on this day. The so-called "Nianren" are not the actual participants, but the cheerleaders who are responsible for cheering for the left or right. This art and cultural event gathered together, and the nobles, cultural figures, musicians, artists, etc. who represented the culture of Heian-kyo at that time all participated. In this way, on March 30th of the fourth year of Tentoku, at four o'clock in the afternoon-the above-mentioned waka competition began.