Origins & Early Life

Saigyō Hōshi (西行 法師; Japanese pronunciation: [saꜜi.ɡʲoː, -ŋʲoː], 1118 – March 23, 1190) was a Japanese poet of the late Heian and early Kamakura period. Born Satō Norikiyo (佐藤義清) in Kyoto to a noble family, he lived during the traumatic transition of power between the old court nobles and the new samurai warriors. After the start of the age of Mappō, Buddhism was considered to be in decline and no longer as effective a means of salvation. These cultural shifts during his lifetime led to a sense of melancholy in his poetry.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

As a youth, he worked as a guard to retired Emperor Toba, but in 1140 at age 22, for reasons now unknown, he quit worldly life to become a monk, taking the religious name En'i (円位). He later took the pen name Saigyō (西行), meaning "Western Journey", a reference to Amida Buddha and the Western paradise. He lived alone for long periods in his life in Saga, Mt. Koya, Mt. Yoshino, Ise, and many other places, but he is more known for the many long, poetic journeys he took to Northern Honshū that would later inspire Bashō in his Narrow Road to the Interior.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He was a good friend of Fujiwara no Teika. Sankashū (山家集; "Collection of a Mountain Home") is Saigyō...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Alexios I Komnenos — Contemporary (Died in 1118) (1118): Byzantine Emperor who initiated the Komnenian restoration and sparked the First Crusade.
• Baldwin I of Jerusalem — Contemporary (Died in 1118) (1118): Founder of the County of Edessa and King of Jerusalem during the First Crusade.
• Manuel I Komnenos — Contemporary (Born in 1118) (1118): Byzantine Emperor who oversaw the Komnenian restoration and reshaped the Mediterranean.
• Frederick Barbarossa — Contemporary (Died in 1190) (1190): Holy Roman Emperor who dominated Italian politics and expanded imperial authority.
• Ivan Asen II — Contemporary (Born in 1190) (1190): Emperor of Bulgaria, who restored the Second Bulgarian Empire's power and influence.
• Sundiata Keita — Contemporary (Born in 1190) (1190): Founder and first great ruler of the powerful Mali Empire.
• Pope Paschal II — Historical peer (Died in 1118) (1118): Pope Paschal II, a long-reigning medieval pope who navigated the Investiture Controversy.
• Taira no Kiyomori — Historical peer (Born in 1118) (1118): Powerful 12th-century military leader who dominated the Heian court and established samurai rule.
• Xin Qiji — Historical peer (Born in 1140) (1140): A prominent Southern Song poet, calligrapher, and military figure.
• 1118 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1118
• 1190 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1190