Shōtetsu

Shōtetsu (born 1381, Oda, Bitchū province [part of Okayama prefecture], Japan—died June 9, 1459, Kyōto) was a priest-poet who is considered the last truly important tanka poet before the 20th century. Shōtetsu was born into a middle-rank samurai family in the provinces but was taken by his family to Kyōto when he was a boy. He showed precocious ability at composing tanka. Probably by his father’s command, he became a Zen priest before he was...