Sarumaru Dayū

Sarumaru no Taifu by Kanō Tan’yū, 1648

Sarumaru no Taifu, also known as Sarumaru no Dayū (猿丸大夫 sarumaru no taifu/dayū) was a waka poet in the early Heian period. He is a member of the Thirty Six Poetic Sages (三十六歌仙 sanjūrokkasen), but there are no detailed histories or legends about him. There is a possibility that there never was such a person. Some believe him to have been Prince Yamashiro no Ōe.

Poetry example

The following waka is attributed to Taifu. It is a classic Autumn Poem (秋歌 aki no uta).

おく山にもみぢふみわけなく鹿の
     こゑきく時ぞ秋はかなしき

oku yama ni momiji fumiwake nakushika no kowe kiku toki zo aki ha kanashiki
loosely: Deep in the mountains, as I hear the cries of deer walking through momiji— Oh! How sad the Autumn feels to me!
(Kokinshū 4:215, and also in Ogura Hyakunin Isshu:5)

References

• Papinot, Edmond (1910). Historical and geographical dictionary of Japan. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha.

1. This article is based on information in the equivalent article in the Japanese Wikipedia.