I lived from 716-785. I was from Japan, and am in the Asian category.
Otomo no Yakamochi was the son of Otomo no Tabito. He went with his father to Kyushu where he was exposed to the literary circle his father formed. When his father died in 731 he became the head of his clan. He held a number of official positions but
Yakamochi became increasingly involved in the intrigues surrounding the throne and this along with declining family fortunes kept him from rising to a position as high as his father had held. He was just a Middle Councillor at the end of his career. Yakamochi was a prolific poet and during the twenty years he wrote he proved to have great versatility as a poet. He was the compiler of the Manyoshu and his poems comprise ten percent of it. He has 46 nagauta and 432 tanka in the anthology.
His poems Mourning his concubine showed his human side, as did his many love poems to his wife, the Elder Maiden of Sakanoue. He was as capable of humour, advising a man who had lost weight to Eat eels, as he was of empathy, writing on the Sorrows of the frontier guards.
Yakamochi became increasingly involved in the intrigues surrounding the throne and this along with declining family fortunes kept him from rising to a position as high as his father had held. He was just a Middle Councillor at the end of his career. Yakamochi was a prolific poet and during the twenty years he wrote he proved to have great versatility as a poet. He was the compiler of the Manyoshu and his poems comprise ten percent of it. He has 46 nagauta and 432 tanka in the anthology.
His poems Mourning his concubine showed his human side, as did his many love poems to his wife, the Elder Maiden of Sakanoue. He was as capable of humour, advising a man who had lost weight to Eat eels, as he was of empathy, writing on the Sorrows of the frontier guards.
