Ono no Komachi

Ono no Komachi (小野 小町 approximate dates 825–900 A.D.) was a famous Japanese Waka poet, one of the Rokkasen—Six best Waka poets, in the Heian period.

She was noted as a rare beauty. Komachi is a symbol of a beautiful woman in Japan.

The place of her birth is uncertain. According to one tradition, she was born in what is now Akita Prefecture. In honor of her, the Akita Shinkansen is nicknamed Komachi. Also, a variety of rice, Akita Komachi, bears her name.

References

• Hirshfield, Jane, and Mariko Aratani, translators,The Ink Dark Moon: Love Poems by Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu, Women of the Ancient Court of Japan, New York, Vintage Books, 1990