Keiun (慶運)

Keiun, also known as Kyoun (born sometime during the 1293-1299, and died in 1369), was a poet and monk of the Tendai sect who lived in the latter days of Kamakura period into the middle of Japan's Northern and Southern Court period. He was the son of Joben, Ho-in of Shorenin Temple. Both he and his father Joben are counted among the Four Heavenly Kings of waka poetry.

His affiliation with Shorenin Temple in Kyoto was very strong, and he served three times as assistant to the abbot of Gion Temple.

He was a poet in the Nijo family style, but near the end of his life it is said he began to gravitate more towards the Reizei style. He excelled at descriptive poetry, and his poems were selected for inclusion in three anthologies, the 'Fuga wakashu' (Collection of Elegant Waka), the 'Shin-goshui shu' (New Later Collection of Gleanings [of Japanese Poems]), and the 'Shin-shoku kokinshu' (New Collection [of Japanese Poems] of Ancient and Modern Times, Continued).

He had two private poetry collections, the 'Keiun hoin shu' (Collection of the Ho-in Keiun's Poems) and the 'Joben nami Keiun shu' (Collection of both Joben and Keiun's Poems).

[Original Japanese]