Noin (能因)

Noin (988-1058) was a monk and a poet who lived during the mid-Heian period. His secular name was TACHIBANA no Nagayasu. There are two different opinions about his real father. One is that TACHIBANA no Tadamochi was his real father, and the other is that Tadamochi's son, TACHIBANA no Motoyasu was, and he was adopted by Tameyasu of the Tachibana family. His year of death is not known, and some people say that it was 1050, while others say it was 1058. He was regarded as one of the medieval 36 Immortal Poets.

He was monjosho (student of literary studies in the Imperial University) and called himself Higo Shinshi (monjosho), but became a monk. He studied under FUJIWARA no Nagato, and had friendships with OE no Yoshitoki, MINAMOTO no Michinari, and so on. He traveled in Kai Province, Mutsu Province, and so on, composing many poems.

His sixty-five poems were collected in 'Goshui Wakashu' (Later Collection of Gleanings of Japanese Poetry) and other successive Chokusen Wakashu (anthology of Japanese poetry compiled by Imperial command).
His personal collection of poetry is 'Noin shu' and he also compiled 'Gengen shu,' a collection of poetry, and wrote a book on tanka poetics called 'Noin Utamakura.'

Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (Ogura Anthology of One Hundred Tanka-poems by One Hundred Poets)
No. 69: The colored leaves in the Mt. Mimuro where a stormy wind blows were like brocade floating on the Tatsuta-gawa River.

[Original Japanese]