#97 The Full Moon Poem

Last night's moon was an 'izayoi' moon, nearly full, and it is said to have been almost the same shape as the moon on the night of the 16th day of the 10th month of the Kannin era (November 26, 1018, in the Julian calendar), when Fujiwara no Michinaga recited his famous 'Full Moon Poem': 'I think of this world as my own, for it is like the full moon, with nothing lacking.' We were able to look up at the same moon that Michinaga looked up at (though in reality, it was hidden by clouds). Coincidentally, this same scene was broadcast tonight on the NHK Taiga drama 'Dear Radiance,' highlighting once again the meticulous production design of the team.
As a high school student, I chose world history, so I did not take Japanese history classes. However, perhaps because I learned it in junior high school, I remembered the 'Full Moon Poem.' It has been ingrained in me as a waka poem symbolizing the arrogance and tyranny of Michinaga at the height of his prosperity, meaning: 'There is nothing in this world that does not go as I wish. Just as the full moon lacks nothing, everything is perfectly complete.'
However, recent interpretations are quite different. 'This world' (kono yo) is linked to 'this night' (kono yo), 'my world' (waga yo) refers to 'a pleasant and enjoyable time,' and 'full moon' (mochizuki) is linked to 'the state of passing around the sake cup.' Furthermore, the 'moon' also refers to the Empress, and 'full moon' also relates to the fact that Michinaga's daughters held a monopoly on the three empress positions (Grand Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and Empress). Fujiwara no Sanesuke's diary, 'Shoyuki,' which records the banquet in detail, shows no sign of criticizing Michinaga or viewing him negatively; in particular, it describes the passing of the sake cup in great detail. This is interpreted as a metaphor emphasizing that the 'Full Moon Poem' was about the passing of the cup at the banquet. Especially important is the fact that at the time, even if it was nearly a full moon, an 'izayoi' moon was not referred to as a 'full moon' (mochizuki) in waka poetry. It is suggested that Michinaga, knowing the moon was not full that day, recited that while he himself might have some shortcomings, the future of the court nobles attending the banquet and his daughters, the three empresses, was like a full moon. If so, it becomes easier to understand why Sanesuke, when asked for a return poem, said he could not compose a return poem for such an elegant verse and suggested everyone recite it together, leading them all to chant the 'Full Moon Poem' in unison.
In the first place, the banquet that day was an after-party celebrating the investiture of Michinaga's third daughter, Ishi, as Empress to Emperor Go-Ichijo. While not quite a 'bureiko' (a party where social status is ignored), it was a fairly relaxed drinking party. The monopoly of the three empress positions (Grand Empress Dowager Shoshi, Empress Dowager Kenshi, and Empress Ishi) was, as written in Fujiwara no Sanesuke's 'Shoyuki,' unprecedented and unparalleled, representing the pinnacle of imperial in-laws. While Michinaga was certainly ambitious to have his daughters enter the imperial court to bear his grandchildren, the timing and ages involved can only be described as a product of coincidence.
Although it was a poem for entertainment, it is highly likely that Michinaga had prepared the 'Full Moon Poem' to some extent in advance. It is thought to be modeled after a poem Murasaki Shikibu composed ten years earlier when Empress Shoshi gave birth to Imperial Prince Atsunari (Emperor Go-Ichijo): 'The sake cup, to which a rare light is added, shall be passed around for a thousand generations while being held.' This means, 'The sake cup, to which the new light of the Prince has been added to the moonlight of the Empress, will be held by everyone like a full moon and continue to circulate for a thousand generations.'
In fact, this poem was recited by a tipsy Murasaki Shikibu (Mahiro) alone with a sake cup in her hand in the 36th episode of 'Dear Radiance,' and Michinaga, who happened to overhear it, said, 'I will remember that.' In other words, the 'Full Moon Poem' is likely a production choice intended to serve as a return poem to Murasaki Shikibu.