--- product_id: 3929792 title: "One Hundred Leaves: A new annotated translation of the Hyakunin Isshu" price: "19335CFA" currency: XOF in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/3929792-one-hundred-leaves-a-new-annotated-translation-of-the-hyakunin store_origin: SN region: Senegal --- # One Hundred Leaves: A new annotated translation of the Hyakunin Isshu **Price:** 19335CFA **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** One Hundred Leaves: A new annotated translation of the Hyakunin Isshu - **How much does it cost?** 19335CFA with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/3929792-one-hundred-leaves-a-new-annotated-translation-of-the-hyakunin) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The Hyakunin Isshu is a poetry anthology beloved by generations of Japanese since it was compiled in the 13th century. Many Japanese know the poems by heart as a result of playing the popular card game version of the anthology, called karuta . Collecting one poem each from one hundred poets living from the 7th century to the 13th century, the book covers a wide array of themes and personal styles, from love poetry to nature poetry to the poetry of absence and longing. Along with Basho's haiku , Saigyo's waka , the Kokinshu ( Kokin Waka Shu ), The Tale of Genji , The Tale of Ise , The Tale of Heike , the Manyoshu , and The Kojiki ,this is among the great classics in Japanese poetry and literature. One Hundred Leaves is a translation complete with extensive notes, the original Japanese in calligraphic font, the pronunciation, and side-by-side art work beautifully illustrating each poem's theme. This poetry anthology contains some of the most famous poets of classical Japanese poetry, including ladies of the Heian court, Ono no Komachi, Izumi Shikibu, Murasaki Shikibu (author of The Tale of Genji ), and Sei Shonagon (author of The Pillow Book ). Other great poets of Japanese literature within this poetry collection include the compilers of the Kokinshu ( Kokin Wakashu ), Ki no Tsurayuki, Oshikochi no Mitsune, Mibu no Tadamine, and Ki no Tomonori, and a variety of other classical poets, such as Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, Ariwara no Narihira, Monk Henjo, and Fujiwara no Okikaze. This paperback is in black-and-white; for a color version, please look at the Kindle version or the color paperback. Review: Watson's Hyakunin Isshu: a superior translation worth comparing to Porter's earlier offering - Frank Watson's "One Hundred Leaves: A New Annotated Translation of the Hyakunin Isshu" offers both the Japan specialist and the general lover of poetry a most attractive and lyrical introduction to the famed 13th century anthology that gathered together one poem each from one hundred of Japan's most acclaimed poets of the preceding seven centuries. Per strict Japanese poetic conventions, each poem had 31 syllables of five lines arranged in a sequence of five, seven, five, seven, and seven syllables. Although the composition of the more modern "haiku" has gained greater popularity, the 31-syllable verse is still considered the finest flowering ever of Japanese poetry. Indeed, the Japanese terms for this poetic form are both "tanka" (meaning a short-form poem in contrast to the longer form earlier adopted from China) and "waka" (meaning "our native poetry"). To best appreciate the strengths and shortcomings of Watson's treatment of the "Hyakunin Isshu" a comparison with William Porter's much earlier translation of the same anthology is worthwhile. Take, for example, poem #47. Watson has translated the Monk Egyo's verse as follows: "The vines and weeds Entangle this cottage Alone And no one saw The coming autumn" Porter's translation is: "My little temple stands alone, No other hut is near; No one will pass to stop and praise Its vine-grown roof, I fear, Now that autumn's here." Both translations assume that the reader will recognize the embedded symbolism of a decrepit, deserted country house in autumn as a trope for loneliness, especially that caused by the departure of a lover or close friend. Watson's literal notes at the foot of the page do make that clearer, while Porter does not provide such context for the English-language reader. On the other hand, the simple ink illustration provided by Porter appropriately shows a lone monk standing outside his country hut, while Watson has employed a more complex Edo period (1600-1868) woodblock print. At the top of the woodblock print is the text of poem #47, but the illustration is less evocative of the poem's mood as it shows a man, likely a samurai in indoor dress, with two geisha or serving girls within a town inn. Review: Wonderfully translated and delightfully presented.... - I came across this book serendipitously and purchased it deliberately as I enjoy the modern translations of an ancient culture's poetry. I was not disappointed in Blue Flute's work. He displays a scholarship that is both impressive and humble. The poems are presented gently and with enough supporting detail to benefit the scholar but not so heavy as to be mind-numbing. The accompanying artwork enhances the poetry and the single-page-per-poem make each turn of the page a delight. A word of warning: this is not a text to speed through and go "Ah, ha!" on each page. The poems are multi-layered and subject to new interpretations on subsequent readings. It only gets better over time. This is truly a book to read, put away, and return to again. Quite delightful. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,759,893 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #481 in Haiku & Japanese Poetry | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 204 Reviews | ## Images ![One Hundred Leaves: A new annotated translation of the Hyakunin Isshu - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71txEz+52xL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Watson's Hyakunin Isshu: a superior translation worth comparing to Porter's earlier offering *by M***D on May 23, 2016* Frank Watson's "One Hundred Leaves: A New Annotated Translation of the Hyakunin Isshu" offers both the Japan specialist and the general lover of poetry a most attractive and lyrical introduction to the famed 13th century anthology that gathered together one poem each from one hundred of Japan's most acclaimed poets of the preceding seven centuries. Per strict Japanese poetic conventions, each poem had 31 syllables of five lines arranged in a sequence of five, seven, five, seven, and seven syllables. Although the composition of the more modern "haiku" has gained greater popularity, the 31-syllable verse is still considered the finest flowering ever of Japanese poetry. Indeed, the Japanese terms for this poetic form are both "tanka" (meaning a short-form poem in contrast to the longer form earlier adopted from China) and "waka" (meaning "our native poetry"). To best appreciate the strengths and shortcomings of Watson's treatment of the "Hyakunin Isshu" a comparison with William Porter's much earlier translation of the same anthology is worthwhile. Take, for example, poem #47. Watson has translated the Monk Egyo's verse as follows: "The vines and weeds Entangle this cottage Alone And no one saw The coming autumn" Porter's translation is: "My little temple stands alone, No other hut is near; No one will pass to stop and praise Its vine-grown roof, I fear, Now that autumn's here." Both translations assume that the reader will recognize the embedded symbolism of a decrepit, deserted country house in autumn as a trope for loneliness, especially that caused by the departure of a lover or close friend. Watson's literal notes at the foot of the page do make that clearer, while Porter does not provide such context for the English-language reader. On the other hand, the simple ink illustration provided by Porter appropriately shows a lone monk standing outside his country hut, while Watson has employed a more complex Edo period (1600-1868) woodblock print. At the top of the woodblock print is the text of poem #47, but the illustration is less evocative of the poem's mood as it shows a man, likely a samurai in indoor dress, with two geisha or serving girls within a town inn. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wonderfully translated and delightfully presented.... *by D***R on May 24, 2012* I came across this book serendipitously and purchased it deliberately as I enjoy the modern translations of an ancient culture's poetry. I was not disappointed in Blue Flute's work. He displays a scholarship that is both impressive and humble. The poems are presented gently and with enough supporting detail to benefit the scholar but not so heavy as to be mind-numbing. The accompanying artwork enhances the poetry and the single-page-per-poem make each turn of the page a delight. A word of warning: this is not a text to speed through and go "Ah, ha!" on each page. The poems are multi-layered and subject to new interpretations on subsequent readings. It only gets better over time. This is truly a book to read, put away, and return to again. Quite delightful. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great book! Very inspiring. *by A***E on July 1, 2014* I'm very glad I decided to purchase this book. I like the fact that every poem is accompanied by an illustration, I'm very happy with the overall translation of the poems and interpretations, and I really like the layout of each page (it's organized and easy to read). My only wish is that every single poem would have some sort of interpretation or explanation. I would say that a good amount of them do have it, however, the author skips a couple explanations here and there. In my opinion, it would be good to know a bit more about each single poem... And, if no information about the poem is available, it would be good to even have a little bit of information about the poet or anything of the kind. Regardless, I highly recommend this book. It's very nice. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sn/products/3929792-one-hundred-leaves-a-new-annotated-translation-of-the-hyakunin](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/3929792-one-hundred-leaves-a-new-annotated-translation-of-the-hyakunin) --- *Product available on Desertcart Senegal* *Store origin: SN* *Last updated: 2026-06-02*