〇後鳥羽上皇と和歌
鎌倉時代、承久の乱で幕府に敗れ、後鳥羽上皇が中ノ島（現在の海士町）へご配流となった際、航海中に詠まれたとされるのが、この歌です。
「我こそは 新島守よ 隠岐の海の 荒き波風 心して吹け」
現代語訳では、「私こそ、この島の新たな守護者である。日本海の荒々しい波や風も、そのことを心得て吹くがよい」という意味とされ、隠岐へ向かわれる際の、後鳥羽上皇の強いご覚悟が感じられる名歌として知られています。
後鳥羽上皇は優れた歌人としても名高く、隠岐での暮らしの中でも数多くの和歌を残されました。
隠岐神社は、後鳥羽上皇をご祭神としてお祀りする神社です。現在でも全国から多くの歌人や和歌愛好家が参拝に訪れ、後鳥羽上皇ゆかりの地として親しまれています。
Emperor Go-Toba and Waka Poetry
During the Jōkyū War in the Kamakura period, Emperor Go-Toba was defeated by the shogunate and exiled to Nakanoshima, present-day Ama Town. It is said that he composed the following waka poem during his voyage into exile:
“Ware koso wa
Niijimamori yo
Oki no umi no
Araki namikaze
Kokoro shite fuke”
In modern English, the poem can be interpreted as:
“I myself am the new guardian of this island.
Let even the fierce winds and waves of the Sea of Japan blow with this in mind.”
The poem is widely known as a powerful expression of Emperor Go-Toba’s determination and resolve as he journeyed toward the Oki Islands.
Emperor Go-Toba was also renowned as an exceptional waka poet, and he composed many poems during his years of life in exile on Oki.
Oki Shrine is a shrine dedicated to Emperor Go-Toba as its enshrined deity. Even today, many poets and admirers of waka poetry visit from across Japan, and the shrine remains cherished as a place deeply connected to his legacy.