This paper will present conclusions from research investigating the early mediaeval poetry competition, Roppyakuban uta’awase (‘Poetry Contest in 600 Rounds’, 1193-94) and the conflicting critical attitudes to material of Chinese origin expressed by the judge, Fujiwara no Shunzei (1114-1204), and one of the participants, the monk Kenshō (1130?-1209?), who composed an extensive Chinjō (‘Appeal’) against Shunzei’s criticisms of his work.

The two poets disagree over: the use of Chinese vocabulary in waka composition; intertextual references to kanshi (Chinese poems); and the significance of intertextual references to other Chinese literary-historical sources. An analysis of their statements reveals that their attitudes are both complex and, at times, contradictory, depending on the context and usage to which the Sinitic material is being put.

Co-convenors Juliana Buriticá Alzate, Jenny Guest, Hugh Whittaker