Intersections in Early Irish and Japanese Nature Poetry: Seasons and Place Names

This article examines similar poetic conventions in Early Irish and Japanese nature poetry. The first section focuses on associations of the seasons, often used in both literatures to explore cycles of rulership, rituals both societal and personal, and phases in human experiences. The second section examines the use of dindṡenchas in Early Irish lyrics and a comparable device, the utamakura, in Japanese poetry. Dindṡenchas and utamakura add historical and literary depth to nature poetry.