Sena (宣阿)

Sena (1647 - November 6, 1735) was a waka poet during the mid Edo period. His father was Masanori KAGAWA, the chief retainer of the Kikkawa clan, a feudal lord of Iwakuni-ryo (later the Iwakuni Domain), Suo Province. His elder brother was Masatsune KAGAWA (香川正経). His real name was Kagetsugu KAGAWA. He was commonly known as Sanjuro, Kichisuke (吉助), or 木工允. His pen names were Rinzen (隣善), Isshiken (一枝軒), Enryu (淵龍), and Baigetsudo (梅月堂).

Sena was born as the second son of Masanori KAGAWA, the chief retainer of the Kikkawa clan, and went to Kyoto in 1673. He started as a Confucian scholar, but after he entered into the priesthood in 1687 he turned into a waka poet and studied under Sanenari SHIMIZUDANI of the Nijo school of poetry (Sanjonishi family). As the Nijo school jige (lower class nobles) master of waka poetry, he established Baigetsudo school of waka. His waka poetry is deeply related to the literature history of the Jishu school. His personal collection of poetry is 'Suiun shu' (水雲集).

Sena and Intoku-taiheiki (old chronicle)
Although Sena is famous as the author of 'Intoku-taiheiki,' its original 'Intoku-ki' (the war chronicle of the Sengoku Period in the Chugoku region) was written by Sena's father Masanori KAGAWA. In 1660, Masanori died before completing the book. To carry out the intention of his deceased father, Kagetsugu went to Kyoto to study and continued to write the book. In 1665, his elder brother Masatsune (正経) asked Sakon UTSUNOMIYA (宇都宮三近), a Confucian scholar from Iwakuni to write 'Intoku-ki no jo' (preface of the Intoku-ki). In 1695, Kagetsugu wrote 'Intoku-ki jijo' (preface of the Intoku-ki) and it is estimated that he completed 'Intoku-taiheiki' around that time.

In 1698, the book was submitted for censorship by the Iwakuni Domain that issued permission for publication in 1706; the book was finally published in 1717.

A long-cherished ambition of two generations of the Kagawa family was realized 60 years after the death of Masanori, the father.

[Original Japanese]