Takabatake Shikibu (高畠式部)
Shikibu TAKABATAKE (1785 to May 28, 1881) was a female poet from the late shogunate period of Japan to the early Meiji era. Her real name was Tomi. Shikibu was a pen name.
She was born in a merchant family in Matsusaka of Ise-no-kuni Province.
She learnt poetry of the Keien house from Kageki KAGAWA, and was apprenticed under Arikoto CHIGUSA after Kageki passed away. Besides Japanese poetry, she also studied paintings and writings, sculpture, lute, Shinto flute, tea ceremony, and so on.
Among her poem collections were "Mugi no Yashu" (Poems of Wheat House), "Shikibu Rengetsu Nijo Wakashu" (Japanese poem collection by the two ladies: Shikibu and Rengetsu), etc.
Her grave is the Choraku-ji Temple (Ji-shu Sect) of Odai-san Mountain, located in 636 Maruyama-cho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City.