Emperor Fushimi and his consort Empress Eifukumon'in were central figures of the innovative Kygoku school of poetry, which flourished from the late thirteenth to mid fourteenth centuries. Emperor Fushimi was a talented, prolific poet and the patron of the controversial Kygoku Tamekane, whose poetic style employed innovative technique while retaining the sense of elegance found in more traditional poetry. Eifukumon'in's style is best represented in her seasonal poetry, which captures subtle moments of change in nature and reveals a sense of beauty in transience. Together Fushimi and Eifukumon'in helped establish and sustain the Kygoku style over a period of roughly sixty years.

Fushimi, son of Emperor Go-Fukakusa, eventually served as the ninety-second emperor of Japan. However, he was born at a time when the direction of the imperial line of succession was contested among the descendants of Go-Saga. Retired Emperor Go-Fukakusa, although Go-Saga's original heir, had been forced...