Toki Yoritoshi

Who was Toki Yoritoshi?

Toki Yoritoshi was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period. He served in a variety of positions in the Tokugawa shogunate, including Kyoto Shoshidai and rōjū.

At some point, there was a devastating fire in Heian-kyō while Toki Tango-no-kami held the office of Kyoto shoshidai. Shortly afterwards, a clever poem which included a play on the shoshidai's name was widely circulated:

⁕A conventional English translation: "Such is the time at present: a fire broke out in the fifth night of the fifth month. When the news shall have reached Edo, there will be numberless applicants who will harass you without ceasing."

⁕A more literal English translation:

The 18th century poet was Kazehaya Yoshizane, who puns "Tango", one of the five main festivals of the year, with the daimyo's toponym, "Tango". Poetry of this sort was an element of popular culture in this period. Witty and timely word play which somehow married puns on a personal name with a current event became fashionable. It could engender broad public approval, and occasionally such poetry might even receive approbation from the emperor.