Before winter’s rough seas make ferry crossings a gamble, I board a vessel at Shichirui Port in Shimane Prefecture, headed for Nakanoshima in the distant Oki Islands.

It’s not my first exploration of the islands, which offer some of the most spectacular scenery in Japan, but, this time, I’m seeking a deeper understanding of waka written by Japan’s 82nd emperor, Go-Toba (1180-1239).

During the last 19 years of his life, while he was in exile on Nakanoshima, Go-Toba not only continued his role as editor of the Shin Kokinshu, a collection he conceived of and which was destined to become one of Japan’s most revered collections of waka, but he also wrote poems that give us insight into his character and circumstances.