“The Samurai of the Red Carnation” transports us back to A.D. 1177, the final year of the Heian period in Japan. It’s “a time of unprecedented cultural refinement and sophistication,” where poetry is considered the noblest of the arts.
Matsuo is the only son of Yoshitsuna no Morito, the regional commander, who never tires of reminding Matsuo that he comes from a long line of bushi (“warriors” in Japanese). Matsuo’s gentle and sweet mother encourages Matsuo’s great interest in poetry, particularly in tankas. Tankas (“short songs”) are short, unrhymed Japanese poems composed of 31 syllables. They were used as a means of communication between members of the Japanese court, often between lovers.
