Ōtomo Tabito

(665 - 731)

Descended from a family known for its military achievements, Ōtomo Tabito in the late 720s became commander of the city of Dazaifu on the island of present-day Kyushu, Japan, where, along with fellow poet Yamanoue no Okura, he incorporated Chinese subjects and forms into Japanese verse. In the eighth-century poetry anthology Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves, most likely compiled by Tabito’s son, there are thirteen verses by Tabito in praise of sake, directly following Okura’s more sober celebration of children as “treasures beyond price.”