ABSTRACT
The Paulownia Brazier dates from the late Kamakura or early Muromachi period. In their Japanese Court Poetry, Robert H. Brower and Earl Miner
(1961:338) term this period 'the Late Classical Period (1241-1350)'. In terms of historical developments, this 'last great age of Japanese Court poetry' was characterized by the breakdown of political institutions as the military government at Kamakura neared the end of its rule, the chaos of civil war in the following period, and the threat of Mongol invasions of 1274 and 1281. Where developments in poetry are concerned, one of the most relevant features is the rivalry among dissident family groups that descended from the great poet Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241).2
