The German Fürstenlob (Praise of Princes) and the Japanese Jidaifudō utaawase were both written in the 13th century, with the idea of pitting poets from different eras against each other in a poetry contest. On the Japanese side, the author was Retired Emperor Gotoba, who was exiled to the Islands of Oki after the Jōkyū Rebellion, while the author on the German side is unknown. Other works based on the same concept can be found in Japan, but are unknown in Germany. For this reason, German Studies research lacks inspiration. We have therefore attempted to provide an overview of the conditions under which the anthology Jidaifudō utaawase was written and the conditions that may have motivated the Emperor to compose it, and to examine the similarities and differences in the circumstances under which the Fürstenlob was written. The phenomenon that the text changes in the process of manuscript transmission can be observed in both cultures, have led us to present some research results from Japanese literary studies that can serve as a reference point for the study of German literature.
龍男 寺田 (Fri,) studied this question.