Editing Utamakura (section)

==History==

The history of {{transliteration|ja|utamakura}} is found in documents on the study of poetry such as the {{transliteration|ja|Utamakura}} ''of [[Noin]]'', by the poet and monk of the late Heian period, and lists of places in the {{transliteration|ja|Utamakura Nayose}} (Utamakura reference book).

{{transliteration|ja|Utamakura}} were first used by traveling priests.{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}} They collected stories from the towns they traveled to. Since they saw many places, it was easier to remember the details of a story by using a single, consistent reference point for each recurring event in their tales. Over time, the people across the Japan came to identify {{transliteration|ja|utamakura}} place names by the psychological feelings associated with the references made by the wandering priests.

After {{transliteration|ja|utamakura}} place names and people had become well established, eager {{transliteration|ja|waka}} poets went sightseeing to the sites of {{transliteration|ja|utamakura}}. Beyond becoming familiar with the scenery of the poems, entering the locale of a poem or story deepened one's understanding of it.

{{transliteration|ja|Utamakura}} was also used in {{transliteration|ja|[[renga]]}}, a form of Japanese [[collaborative poetry]] that is the ancestor of {{transliteration|ja|[[renku]]}} and [[haiku]] poetry.