An early Heian poet named among the Six Poetic Geniuses, though he held only minor offices. The Kokinshū records that when he was posted to Mikawa he invited Ono no Komachi to join him. Its preface judged his language skillful but his style ill-suited to its subjects. Only a handful of his poems survive in imperial anthologies. His Hyakunin Isshu verse on the autumn gale plays on the Chinese character for 'storm', which combines the signs for 'mountain' and 'wind'. He is said to be the father of Fun'ya no Asayasu.
吹くからに 秋の草木の しをるれば
むべ山風を 嵐といふらむ
Fuku kara ni aki no kusaki no shiorureba / mube yamakaze o arashi to iuran
The moment it blows, the autumn grasses and trees wither. No wonder the wind sweeping down from the mountain is called a 'storm' — the wild one.