What Does the Name Kisen Mean?
As with many Japanese names, Kisen's meaning depends on which kanji characters are used to write it, with common choices evoking brightness or radiance. Outside Japan it remains an unusual, distinctive name.
The Origin & History of Kisen
Kisen Hōshi was an early Heian-period Buddhist monk and poet who lived on Mount Uji, near Kyoto. He was named by the poet-critic Ki no Tsurayuki as one of the Rokkasen -- the six poets singled out as masters of waka verse in the prefaces to the influential 10th-century anthology Kokin Wakashū -- alongside figures like Ono no Komachi and Ariwara no Narihira.
Cultural Reach
Only one of Kisen's poems survives in the Kokin Wakashū, describing the hills of Uji, yet his inclusion among the Rokkasen has kept his name recognized in Japanese literary history for over a thousand years, commemorated in art and museum collections depicting the six poets.
Personality & Associations
Kisen carries a quiet, contemplative character -- a name tied to solitude, nature, and poetry rather than action or rank, fitting for a monk who wrote spare, landscape-focused verse.
Notable Namesakes
Kisen Hōshi, the early Heian-period monk-poet counted among the Rokkasen, the "Six Poetry Immortals" of the Kokin Wakashū.
Popularity as a Given Name
Kisen is brand new to US Social Security data -- 31 boys were recorded in 2024, with none reported the year before.