Fujiwara no Morosuke

Fujiwara no Morosuke
藤原師輔
Illustration by Kikuchi Yōsai, from Zenken Kojitsu
Born January 11, 909
Died May 31, 960
Family Fujiwara Hokke
Father Fujiwara no Tadahira

Fujiwara no Morosuke (藤原 師輔, January 11, 909 – May 31, 960), also known as Kujō-dono or Bōjō-udaijin, was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the middle Heian period.[1] Considered a learned scholar and well-versed in the customs of the court, he supported the court's government as udaijin during the reign of Emperor Murakami. Morosuke's eldest daughter Fujiwara no Anshi, empress consort to Emperor Murakami, gave birth to two princes who later became Emperor Reizei and Emperor En'yū, putting Morosuke's lineage in an advantageous position as the maternal relatives of the Emperor.

Life

Morosuke was born the second son of Fujiwara no Tadahira, who controlled the government for many years as sekkan (regent) and daijō-daijin. Around 930 he had an affair with a daughter of Emperor Daigo, Princess Kinshi, and was later permitted to marry her. This was the first time a non-imperial Japanese retainer married an imperial princess — in previous cases where retainers married the daughters of emperors, those daughters had first been divested of their imperial status. From 931 to 947 he was steadily promoted, passing through the position of sangi and attaining the post of provisional chūnagon.

When Taira no Masakado launched his rebellion, Fujiwara no Tadabumi was appointed as great general in charge of subduing the east (征東大将軍), but the rebellion was put down before he could join battle. The court debated Tadabumi's honors, and Morosuke's older brother Saneyori argued that as Tadabumi had not done anything, he should not be granted any prize. Morosuke argued that as Tadabumi had accepted his orders and set out from the capital, he should still be rewarded. Saneyori stuck to his own position, but public opinion favored Morosuke.

After this Morosuke was promoted to dainagon, made a general in the imperial guard (右近衛大将), and bestowed the junior second rank (従二位).

In 947, Emperor Suzaku abdicated, and Emperor Murakami ascended to the throne. As Saneyori was promoted to sadaijin, Morosuke filled his old position as udaijin and was granted the senior second rank (正二位).[2] Promotion naturally favored the eldest son and family heir, but Morosuke was considered excellent enough to cause problems for his older brother in spite of this: Morosuke held more real power than even Saneyori. Morosuke had married his eldest daughter Anshi to Murakami while he was still the crown prince. With his enthronement she became a court lady and assisted the emperor often, and when she bore him the future Emperor Reizei Anshi was made chūgū. As the maternal grandfather of the crown prince, Morosuke and his cohorts were able to lead the court by Murakami's side for about ten years.

After the death of his wife Princess Kinshi, Morosuke married Princess Gashi, and when she died Princess Yasuko, all of whom were daughters of Emperor Daigo, thus further deepening his ties with the imperial line. Because he had affairs with and then married three different imperial princesses, Morosuke may have been the model for a character in the Utsubo Monogatari, the ultimate lecher, Fujiwara no Kanemasa.[3]

In 960 Morosuke was laid out by illness, and according to the customs of the day attempted to cut his hair and take the tonsure, but Emperor Murakami sent a messenger to dissuade him.[4] Even so, his sickness worsened, and on May 29 he cut off his hair, only to die two days later on May 31, 960, at the age of 53.

Morosuke never held the position of sekkan in his life, but the successive reigns of his grandchildren Emperor Reizei and Emperor En'yū after Murakami's death put his family in an outstanding position as the emperor's maternal relatives. His eldest son Koretada briefly held power as sekkan, and his other sons Kanemichi, Kaneie, Tamemitsu, and Kinsue also all attained the position of daijō-daijin. In Morosuke's children's generation, his descendants were the legitimate line of the Fujiwara regent family.

Personality and works

Morosuke and his older brother Saneyori, both educated by Fujiwara no Tadahira, each formed their own school of the practices and traditions of the court. Morosuke formed the Kujō-ryū (九条流), and Saneyori the Ononomiya-ryū (小野宮流), which were passed down to their respective descendants. Morosuke recorded the practives of his school in a book called the Kujō Nenchū-gyōji (九条年中行事). He was friends with Minamoto no Takaakira, who was also versed in the ways of the court, and to whom he married his third and fifth daughters. The talented Takaakira flourished with Morosuke's support.

Morosuke was also an excellent poet, leaving behind a collection of his works simply called Morosuke-shū (師輔集). In 956 he held a party in his garden, and the Ōkagami contains an anecdote about his visit to Ki no Tsurayuki to request that the latter write a poem for him. Thirty-six of Morosuke's poems are included in the Gosen Wakashū.

His personal diary Kyūreki (九暦) and the dying instructions he left for his descendants, Kujō-dono Ikai (九条殿遺誡), are also preserved.

Genealogy

  • Father: Fujiwara no Tadahira
  • Mother: Minamoto no Shōshi (源昭子), daughter of Minamoto Yoshiari
  • Wife: Fujiwara no Seishi (藤原盛子, ?–943), daughter of Fujiwara no Tsunekuni (藤原経邦)
  • Wife: daughter of Fujiwara no Akitada (藤原顕忠)
    • Fourth son: Fujiwara no Tōkazu (藤原遠量)
    • Seventh son: Fujiwara no Tōmoto (藤原遠基)
  • Wife: daughter of Fujiwara no Kimikazu (藤原公葛)
    • Sixth son: Fujiwara no Tōtabi (藤原遠度, ?-989)
  • Wife: Imperial Princess Kinshi (勤子内親王, 904-938), daughter of Emperor Daigo
  • Wife: Imperial Princess Gashi (雅子内親王, 910-954), daughter of Emperor Daigo, Saiō of Ise Shrine
    • Eighth son: Fujiwara no Takamitsu (939-994)
    • Ninth son: Fujiwara no Tamemitsu (藤原為光, 942-992)
    • Tenth son: Jinzen (尋禅, 943-990), Tendai school Buddhist monk
    • Fifth daughter: Aimiya (愛宮), wife of Minamoto no Takaakira
  • Wife: Imperial Princess Koushi (康子内親王, 919-957), daughter of Emperor Daigo
  • Other children:
    • Daughter: Fujiwara no Hanshi (藤原繁子), wetnurse to Emperor Ichijō, mistress of Fujiwara no Michikane, wife of Taira no Korenaka (平惟仲)
    • Daughter: Minamoto no Shigenobu (源重信)

Morosuke managed to marry his daughters to Emperor Murakami; the sons of his daughter Empress Anshi/Yasuko became Emperor Reizei and Emperor En'yū. The reigns of Reizei and En'yū are remarkable for quarrels among the members of the Fujiwara family.[5] Koretada's daughter gave birth to Prince Morosada, who afterwards reigned as Emperor Kazan[5] Kaneie's daughter was the mother of Okisada, who became Emperor Sanjo[5]

Notes

  1. ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Nakahira" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 206, p. 206, at Google Books; Brinkley, Frank et al. (1915). A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era, p. 203., p. 203, at Google Books
  2. ↑ Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, p. 139., p. 139, at Google Books; see "Fousiwara-no Moto souki", pre-Hepburn romanization
  3. ↑ Yamaguchi, Hiroshi (1967). "藤原師輔論" [On Fujiwara Morosuke]. 王朝歌壇の研究　村上・冷泉・円融朝篇 [Research on the Poetry Circles of the Court: The Reigns of Murakami, Reizei, and En'yū] (in Japanese). 桜楓社.
  4. ↑ "天徳4年5月2日条" [Tentoku Year 4, Month 5, Day 2]. 扶桑略記 [Fusō Ryakuki].
  5. 1 2 3 Brinkley, p. 259., p. 259, at Google Books

References

  • Brinkley, Frank and Dairoku Kikuchi. (1915). A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era. New York: Encyclopædia Britannica. OCLC 413099
  • Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128
  • Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Odai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691
  1. 1 2 3 Brinkley, Frank and Dairoku Kikuchi. (1915). A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era. New York: Encyclopædia Britannica. OCLC 413099
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kanai, Madoka; Nitta, Hideharu; Yamagiwa, Joseph Koshimi (1966). A topical history of Japan. Sub-Committee on Far Eastern Language Instruction of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation. p. 6.
  3. 1 2 Brown, Delmer M. (1988). The Cambridge History of Japan: Volume 1. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521223522.
  4. 1 2 平城宮兵部省跡. 奈良文化財研究所. 2005. p. 168.
  5. ↑ Yoshikawa, Toshiko (2006). 仲麻呂政権と藤原永手・八束（真楯）・千尋（御楯）. Hanawa Shobō (塙書房). ISBN 978-4-8273-1201-0.
  6. ↑ Tyler, Royall (1993). The Book of the Great Practice": The Life of the Mt. Fuji Ascetic Kakugyō Tōbutsu Kū (PDF). Asian Folklore Studies. p. 324.
  7. ↑ Yoneda, Yūsuke (2002). 藤原摂関家の誕生. 吉川弘文館. p. 139.
  8. ↑ Nakagawa, Osamu (1991). "藤原良継の変" [The Rise of Fujiwara no Yoshitsugu]. 奈良朝政治史の研究 [Political History of the Nara Period] (in Japanese). Takashina Shoten (高科書店).
  9. ↑ Kimoto, Yoshinobu (1998). 藤原式家官人の考察. 高科書店. p. 47. ISBN 978-4-87294-923-0.
  10. ↑ Takemitsu, Makoto (2013). 日本史の影の主役藤原氏の正体: 鎌足から続く1400年の歴史. PHP研究所. p. 103. ISBN 978-4569761046.
  11. ↑ http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~sg2h-ymst/hamanari.html
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). In Japan Encyclopedia at Google Books; Brinkley, Frank et al. (1915).
  13. ↑ Kimoto, Yoshinobu (2004). "『牛屋大臣』藤原是公について" [On "Ushiya-Daijin" Fujiwara no Korekimi]. 奈良時代の藤原氏と諸氏族 [The Fujiwara Clan and Other Clans of the Nara Period] (in Japanese). Ohfu.
  14. ↑ Kurihara, Hiromu. 藤原内麿家族について [The Family of Fujiwara no Uchimaro]. Japanese History (日本歴史) (in Japanese) (511).
  15. ↑ Kurihara, Hiromu (2008). "藤原冬嗣家族について" [Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu's Family]. 平安前期の家族と親族 [Family and Relatives During the Early Heian Period] (in Japanese). Azekura Shobo (校倉書房). ISBN 978-4-7517-3940-2.
  16. 1 2 公卿補任 [Kugyō Bunin] (in Japanese). Yoshikawa Kōbunkan (吉川弘文館). 1982.
  17. ↑ Kitayama, Shigeo (1973). 日本の歴史4 平安京 [History of Japan IV: Heian-kyō] (in Japanese). Chūkō Bunko (中公文庫). p. 242.
  18. ↑ 日本古代氏族人名辞典（普及版） [Dictionary of Names from Ancient Japanese Clans (Trade Version)] (in Japanese). Yoshikawa Kōbunkan (吉川弘文館). 2010. ISBN 978-4-642-01458-8.
  19. 1 2 Nobuyoshi, Yamamoto (2003). 摂関政治史論考 (in Japanese). Yoshikawa Kōbunkan (吉川弘文館). ISBN 978-4-642-02394-8.
  20. ↑ Haruo, Sasayama (2003). "藤原兼通の政権獲得過程". 日本律令制の展開 (in Japanese). Yoshikawa Kōbunkan (吉川弘文館). ISBN 978-4-642-02393-1.
  21. ↑ Frederic, Louis (2002). "Japan Encyclopedia." Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
  22. 1 2 Papinot, Edmond (1910). Historical and geographical dictionary of Japan. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha.
  23. ↑ Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). Gukanshō: The Future and the Past. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-03460-0; OCLC 251325323
  24. ↑ Varley, Paul (2000). Japanese Culture. Fourth Edition. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai'i Press.
  25. ↑ Uejima, Susumu (2010). "日本中世社会の形成と王権". 中世庄園制の形成過程―〈立庄〉再考 (in Japanese). The University of Nagoya Press. ISBN 978-4-8158-0635-4.
  26. ↑ Owada, Tetsuo (2003). 日本史諸家系図人名辞典 (in Japanese). Kodansha. ISBN 978-4062115780.
  27. ↑ "卷之一百四十二　列傳第六十九". 大日本史 (in Japanese). 1715.
  28. ↑ Kimoto, Yoshinobu (2000). "後二条師通記と藤原師通". 平安朝官人と記録の研究―日記逸文にあらわれたる平安公卿の世界 (in Japanese). ISBN 978-4273031565.
  29. ↑ Araki, Hiroshi (2009). "中世の皇統迭立と文学形成 1院政期から中世への視界 坂上の宝剣と壺切―談話録に見る皇統・儀礼の古代と中世―". 皇統迭立と文学形成 (in Japanese). ISBN 978-4-7576-0513-8.
  30. 1 2 Sansom, George (1958). A history of Japan to 1334. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0804705232.
  31. ↑ "The World Turned Upside Down" translated by Kathe Roth, p. 27
  32. ↑ Yamada, Akiko (2010). 中世前期女性院宮の研究 (in Japanese). ISBN 978-4784214969.
  33. 1 2 Natanabe, Naohiko (1994). 古代史論叢 (in Japanese). ISBN 978-4797106558.
  34. 1 2 "藤原北家．近衛". 尊卑分脈 (in Japanese). Yoshikawa Kōbunkan (吉川弘文館). 1904. p. 57.
  35. 1 2 "藤原北家．九条". 尊卑分脈 (in Japanese). Yoshikawa Kōbunkan (吉川弘文館). 1904. p. 77.
  36. ↑ "藤原北家．近衛". 尊卑分脈 (in Japanese). Yoshikawa Kōbunkan (吉川弘文館). 1904. p. 65.
  37. ↑ Jinson. 大乗院日記目録.
  38. ↑ "藤原北家．九条". 尊卑分脈 (in Japanese). Yoshikawa Kōbunkan (吉川弘文館). 1904. p. 80.
  39. ↑ ネケト. 二条家（摂家） (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2004-08-15. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
  40. ↑ ネケト. 一条家（摂家） (in Japanese). Retrieved 2007-08-18.
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