Biographies · Vol. 129
Biographies LVI: Fujiwara-no-Fuyuo, Abe-no-Sadayuki, Ariwara-no-Yukihira, and Fujiwara-no-Yamakage
Machine-assisted draft translation, checked for readability. For the classical Chinese text and the modern Japanese translation, see this volume in Japanese.
Fujiwara-no-Fuyuo
¶Fujiwara-no-Fuyuo (Fuyuo) was a great-grandson of the Sangi, Counsellor, Maro. His father Tomotomo served as Governor of Bungo. (Note: the Sonpi Bunmyaku gives Tomotomo as Toyohiko, and the Ichidai Yōki gives him as Toyonaka.) In the Jōwa era (834–848) Fuyuo became Kageyu-hangan, Judge of the Board of Audit, was appointed Shikibu-no-taijō, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Ceremonial, and was made Kurōdo, Chamberlain. (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin.) In the fourteenth year of Jōwa (847) he was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower and became Ushōben, Junior Controller of the Right. In the Kashō era (848–851) he served successively as Ise-no-suke, Assistant Governor of Ise, and Tōgū-no-suke, Assistant Master of the Crown Prince's Household. In the Ninju and Saikō eras (851–857) he rose to Sashōben, Junior Controller of the Left, of Junior Fifth Rank Upper, and became Governor of Higo. (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku.) At the beginning of Jōgan (859) he entered the court as Uchūben, Middle Controller of the Right. When the emperor first read the Classic of Filial Piety, Fuyuo attended him together with Ōe-no-Otondo. In that year he was raised to Junior Fourth Rank Lower. Soon afterwards he became Dazai-no-daini, Senior Assistant Governor-General of Dazaifu, and served successively as Danjō-no-taifu, Senior Assistant Director of the Board of Censors, and Udaiben, Senior Controller of the Right, concurrently holding the posts of Kageyu-chōkan, Chief of the Board of Audit, and Mino-no-gon-no-kami, Provisional Governor of Mino. In the eleventh year of Jōgan (869) he again became Dazai-no-daini and was appointed Sangi, Counsellor. In the twelfth year of Jōgan (870) he submitted a memorial setting out four matters. The first said: "In all military preparations, signal fires are of especial importance. Yet for several decades the realm has had no preparations for vigilance. Even where the preparations exist, no one knows how to operate them. Now the provinces and islands within the jurisdiction should be ordered to light the signal fires as a trial, so that each station may communicate with the next and be ready for the unforeseen. However, unless the reason is announced, there is a danger that the hearts of the people will be startled and unsettled. I request that the reason be proclaimed first, and that training then be carried out according to the regulations." The second said: "In recent years, public and private persons have been going far afield, by land and by sea, in search of fine horses, and the number of horses leaving through the barriers reaches some one thousand or more. In preparing for emergencies, horses are the most essential thing. Yet unscrupulous persons buy them up and carry them off every year. If horses run out, what will be done in an extraordinary crisis? If we try to forbid this now, it will only bring reproach. I request that a proclamation be issued to the two provinces of Buzen and Nagato prohibiting the export of horses from the country for four years." The third said: "The miscellaneous rice paid in from the provinces is delivered to the various offices and places according to its proper purpose. Yet some offices use it all up, while others leave much of it unpaid, so that public needs fall short. Even for expenses with fixed deadlines there is nothing to draw upon. How much more should tribute rice (yōmai) and miscellaneous rice be deposited entirely in the tax storehouse, and not be used carelessly except by edict of the court!" The fourth said: "As for the goods obtained by exchange from the land rents of the Kokurain, Granary Office, in recent years one official of the rank of kan has been given sole charge of this business, conducting the exchange each year and sending up light goods. As a result this sole official receives the rice as the price at the beginning of the year, and afterwards the Dazaifu is asked to produce the receipts for it. The two sides excuse themselves and evade each other and refuse to clarify the matter, and in the end an official who knows nothing of the circumstances is burdened with the troublesome handling of it. If we consider the reason carefully, it is contrary to what is proper. The business of an office should in principle be carried out by its own chief, and even if a capable man is available, what obstacle would there be? To set up a dedicated official on purpose only makes the business more complicated. I request that this sole charge be abolished and that the Dazaifu conduct the exchange and the despatch of goods throughout." The emperor approved it. In the following year (871) he was raised to Senior Fourth Rank Lower. (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku.) Soon he was transferred to Minbu-kyō, Minister of Popular Affairs. In the seventeenth year of Jōgan (875) he concurrently became Iyo-no-gon-no-kami, Provisional Governor of Iyo. (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin.) When the emperor read the Records of the Grand Historian, an edict specially directed Fuyuo to attend at the session. In the following year (876) he was raised to Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku) and concurrently became Harima-no-gon-no-kami, Provisional Governor of Harima. (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin.) In the Genkei era (877–885) he repeatedly submitted memorials asking to retire from office, but this was not permitted. He was appointed Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor, and raised to Senior Third Rank. An edict directed him to oversee the two provinces of Kawachi and Izumi; while remaining far away in the capital he supervised their affairs and sent instructions to the provincial governors, who were to follow his decisions. After some years he was transferred to Dainagon, Major Counsellor. He submitted a memorial declining, but it was not permitted. Soon afterwards he concurrently became Danjō-no-in, Director of the Board of Censors. In the third year of Ninna (887) he repeatedly asked to retire, and stated in a memorial: "Your servant has long passed the age at which a man should retire, and my wish to return to my native place grows ever deeper. I knock at the palace gate and am not announced; I cry out to Heaven and am not heard. Your servant never had the virtue of a seasoned elder, yet I have presumptuously occupied a weighty office. In youth I fell short of others, and I am moved when I recall the words of Zhu Zhiwu; now in old age I grow ever more doddering, and I am still ashamed before the words of Zhao Meng. Flowing water does not turn back, and I only sigh in vain upon the riverbank; the arrow of the water-clock has already run out. How could I commit the offense of walking by night? I humbly consider that a stipend is what scholars covet, and a sage and enlightened age is something the times only rarely produce. With the remaining years of eighty, your servant has met the renewal of a reign that comes once in a thousand years. This is just the time to cherish these last days of my life and to picture the honor of the halls of learning. Like a weary horse unharnessed from its carriage, I wander for a while before the high pavilion; like the swallow that leaves its nest when the weather turns cool, I still linger beneath the broad palace. But the constraints of the months and days press upon me, and my vigor cannot keep pace with them; within my heart I am sundered as by mountains and rivers, and between hand and foot I am as far apart as Chu and Yue. Gazing up at the palace, I am cut off from the rites of attendance at court; looking toward the eastern hills, I feel my returning soul hasten. I reflect on myself with shame, and tremble with fear of eating a stipend without doing anything; knowing my station, I realize that I should return, and my mind is hurriedly occupied with the request to decline. I humbly pray that, bestowing your gracious favor and moved by my sincere wish, you will allow me to serve while still bearing the light of the setting sun, and to return and walk on to a plain life. Let me hand back honors beyond my share and end my days in simple dress. How could I compare myself with Shu Guang and Shu Shou, who hung up their caps at the gate of the capital and left honor to the Han court? I can only privately admire the old man who beat the earth in the fields and enjoyed his remaining years in the reign of Yao." By edict this was granted. (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku.) He died in the second year of Kanpyō (890), at the age of eighty-two. (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Ichidai Yōki. However, the ages given in this book are inconsistent before and after; the present text has been corrected on the basis of the account that he was born in the third year of Daidō, Tsuchinoe-Ne (808), and of the Ichidai Yōki's statement that he was seventy in the first year of Genkei.) His son Kanboku became Daigaku-no-suke, Assistant Director of the University. (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku.)
Abe-no-Sadayuki
¶Abe-no-Sadayuki (Sadayuki) was a son of the Dainagon, Major Counsellor, Yasuhito. (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku.) In the Ninju era (851–854) he became Uemon-no-gon-no-suke, Provisional Assistant Commander of the Right Gate Guards, and Kebiishi, Police Commissioner. In the Saikō and Tenan eras (854–859) he was transferred to Saemon-no-gon-no-suke, Provisional Assistant Commander of the Left Gate Guards, and became Governor of Yamato. (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku.) At the beginning of Jōgan (859) he was appointed Gyōbu-no-taifu, Senior Assistant Minister of Justice, and became Governor of Settsu. He left office to observe mourning for his mother, but was reinstated by edict. In the fourteenth year of Jōgan (872) he was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower and became Governor of Mutsu. When he took his leave on departing for his post, he was summoned up into the Imperial Hall and given wine, food, and robes. In the following year (873) he submitted this memorial: "The conferral of rank and stipend is a means of generously rewarding meritorious service. Therefore the granting of rank must always be directed to suitable persons. In recent years, however, provincial governors have granted ranks as they please, without regard to the actual substance of merit. As a result those who share in stipends have multiplied, and the goods collected as land tax and tribute have dwindled and fallen short. The responsible offices have investigated this, generation after generation, without end. I request that for the ranks of the barbarian submitters (ifu) a rule of annual conferral be established, that descendants of those with merit be selected, and that, according to the vacancies each year, no more than twenty be appointed to fill them." He also said: "In the administration of the provinces, the most important thing is the collection of taxes. Therefore the officials in charge of its distribution ought to be diligent in their duties. Yet the officials appointed are not always suitable. Some are induced by district magistrates to falsify the tax registers and deliver straw in place of rice; others take bribes from wealthy local magnates and make things without substance appear to have substance. Under the intent of the laws and ordinances their crimes should surely be judged. Yet they greedily seek allowances and have no fear of being charged with crimes. I request that the kugai, official allowance fields and income, of provincial governors who have caused a deficit through false deliveries be confiscated, that they first be made to cover the deficit, and that they then be tried for their offenses. If the deficit is large and the amount of the kugai is small, the governor and those below him should jointly make up the shortfall and deliver it." In the Genkei era (877–885) he was raised to Junior Fourth Rank Upper and appointed Dazai-no-daini, Senior Assistant Governor-General of Dazaifu. When he entered the palace to take his leave of the emperor, he was given a set of imperial robes, performed the dance of obeisance, and withdrew. Imperial Princes and Kugyō, the high ministers, attended below the guard-hall and detained Sadayuki to hold a farewell banquet. They used ten thousand coins of the Kuraryō, the Bureau of the Imperial Storehouse, as stakes for games of go, and ended the banquet only when they had exhausted the wine. Earlier, the Shōni, Junior Assistant Governor-General, Fujiwara-no-Fusao, had managed the affairs of coastal defense, but after he was selected as Governor of Higo there was no one in charge of them. Sadayuki submitted a memorial and requested: "The watch over weapons and beacon fires is by right the duty of the chief official. Thus there is precedent for coastal defense, so why should a separate officer be set up? It would be well to abolish the sole charge of the Shōni and have the Dazaifu administration deal with matters as they arise, as appropriate. Also, as for the governors of the two provinces of Chikugo and Bungo, I request that they be permitted to enter the capital only after first obtaining the permission of the Dazaifu, and that they not leave without authorization unless a written report has come from the Dazaifu." By imperial command this was granted. (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku.)
Ariwara-no-Yukihira
¶Ariwara-no-Yukihira (Yukihira) was the second son of Imperial Prince Abo, and was at first a shuō, a prince of the blood. In the Tenchō era (824–834), Imperial Prince Abo submitted a memorial asking that his sons be granted a family name. Yukihira and his brothers were granted the name Ariwara-no-Ason. (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku.) In the Jōwa era (834–848) he was made Kurōdo, Chamberlain (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin), was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower, and became Jijū, Chamberlain. (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki.) Gradually he was promoted until he became Ukonoe-no-shōshō, Junior Captain of the Right Imperial Guards. In the Kashō era (848–851) he was appointed Governor of Inaba. In the first year of Tenan (857) he became Hyōbu-no-taifu, Senior Assistant Minister of Military Affairs, and soon was transferred to the Nakatsukasa, the Ministry of Central Affairs, and was appointed Sama-no-kami, Director of the Left Bureau of Horses. (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku.) In the Jōgan era (859–877) he moved to Sahyōe-no-kami, Commander of the Left Military Guards, served successively as governor of the four provinces of Harima, Shinano, Bizen, and Bitchū, was raised to Senior Fourth Rank Lower, and was appointed Sangi, Counsellor. (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku; however, the governorship of Bitchū follows the Kugyō Bunin.) He became Kebiishi-no-betto, Chief of the Police Commissioners, and Saemon-no-kami, Commander of the Left Gate Guards, (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin) and was appointed Kurōdo-no-tō, Head Chamberlain. This was the first time a Sangi concurrently held the office of Head Chamberlain. (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Kurōdo Bunin.) Soon he was raised to Junior Third Rank and appointed Dazai-no-gon-no-sotsu, Provisional Governor-General of Dazaifu. Previously, grain from six provinces including Chikuzen and Hizen had been shipped by sea to serve as the annual provisions of Tsushima, but each year those lost to drifting and sinking reached six or seven parts in ten. Yukihira submitted a memorial and requested: "Let the shipments from the six provinces be abolished; instead let the people there be made to cultivate the paddy fields of Iki and use the yield as the annual provisions of Tsushima, and let the tribute of Iki be abolished and that amount be levied on the six provinces." Also, in the two districts of Hira and Chika in Matsura County of Hizen Province, rare stones and fragrant medicines were produced, and many people coming from Tang gathered them. Those Silla people who plundered tribute ships also passed by way of these islands. Yukihira submitted a memorial: "On investigation, this land originally formed nine provinces and three islands. In the first year of Tenchō (824) the island of Tane was abolished and attached to Ōsumi Province. This was because over thirty-six thousand bundles of rice were being spent in order to have a hundred deerskins paid as tribute. Now these two districts are wide and distant in their lay of the land, and their households are prosperous. Moreover the local products include many rare things. Yet the whole matter is simply left to the district magistrates, who are allowed to squeeze it as they please. The people of this land suffer from the harshness of private exactions and sincerely wish to pay tribute to the public house. All of this results from the fact that the provincial governors can hardly make inspection tours, while the village headmen lack influence. In addition, this land lies in the midst of the sea and borders on the customs of foreign countries. Visitors from Tang and Silla, and the envoys of our own court to Tang as well, all pass through these islands. The officials of the Dazaifu and the residents say: 'In the eleventh year of Jōgan (869), Silla people plundered the silk, floss, and other goods of a tribute ship. The bandits too came by way of these same islands.' From this it appears that this land is a key point of the province, and that a suitable man should be chosen as its chief and care taken over its defense. Also, last year some people said: 'The Tang people always call first at these islands, gather quantities of fragrant medicines, and add them to their cargo. They do not let the people of this land see these goods. Moreover the seashore of these islands has many rare stones; some are forged to obtain silver, and some are polished to resemble jade. The Tang people take these stones, but do not let the local people know what they are.' Judging from these words, if the matter is not entrusted to a suitable person, the harm that will arise is generally of this kind. I request that these two districts be combined and two new counties be established, to be named Kamichika and Shimochika, and together be made the island of Chika; that a new island governor and county magistrates be appointed, and that tribute be paid according to the products of the land. However, while their salaries are being fixed, let them concurrently hold provisional posts of Hizen Province." In response, the Kugyō deliberated and reported: "Your servants have heard it said that 'when a sage governs the world, he puts the convenience of the people first, and when an enlightened ruler rules the people, he values measures suited to the time.' Now the two matters that Yukihira requests are intended to save the expense of sea transport and to preserve a system of tribute suited to the land, and they are truly reasonable. As we have considered, the plan of farming paddy fields to supply the annual provisions departs from the old practice, but it is also a measure suited to the time, so it should be permitted for two years as a trial, so that its gains and losses may first be clarified. As for combining the two districts into one island, it truly serves the public benefit, so why cling to rigid formalities? We think it well that it be done as requested." This was approved. In the Genkei era (877–885) he concurrently became Jibu-kyō, Minister of Civil Affairs, was appointed Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor, was raised to Senior Third Rank, and was transferred to be concurrently Minbu-kyō, Minister of Popular Affairs. (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku.) He submitted a memorial declining, and stated: "Your servant Yukihira respectfully states: By the edict of the ninth day of this month, your servant was appointed Minbu-kyō. The favor is as warm as a winter sun, and for that very reason I am fearful, as if treading on thin ice. Thrice I examine myself with shame, and have no place for this one body. Your servant humbly considers that the gains and losses of the people, and the fullness and emptiness of the storehouses, are matters that the officials of the provinces should always be anxious about, and also matters that the responsible office should examine clearly. Therefore those who have been appointed to this post have all been men versed in government and wide in the practice of the way of an official. It must be a man whom all admit to be suitable and who meets the view of all eyes. Your servant has repeatedly worn high rank and for long has eaten a stipend without accomplishing anything. Even if I resolved to grind my bones to powder, I no longer have any means of applying talent or wisdom. In vain I offer a loyal heart, while only age and illness press upon my body. Above, I fear the mirror of Heaven; below, I am ashamed before the people. I humbly request that Your Majesty bend your sage deliberation and dismiss me from my office, so that a worthless servant may not be left to steal the work of Heaven, nor an important post be left an empty and neglected office." But it was not granted. (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku and the Kanke Bunsō.) At the beginning of Ninna (885) he concurrently became Mutsu-Dewa Anzatsu, Inspector of Mutsu and Dewa. Soon he submitted a memorial: "Your servant has heard it said that 'to retire from office on reaching the proper age is the rule for a subject, and to dismiss him from his post and grant his request is the constant norm for a sovereign.' Looking up to the ordinary principle of the wish to return home, one should exert oneself to the full and know when to advance and retire; and if one observes the rule of knowing when one has enough and stopping, how can one go on laboring ceaselessly? Your servant mistakenly rode the current of the times and ascended to an eminent office beyond my deserts. The honor of favor has reached its limit in my life, and the moisture of great kindness has far exceeded my station. Now your servant's years have reached seventy and my rank has risen to the height of the third. I walk unsteadily as if treading on thin ice, and wander as if walking by night; when I attend before Your Majesty I fear committing an offense, and I sweat as cold as the old man of Jiangxian. Your servant's nature is foolish and is no different from that of a white-haired attendant. My temples are already white as frost and snow, and your servant has long heard that after one has accomplished one's name and deeds one should follow the way of withdrawing. I have reached just the age at which one should retire, and to bear the blame of occupying office and rank to no purpose is what your servant is ashamed of. I humbly request that Your Majesty console me by dismissing me from office and treat me generously by releasing me. Let the aged man bring his life to its end and find a place to answer for his faults. I cannot restrain my earnest wish." To this an imperial command replied: "Your constancy like that of the pine and cypress and your virtue like that of the jade tablet always show in your face a heart anxious for the country. Your love for your sovereign does not spare bone and marrow, and your advancing and retiring have always accorded with principle, consistent from beginning to end. You modestly follow the righteousness of the ancients and repeatedly express your lament over old age, but though we know your earnest wish, how could We lose one near Us? We ask that you restrain your wish to withdraw and abandon honors, and endeavor to serve in your post with an unclouded mind. Therefore We firmly refuse this request. Wei Yuanyang's retirement from office to his own house should be looked to in later years, and Xue Guangde's resignation should not be taken as the event of today." Yukihira submitted a second memorial and said: "Your servant Yukihira states: The imperial envoy, Sakonoe-no-shōshō, Junior Captain of the Left Imperial Guards, Fujiwara-no-Ason Takafuji, has arrived. Having humbly received the imperial will, I learn that my retirement is not permitted. Though your servant asked to withdraw, Your Majesty's words have been issued as writing and your favor has fallen like dew, and I have no means of repaying it by so much as a hair. Like one bearing a high mountain upon his head, your servant has long eaten a stipend to no purpose. I am ashamed to hold office wrongly in the age of Yu Shun, and decrepitude has already come. In vain I disgrace the post of Wang Rong, and the indignation of anxious impatience is already full. I am about to burden this body of thin skin, and my regret, like biting one's navel, does not cease. I wish to avoid the road and straighten the collar of my robe; yet even if I could somehow fulfill my duties, what more would I gain by adding my name to the rolls? Moreover your servant has this body like one carrying firewood on his back as a pledge, and I lie on my pillow with my soul held in check. I constantly lament the withering of the willow in the wind, and I feel ever stronger the longing of the sunflower to turn toward the sun. My earnest feeling is like that of the wild goose; I wish to voice the cry of one longing for Yue, and my suffering, like that of Gou Gong, has at last made me a body lying ill by the Zhang River. That Your Majesty now treats your servant generously is already in the measure due to a scholar of the realm. That your servant petitions Your Majesty, how could it be with the heart of an ordinary man? Though my advance and retreat are at an impasse and I lose my way, and I cannot regulate cold and heat, I offer my person and do not forget to withdraw, and I willingly accept doing what is in keeping with my strength. Your servant's thoughts appear in my words, and my tears flow with my sweat. In the august mirror of the Son of Heaven, I beg to be allowed to be dismissed." An edict was given in reply, again not granting it. Yukihira submitted yet another memorial: "Your servant submits a memorial again and prays repeatedly. My foolish sincerity does not readily reach you, and the sacred ear has not yet opened. Just now I have received the imperial edict; I am moved by the benevolence with which you nurture and guide me, but I venture to state what is in my heart and to obtain the mercy of an imperial command. Your servant keeps this body among medicines and entrusts my life to the edge of the mulberry and elm. That old age has come to this, alas, is also the will of Heaven. Moreover my position and reputation have already reached their peak, my allotted share of advancement is limited, my years are already full, and a life that has become precarious and shallow will not last long. While Your Majesty spares no pains over your daily meals and nightly sleep, your lowly servant cannot even bear the courtesy of attending at court. If you consider the quality of your lowly servant who occupies office and rank to no purpose, Your Majesty will surely show pity. How could your servant's earnest sincerity roll up its tongue and stay silent? My desire to repay your kindness is a desire to repay it until this body rots away. I humbly request that Your Majesty know my loyal heart and perceive my sincerity, and that some morning, setting aside the jade ornaments of the cap, you not take from a common man his long-held wish." By edict this was granted. (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku.) He died in the fifth year of Kanpyō (893), at the age of seventy-six. (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin.) He once submitted a memorial asking to found the Shōgakuin, the Academy for the Encouragement of Learning, at Sanjō in the Left Capital. (Note: following the Saikyūki and the Shūgaishō.) His son Tōmi became Ukonoe-no-shōgen, Lieutenant of the Right Imperial Guards. (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku.) Tomoyuki became Sangi and Dazai-no-gon-no-sotsu. (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin.)
Fujiwara-no-Yamakage
¶Fujiwara-no-Yamakage (Yamakage) was a great-great-grandson of the Sadaijin, Minister of the Left, Uona. (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku.) His father Takafusa was Governor of Echizen. In the Saikō and Tenan eras (854–859) Yamakage served successively as Sama-no-daijō, Senior Secretary of the Left Bureau of Horses, and Ukonoe-no-gon-no-shōgen, Provisional Lieutenant of the Right Imperial Guards; he was made Kurōdo, Chamberlain, was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower, and became Bingo-no-gon-no-suke, Provisional Assistant Governor of Bingo. (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin.) In the Jōgan era (859–877) he was transferred to Ukonoe-no-gon-no-shōshō, Provisional Junior Captain of the Right Imperial Guards, (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku) and was again made Kurōdo. (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin.) He concurrently served as Governor of Mino. Soon he was raised to Junior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku), was promoted to Kurōdo-no-tō, Head Chamberlain, (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin) and concurrently became Ukonoe-no-gon-no-chūjō, Provisional Middle Captain of the Right Imperial Guards. When Emperor Yōzei came to the throne, Yamakage served the Retired Emperor. He submitted a memorial asking to be granted the rank of his principal office and to resign the captaincy, but this was not permitted. In the first year of Genkei (877) he submitted a memorial stating: "The foot of Mount Gu is by nature not a place where many talented men gather, whereas the front of the palace is by nature where talent of every kind assembles. Therefore I ask to take leave of the imperial gate and serve in the realm of the immortals. Yet though a man's wish may be earnest, Heaven's permission is not yet clear. I humbly request that, by Heaven's favor and by special arrangement, you end your servant's post as Konoe-no-chūjō within the palace, so that your servant may complete a four-year term in a province abroad. Then above there will be the mercy of seeing merit through to completion, and below there will be no reproach of forgetting kindness." By edict this was granted. He became Udaiben, Senior Controller of the Right, but submitted a memorial declining it, which was not permitted. In the third year of Genkei (879) he again asked to be relieved of office, but this was not permitted. Soon afterwards he was appointed Sangi, Counsellor, and was to oversee the allotment of rice fields (handen) in the provinces. Yamakage had charge of Settsu Province, and while remaining far away in the capital he supervised its affairs. In the second year of Ninna (886) he was raised to Junior Third Rank, appointed Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor, and concurrently became Minbu-kyō, Minister of Popular Affairs. (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku.) In the fourth year of Ninna (888) he died, at the age of sixty-five. (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Ichidai Yōki.) Yamakage built a shrine at Yoshida and enshrined the Kasuga deity there, and reverence for it has been handed down to this day. (Note: following the Ōkagami.) It is said in the world that when Yamakage prepared fish and birds, the people of the time praised the skill of his kitchen knife. (Note: following the Fujiwara Keizu.) His son Arimori became Junior Fifth Rank Lower and Governor of Tajima. Kimitoshi became Junior Fourth Rank Lower and Provisional Governor of Tajima. Nariyoshi became Junior Fifth Rank Lower and Tonomo-no-kami, Director of the Palace Household Office. Tokiyuki became Senior Fifth Rank Lower and Sakonoe-no-shōgen, Lieutenant of the Left Imperial Guards. Kanemitsu became Junior Fourth Rank Lower and Governor of Mutsu. Nakamasa became Junior Fourth Rank Upper, Sakyō-no-daibu, Master of the Left Capital Office, and Governor of Settsu. The monk Nyomu became Daisōzu, Greater Sōzu, (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku) was diligent and strict in keeping the precepts, and his intelligence surpassed that of ordinary men; the Retired Emperor Uda held him in great esteem. (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki. However, the Jikkinshō says that when Yamakage went to Tsukushi he saw fishermen about to catch and kill a turtle, took pity on it, bought it, and released it. Afterwards Yamakage crossed the sea by boat with an infant, but his wife, hating the child because it was not her own, plotted with the nurse to drop it into the sea, making it appear that her hand had slipped by accident. After a while a great turtle rose to the surface with the child on its back, and he was saved from death. This child was none other than Nyomu. The Jōsuiki also contains this story, but differs somewhat from this account in that it makes his birth mother the one who had once released a turtle.) Nyomu's son Ariyoshi has a separate biography.