Biographies LIX: Fujiwara-no-Tokihira and His Kin

Fujiwara-no-Tokihira

¶Fujiwara-no-Tokihira (Tokihira) was the eldest son of the Kampaku, Regent, Mototsune. Emperor Kōkō ordered that his coming-of-age ceremony be held in the Jijūden and himself performed the capping. Fujiwara-no-Suekane, Tonomo-no-suke, Assistant Director of the Palace Household Office, served as barber, and the cap and headcloth were all garments the emperor had worn himself, bestowed on the youth. At this time Tokihira was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower, and the Sangi, Consultant, Tachibana-no-Hirōmi was ordered to compose a congratulatory text (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). The text read: "Hakkin was enfeoffed in Lu; Hekikyō became a palace attendant. Ah, Tokihira, you are the son of a renowned father and the heir of a meritorious minister. On this auspicious day we bestow the cap upon you. You possess a nature like the plumage of the phoenix, and your rank and appointment too should be exceptional" (Note: following the Honchō Monzui and the Chōya Gunsai). The emperor wrote this out himself and gave it to Tokihira. He commanded the kugyō, high court nobles, and the daibu, senior officials, to gather at Mototsune's chokuro, his duty chamber, and hold a banquet of celebration. The Gagaku-ryō, Bureau of Court Music, performed, and each person of Fifth Rank or above was given gifts. A few days later Mototsune presented wine, food, and garments, which were laid out in the east hall of the Jijūden; the vessels for the imperial table were inlaid with gold and silver, in the utmost luxury. Earlier the emperor had had Prince Sadakazu and a dozen or so sons and young kinsmen of those of Fourth Rank and above learn dances, and on this occasion he had them perform, so that all enjoyed themselves through the night; Tokihira was given a set of the emperor's own robes (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). Before long he was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower and became Provisional Middle Captain of the Left Palace Guards (Note: "Left Palace Guards" follows the Fusō Ryakki). When Emperor Uda ascended the throne he was appointed Kurōdo-no-tō, Head Chamberlain (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). By special edict he was permitted to attend in the Imperial Court Hall together with three others, including Tachibana-no-Hirōmi, Senior Controller of the Left (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). In the early years of Kanpyō he concurrently served as Provisional Governor of Sanuki, and successively held the posts of Sangi, Commander of the Left and Right Gate Guards, and Betto, Superintendent, of the Kebiishi. In the fifth year of Kanpyō (893) he was appointed Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor, concurrently serving as Major General of the Right Palace Guards and Master of the Crown Prince's Household; soon afterwards he was transferred to Dainagon, Major Counsellor, concurrently serving as Major General of the Left Palace Guards, was appointed Betto of the Kurōdo-dokoro, Chamberlains' Office, and was granted Senior Third Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Tokihira was a lover of women, and in league with his uncle Fujiwara-no-Kunitsune he took the latter's wife from him (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari and the Jikkinshō). When the Retired Emperor Uda abdicated, he admonished Emperor Daigo as follows: "Tokihira is the descendant of a meritorious minister; he is young in years but practiced in affairs of government. I once heard that his private conduct was not restrained, but I deliberately did not inquire into it. Since the spring of last year I have repeatedly encouraged him, made him familiar with public business, and intend that he serve as your counsellor and assist you" (Note: following the Kanpyō Goyuikai). Thus he came to conduct government together with Gon-Dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor, Sugawara-no-Michizane (Note: following the Ōkagami, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Rekidai Kōki). In the second year of Shōtai (899) he became Sadaijin, Minister of the Left, retaining his post as General as before. In the first year of Engi (901) he was granted Junior Second Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Tokihira was young and keen in temperament and conducted affairs entirely as he pleased, so that his decisions were often lacking in soundness. Michizane did not care to stir up affairs in order to seek a fine reputation, and constantly lamented this in secret. Once, when Tokihira was conducting government, his manner was exceedingly severe, and Michizane wore a look of concern. A certain official of the historians' office said to Michizane, "I have a plan. Today I will have him make a ruling in your place," and deliberately came forward bearing a document, pretending to lose his composure in the proper forms. Tokihira had a habit of laughing, and on seeing this he burst into laughter and could not restrain himself. Thereupon Michizane took over the conduct of business in his place (Note: following the Ōkagami). Michizane was virtuous and enjoyed the esteem of the age, so the Retired Emperor held him in high regard and secretly consulted with the emperor, intending to let Michizane direct government on his own authority. When Tokihira heard of this he could not remain at ease (Note: following the Jinnō Shōtōki, the Fusō Ryakki, and the Kitano Engi). He therefore enlisted the help of Minamoto-no-Hikaru, Fujiwara-no-Sadakuni, and Fujiwara-no-Sugane, and brought Michizane down by slander. In the end Michizane was demoted and stripped of office and rank (Note: following the Kitano Engi and the Taiheiki). At that time the customs of the world had run to extravagance and clothing was showy, so restrictions were set, but many broke them. The emperor was troubled by this and plotted secretly with Tokihira; the emperor himself came to court in showy dress. The emperor then pretended anger and summoned an official, saying: "I recently forbade extravagance, yet the Minister of the Left, who is the head of the hundred officials, was the first to break the prohibitions of the state. How can this be the conduct of a minister?" He dismissed Tokihira and sent him home. Tokihira, filled with fear, sent away his attendants, walked on foot back to his residence, shut his gates, and refused all visitors. After a little over a month he was pardoned, and from then on the fashion for extravagance suddenly changed (Note: following the Ōkagami). In the second year of Engi (902) he was granted a fief of three thousand households (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Rekidai Kōki). In the seventh year of Engi (907) he was granted Senior Second Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the ninth year of Engi (909) he died, at the age of thirty-nine. He was posthumously granted Senior First Rank and the office of Dajō-daijin, Chancellor (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Kugyō Bunin). By imperial edict the guard of the barrier gates, kogen, was carried out (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). Because he lived in the Hon'in mansion he was called the Hon'in Minister (Note: following the Ōkagami), and he was also called Nakamikado. Tokihira and Michizane had both been ministers of the Left and the Right, but Michizane was demoted and Tokihira died, so at the time people had a saying, "The Right is exiled, the Left is dead" (Note: following the Gōdanshō). He was skilled in waka (Note: following the Kokin Wakashū) and loved learning, studying under Ōkura-no-Yoshiyuki. Once he held a banquet at his villa, the Suisekitei, gathered the literary men of the day to compose poems, and celebrated Yoshiyuki's seventieth birthday. He called himself Yoshiyuki's disciple and showed him full respect and reverence (Note: following the Zōgen Hōwa). In the early years of Engi, by imperial command, he compiled the Sandai Jitsuroku in fifty volumes (Note: following the preface of that work) and the Engi Kyaku in ten volumes (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Honchō Monzui). His sons were Yasutada, Akitada, and Atsutada (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Atsutada

¶Fujiwara-no-Atsutada (Atsutada) loved waka and was also versed in musical modes, and was spoken of together with Minamoto-no-Hiromasa (Note: following the Ōkagami). His office reached Junior Third Rank and Gon-Chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor. He died in the sixth year of Tengyō (943), at the age of thirty-eight. He was known in his day as the Hon'in Chūnagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

Fujiwara-no-Yasutada

¶Fujiwara-no-Yasutada (Yasutada), during the Engi era, successively served as Senior Controller of the Right, was appointed Sangi, was granted Junior Third Rank, and became Gon-Chūnagon. In the Enchō era he concurrently served as Commander of the Left Gate Guards, advanced to Senior Third Rank, and was transferred to Dainagon. In the third year of Jōhei (933) he concurrently became Major General of the Right Palace Guards. The following year he concurrently became Michinoku-Dewa Azechi, Inspector of Mutsu and Dewa. In the sixth year of Jōhei (936) he died, at the age of forty-seven (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin; the Ōkagami Uragaki, however, gives forty-six). Yasutada was versed in music and from childhood was skilled at playing the shō. When Emperor Daigo summoned him to test his skill, the melodies were exquisite, and the emperor praised him highly and bestowed on him a kippi-shō (Note: following Emperor Daigo's diary as cited in the Taigenshō). He was compassionate by nature; when attending court on winter mornings he made a habit of keeping grilled rice cakes in his bosom for warmth and, once they had cooled a little, sharing them among his attendants to relieve their hunger (Note: following the Ōkagami). He was called in the world the Wise General. His residence was at Hachijō, so he was also called the General of Hachijō (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Ōkagami).

Fujiwara-no-Akitada

¶Fujiwara-no-Akitada (Akitada), during the Enchō and Jōhei eras, successively served as Middle Controller of the Left and of the Right, was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper, and was appointed Sangi. In the Tengyō era he advanced to Junior Third Rank and was appointed Gon-Chūnagon, concurrently serving as Commander of the Left Gate Guards and Betto of the Kebiishi. In the Tenryaku era he was promoted to Dainagon of Senior Third Rank, concurrently serving as Inspector of Mutsu and Dewa and Major General of the Right Palace Guards. In the first year of Tentoku (957) he was transferred to Major General of the Left Palace Guards. In the fourth year of Tentoku (960) he was granted Junior Second Rank and appointed Udaijin, Minister of the Right. In the second year of Kōhō (965) he died, at the age of sixty-eight. By imperial edict he was posthumously granted Senior Second Rank and was called the Minister of the Right of Tominokōji (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Ōkagami Uragaki). By nature he valued frugality; his residence and furnishings were extremely plain, and when washing his hands and face he did not use a basin but scooped up water himself with a ladle. Though he held the rank of minister, when going out he did not have outriders clear the way, and his retinue was very small (Note: following the Ōkagami, the Kojidan, and the Jikkinshō). When he held a taikyō, grand banquet, the preparations were simple, and he made no decoration at all in the halls or great rooms (Note: following the Konjaku Monogatari and the Kojidan). The sons of Tokihira all died in the prime of life, and the world rumored that this was the curse of Michizane's spirit (Note: following the Ōkagami). Akitada feared this deeply and every night prostrated himself in worship in the great room, praying to be spared calamity (Note: following the Jikkinshō and the Kojidan). Among the brothers, only Akitada rose to high office and stood longest at court, and people considered this to be owing to his circumspection (Note: following the Ōkagami).

Fujiwara-no-Sugane

¶Fujiwara-no-Sugane, styled Yūsei (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Keirin Ihōroku). His father was named Yoshihisa and rose in the reign of Emperor Seiwa to Junior Fourth Rank Upper and Commander of the Right Guards. He was handsome in form, courageous, fond of the martial arts, and possessed of extraordinary strength (Note: the foregoing concerns Fujiwara-no-Yoshihisa). Sugane was widely versed in the classics and histories and thoroughly familiar with the writings of the various philosophers (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). In the eighth year of Gangyō (884) he was appointed Monjōshō, Student of Letters. In the Kanpyō era he was appointed Inaba-no-jō, Third-Ranking Officer of Inaba, passed the taisaku examination, and was appointed Shō-naiki, Junior Secretary (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). When Sugawara-no-Michizane was assisting in government he recommended Sugane, saying: "Earlier I held the post of Tōgū-no-suke, Assistant Master of the Crown Prince's Household, and by command of the Retired Emperor I was also given the duty of lecturing on the classics. Serving in two offices with one person, I was hurried and had no leisure. I therefore reported the circumstances, and the Retired Emperor named Sugane and permitted him to ascend to the hall. Sugane labored day and night, and at each question put to him he cited the classics and commentaries to clarify the imperial thought, and drew out passages to stimulate the emperor's reflections. The texts he was given included the Kyokurai, the Analects, and the Book of the Later Han, among others, and not a few volumes. It is now seven years since he passed the examination, and judging by past precedent he may be called one of those who mature late. I humbly beg that his rank be raised and conferred upon him, so as to reward his service up to now and make clear a new commendation for him as Jidoku, Reader in Attendance" (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō). Thereupon he was promoted to Shikibu-no-shō, Junior Assistant of the Ministry of Ceremonial, and granted Junior Fifth Rank Upper. In the Shōtai era he concurrently served as Monjō Hakase, Professor of Letters, and Provisional Assistant Governor of Bitchū, was appointed Head Chamberlain, and concurrently served as Minor Captain of the Right Palace Guards. In the first year of Engi (901) he was demoted to Daizai-no-daini, Senior Assistant Governor-General of Dazaifu, but before he left for his post he was again appointed Shikibu-no-shō and Head Chamberlain, concurrently served as Provisional Middle Controller of the Left, and before long advanced to Junior Fourth Rank Lower and became Shikibu-no-taifu, Senior Assistant of the Ministry of Ceremonial (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the sixth year of Engi (906), when the emperor read the Shiki, Records of the Grand Historian, Sugane served as Jidoku (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku) and was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper. The following year he concurrently became Jijū, Chamberlain. In the eighth year of Engi (908) he was appointed Sangi. In the tenth month of the same year he died, at the age of fifty-three. He was posthumously granted Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin. The Egara Engi, however, says that Sugane was struck dead by lightning through the curse of the Minister Sugawara, Michizane, but that account is not adopted here).

¶He was once ordered to compile the Engi Kyaku (Note: following the preface to the Engi Kyaku-shiki). At first Sugane had been raised to office on Michizane's recommendation (Note: following the Kanke Bunsō), but later he was humiliated by Michizane in the imperial hall (Note: following the Gōdanshō and the Kitano Engi), and Sugane bore a deep grudge over it (Note: following the Kitano Engi). When Fujiwara-no-Tokihira brought Michizane down, the Hōō, Cloistered Emperor (Uda), tried to rescue him. But Sugane blocked the way and did not pass the message on, and in the end Michizane was demoted (Note: following the Gōdanshō). His son was Motokata.

Fujiwara-no-Yoshihisa

¶Fujiwara-no-Motokata (Motokata), in the early years of Tengyō, was appointed Sangi and concurrently served as Senior Controller of the Left (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). When Taira-no-Masakado rose in revolt, the court deliberation recommended Motokata as Great General to subdue him. Motokata petitioned: "Let one son of the Regent Tadahira be made my deputy general." As a result the deliberation was revised, and Fujiwara-no-Tadafumi took Motokata's place (Note: following the Gōdanshō). In the Tenryaku era he concurrently served as Minbukyō, Minister of Popular Affairs, and rose to Dainagon of Senior Third Rank. In the seventh year of Tenryaku (953) he died, at the age of sixty-six (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Ichidai Yōki).