Biographies LXV: Fujiwara-no-Michinaga, Yorimichi, and Their Descendants

Fujiwara-no-Michinaga

¶Fujiwara-no-Michinaga was the fifth son of the Kanpaku, Chief Advisor to the Emperor, Fujiwara-no-Kaneie. He was bold and free-spirited by nature, of strong temper, and from his youth carried himself with high spirit. Kaneie was in the habit of envying the character of his nephew Fujiwara-no-Kintō, and he would urge his sons on, saying, "My sons fall far short of Kintō. You will not even be able to step on his back as he walks ahead of you." His elder brothers Michitaka and Michikane acknowledged that they could not match Kintō and answered nothing, bowing their heads; but Michinaga alone replied, "Indeed I shall not be able to step on Lord Kintō's shadow, but in time I shall step on his face." A physiognomist who lived at Iinomuro went around examining Kaneie's sons in turn, and when he came to Michinaga he said, "This man has an extraordinary countenance. He is like a tiger walking a precipitous cliff, and cannot be compared with anyone else." Michinaga excelled at poetry and was also skilled at archery and horsemanship (Note: following the Ōkagami). Minamoto-no-Yorimitsu was the most formidable warrior of his age, and having heard how steady Michinaga's nerve remained in moments of danger, he judged him to have the capacity of a commander (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū).

¶At the age of fifteen Michinaga was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower and appointed Sakonoe-no-shōshō, Minor Captain of the Left Palace Guards. He then rose gradually, and in the first year of Eien he was granted Junior Third Rank and concurrently made Sakyō-no-daibu, Master of the Left Capital Office. The following year he was promoted to Gon-Chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor; during the Shōryaku era he was transferred to Gon-Dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor, granted Junior Second Rank, and concurrently made Sakonoe-no-taishō, Commander of the Left Palace Guards (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). At about this time Korechika, the legitimate son of Michitaka, was appointed Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior, while still young, by an unusual promotion. Michinaga found his arrogance distasteful, and the uncle and nephew were never on easy terms.

¶In the first year of Chōtoku, when the Grand Empress Dowager Higashisanjō (Senshi) made a pilgrimage to the Uyamadera temple, Korechika and Michinaga both accompanied her. On the way, Korechika had business that required a stop in order to observe a directional taboo; he got down from his carriage and reported the circumstances. While the carriage was halted for the Empress Dowager, Michinaga rode up to Korechika and pressed him: "The day is already drawing to a close; what are you dawdling for?" Korechika was displeased but could do nothing. When Michitaka heard of this, he was angry that Michinaga had slighted and insulted a minister of state. The Empress Dowager valued Michinaga and kept Korechika at a distance, but the emperor (Emperor Ichijō) was at that time deeply fond of the Chūgū, the Empress Consort, and for that reason treated Korechika with particular warmth. Korechika served at the emperor's side morning and evening, secretly sought to drive a wedge between the emperor and the Empress Dowager, and at the same time slandered Michinaga. The emperor gave considerable credence to this (Note: following the Ōkagami).

¶That year Michitaka took to his sickbed. At Michitaka's request the emperor had Korechika perform the Nairan, the preliminary inspection of documents, but soon Michitaka died, and the emperor issued an edict to his younger brother Michikane to succeed to the office of Kanpaku. But Michikane too died only a few days after taking office (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Gukanshō). Korechika believed that the post of Kanpaku ought to be his, and the emperor's own inclination also lay with Korechika. Public opinion, however, favored Michinaga. Michinaga himself thought, "If affairs of state are entrusted to Korechika, the realm will surely fall into disorder. As for the office of Sesshō or Kanpaku, who is there other than myself?" The Empress Dowager also urged the emperor to employ Michinaga, and seeing that the emperor's inclination was slow to move, she wept and pressed him earnestly. In the end the emperor had no choice (Note: set down with reference to the Ōkagami and the Gukanshō), and issued an edict ordering Michinaga to perform the Nairan while keeping his existing office; soon afterwards he appointed him Udaijin, Minister of the Right (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Ōkagami, and the Gukanshō), and made him Chōja, head, of the Fujiwara clan (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Soon afterwards Korechika and his younger brother Takaie were implicated in an incident and sent into exile, and the Chūgū, unable to bear her grief, cut her hair and became a nun (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶Michinaga was transferred to Sadaijin, Minister of the Left, and advanced to Senior Second Rank. Following the precedent of his grandfather Morosuke, he was granted six boy attendants as zuijin, bodyguards, but soon declined them and was instead granted one fusei, clerk, each of the Left and Right Palace Guards and four guardsmen each (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the second year of Chōhō, Michinaga's eldest daughter Shōshi, who was a Nyōgo, Consort, was installed as Chūgū. She was Jōtōmon-in, and later gave birth to Emperor Go-Ichijō and Emperor Go-Suzaku (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Kōin Shōunroku). Michinaga gradually came to wield power as he pleased, and the emperor grew to find this distasteful. After the emperor died, Michinaga saw, in the emperor's own handwriting, words to the effect that clustered orchids wish to flourish but the autumn wind comes and shatters them, and that though the affairs of a sovereign are to be entrusted to others, slanderous ministers throw the state into disorder; taking it to refer to himself, he angrily tore it up with his own hands (Note: set down with reference to the Gukanshō and the Kojidan).

¶When Emperor Sanjō ascended the throne, Michinaga's tyranny grew greater still. Before his accession, the emperor had married Seishi, a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Nariyoshi, Udaishō, Commander of the Right Palace Guards, and she had borne him Kokiichi-in; but Michinaga sent his own daughter Kenshi into the palace as well, finally had Kenshi installed as Chūgū, and made Seishi Empress (Note: following the Ōkagami and the Eiga Monogatari). Within a short time of his accession the emperor was afflicted with an eye disease. Michinaga repeatedly urged him to abdicate, but the emperor disliked this. Eventually his illness grew steadily worse and the emperor at last resolved to abdicate, but he wished to make Kokiichi-in Crown Prince under the new emperor. Michinaga blocked this, saying, "Among the princes there is none suited to be Crown Prince. Only the third son of the late emperor (Emperor Ichijō) is suitable." The emperor was all the more incensed and nearly lost his will to abdicate; but in the end he issued an edict ordering Michinaga to conduct the appointments of officials, the Jimoku, on the model of the Sesshō's ceremony, and said to those about him, "I now entrust the appointments to Michinaga. If what he does is unjust, Heaven's punishment will fall on him himself; I shall have no part in it." Michinaga did not cease urging abdication, and at last the emperor yielded the throne to Emperor Go-Ichijō. The new emperor was only nine years old, and Kokiichi-in was made Crown Prince.

¶Michinaga became Sesshō, Regent (Note: following the Shōyūki), was permitted to wear a sword in attendance, and was granted two uchitoneri, palace attendants, and six guardsmen each of the Left and Right Palace Guards and the Hyōe, Gate Guards (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). He was also granted the nenkan and nenshaku, the annual appointments and annual rank nominations, on the model of the Sangū (Grand Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and Empress), his fief was increased by three thousand households, and he was given thirty swordbearing attendants, receiving treatment that followed the precedent of Fujiwara-no-Yoshifusa. The following year he handed the office of Sesshō to his son Yorimichi and was granted Junior First Rank (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Kugyō Bunin). When Emperor Sanjō died, Michinaga deposed Kokiichi-in and installed Emperor Go-Suzaku as Crown Prince, the emperor's younger brother (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ōkagami). Soon afterwards he was appointed Daijō-daijin, Chancellor. In the second year of Kannin he was permitted to pass through the palace in a hand-drawn carriage, but he declined the office of Chancellor and the post of uchitoneri zuijin (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

¶On the sixteenth day of the tenth month of that year, Michinaga's daughter Ishi was installed as Chūgū. Michinaga could not contain his joy, and he turned his thoughts to waka, composing a poem in which he said that he regarded this world as his own, as the full moon that has no part wanting. Once, in the days before Michinaga had risen to eminence, he and Korechika had competed at archery. Michinaga fitted an arrow and prayed, "If my daughter is to be matched with an emperor as his consort, let this arrow strike the target," and shot, and with a single arrow he pierced the target. Korechika shot after him, but did not hit. Michinaga fitted another arrow, saying, "If I am to rise to Sesshō or Kanpaku, let it strike," and again hit the mark. Michitaka was displeased and had the contest stopped, it is said. Looking back now, that one family should produce three empresses and that a subject should reach the summit of rank was exactly the outcome Michinaga had wished for (Note: following the Ōkagami).

¶In the third year of Kannin, because of illness, he shaved his head (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Gukanshō, and the Eiga Monogatari), taking the Buddhist name Gyōkan, and afterwards changing it again to Gyōkaku (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Gukanshō). The court proclaimed an extraordinary general amnesty and increased Michinaga's fief by a further two thousand households (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). He received the precepts at Tōdaiji, and many of the kugyō, the senior nobles, followed him (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Shōyūki, and the Eiga Monogatari). The Empress Dowager and others came to inquire after him, and the messengers they sent never ceased along the road (Note: following the Shōyūki and the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the fourth year of Manju, when his illness grew grave, the court issued an edict remitting the cho and yō, the tribute and labor taxes, of the whole realm, granting a general amnesty and relief to the needy, in an attempt to save Michinaga, and also permitted a thousand persons to take Buddhist orders (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). The emperor came to visit him, and seeing how thin and wasted he had become, shed tears in grief and fear. Michinaga gave thanks and said in his memorial, "Many have governed since ancient times, but there can hardly be any who flourished as I have. The depth of your sacred favor is beyond what words can express." When the emperor pressed him repeatedly to name a wish, Michinaga answered, "At the completion of the Hōjōji, those who supervised the construction have not yet been rewarded. That alone is what I regret leaving undone" (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). The emperor at once issued a decree advancing the ranks of the household officials and others and granted the Hōjōji a fief of five hundred households. In the twelfth month Michinaga died, at the age of sixty-two (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Fusō Ryakki). The emperor put on the shakuchō (Note: a mourning garment of pale ink color) and observed three months of mourning in the heart. Many rites and banquets were suspended or abolished (Note: following the Shōyūki). In the first year of Chōgen, Michinaga's tomb was added to the list of those to which the nosaki, the annual first-fruits offerings, were presented (Note: following the Sakeiki).

¶For generations Michinaga was maternal kinsman to the imperial house, the real power of government belonged to him alone, and the rights and wrongs of every matter were decided by his word. From the time of Emperor Ichijō onward, the emperor frequently made progresses to Michinaga's residence, and the gifts bestowed there piled up layer upon layer, so that his wealth came to exceed even that of the imperial house (Note: following the Shōyūki and the Eiga Monogatari). Once, when Emperor Go-Ichijō suffered from okori (Note: a malarial fever), the Sōgō, the Buddhist clergy's governing office, was made to offer prayers, and he recovered; the emperor wished to bestow a quantity of silk as a reward, but the imperial storehouse could not supply the amount, and it had to be sent for from Michinaga's house and given from there.

¶In the early years of Kannin, Michinaga built a private mansion at the Jōtōmon and imposed the work on the provincial governors of the various provinces as a corvée. When great stones were being hauled, the doors, floors, and floorboards of the houses of commoners were torn out, and the passage of travelers was halted so that the stones could be dragged. When the mansion was completed, members of the imperial family, the kugyō, and others in succession sent gifts (Note: following the Shōyūki). Michinaga also had deep faith in Buddhism and, on each of the Rokusainichi, the six monthly fast days, forbade the taking of life throughout the realm (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). He frequently held dedication services for Buddha halls, and the ceremonies were modeled on the Gosai-e (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku).

¶At first he built the Jōmyōji temple at Kohata, at the burial ground of his ancestors (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Ōkagami Uragaki), established a Bettō, steward, and Shosho, officials, and gave the monks winter and summer garments. Later he founded the Hōjōji at Kyōgoku, undertaking a vast construction in the hope of making it rival the Tōdaiji (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). He ordered the kugyō to take stone from the government offices within the palace and from the Kenrinkaku, a pavilion of the Shinsen-en garden, and others, to be used for it (Note: following the Shōyūki).

¶Before the building works were completed, Michinaga fell ill. Yorimichi, wishing to hasten the work, ordered the provinces, "Public business may be somewhat delayed, but do not neglect this construction." Thus the kugyō and others each furnished several hundred laborers daily, people hurried together from far and near, and the work was soon completed (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). When Michinaga's illness became severe, he moved to live at the Hōjōji (Note: following the Shōyūki and the Eiga Monogatari). People called Michinaga the "Hōjōji Sesshō" and also "Mido-dono" (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He wrote the Renpu Hishō, and his diary is called the Hōjōji Sesshōki (Note: following the Hōjōji Sesshōki).

¶Michinaga had two wives, one named Rinshi and the other Meishi. Rinshi was a daughter of Minamoto-no-Masanobu, Sadaijin, and bore Yorimichi, Norimichi, Shōshi, Kenshi, Ishi, and Kishi; she was treated as equal to a Sangū and was styled Takatsukasa-dono. Meishi was a daughter of Minamoto-no-Takaakira, Sadaijin. When Takaakira was demoted and sent to Tsukushi, Meishi was still a small child and was raised by her uncle Imperial Prince Moriakira. When her father and uncle both died, Higashisanjō-in (Senshi) took pity on her, orphaned while so young, took her in, raised her in the palace, and cared for her generously. Even her waiting-women and the gifts she received were shared with her. The brothers of the Empress once wished to take Meishi as a wife, but Higashisanjō-in would not allow it. Only Michinaga was permitted to be intimate with her, and she bore him Yorimune, Yoshinobu, Akinobu, and Nagaie; Meishi was granted Junior Third Rank and styled Takamatsu-dono (Note: with reference to the Eiga Monogatari and the Ōkagami; that Meishi was granted Junior Third Rank follows the Kugyō Bunin).

¶Yoshinobu has a separate biography. Akinobu's childhood name was Kokegimi; he had faith in Buddhism from an early age and was appointed Uma-no-kami, Director of the Right Bureau of Horses, but soon took the tonsure and became a monk (Note: following the Ōkagami), changing his name to Chōzen (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Nagaie's childhood name was Kowakagimi (Note: following the Ōkagami); because he was of handsome appearance and excelled at waka, Rinshi raised him as her own son, held him in particular regard, and had him live in the Mikohidari house (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). He passed through the Seiga offices one after another, and during the Chōgen and Kantoku eras was made Gon-Dainagon and concurrently Minbukyō, Minister of Popular Affairs (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Eiga Monogatari). He died in the seventh year of Kōhei, at the age of sixty (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He was known in his day as the Mikohidari Dainagon (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Yorimichi

¶Fujiwara-no-Yorimichi had the childhood name Tsurugimi (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Ōkagami). At only twelve he was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower and soon became Jijū, Chamberlain. During the Kankō and Chōwa eras he rose in succession and was appointed Gon-Dainagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

¶When Michinaga pressed Emperor Sanjō to abdicate, the emperor was grieved and angered but could do nothing, and so he thought to win Michinaga's favor by giving his daughter, Imperial Princess Teishi, in marriage to Yorimichi, and summoned Michinaga to tell him so (Note: following the Shōyūki and the Eiga Monogatari). Michinaga had been wanting precisely this, and told Yorimichi. Yorimichi had already married a daughter of Imperial Prince Tomohira, and did not wish to take a daughter of the emperor as his wife. Hearing his father's words, he remained silent and showed a look of distress. Michinaga said, "A man need not limit himself to one wife. Moreover, you do not yet have a child, so you should seek heirs widely," and in the end forced the match. But Yorimichi then fell ill and took to his bed; making it an excuse that it was the curse of Imperial Prince Tomohira, he broke off the wedding (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶When Emperor Go-Nijō ascended the throne, Yorimichi was appointed Naidaijin, became Sesshō in place of his father, and became head of the Fujiwara clan. Soon he became Kanpaku and was transferred to Sadaijin. In the second year of Kōhei he asked to resign his offices on grounds of illness, but this was not granted, and the court proclaimed a general amnesty for the realm in an attempt to cure his illness (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Teikaki). In the fourth year of Kōhei he was appointed Daijō-daijin but soon resigned (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

¶During the Eishō era he donated his villa at Uji to be made a temple and named it the Byōdō-in (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). In the third year of Jiryaku the emperor made a progress there (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Fusō Ryakki) and granted a fief of three hundred households. Yorimichi welcomed the progress with decorated boats and music, and the gifts he presented were extremely refined and abundant. The emperor's visit lasted three days (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). The edict said, "The former Chancellor is, in name, lord and subject, but in affection he is like a father or mother" (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki); he was granted nenkan and nenshaku and a fief of three thousand households on the model of the Sangū, and as for the uchitoneri and the guardsmen attendants, the precedent of Fujiwara-no-Yoshifusa was to be followed.

¶The following year the emperor's illness became grave (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Hyakurenshō). Yorimichi resigned as Kanpaku but continued to take part in consultation on affairs of state (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Imakagami). Once, when Emperor Go-Suzaku's illness had become severe, there was a deathbed edict entrusting the emperor's support to Yorimichi, and it was proposed to install Emperor Go-Sanjō as Crown Prince, but Yorimichi did not wish this and said, "Installing a Crown Prince is not yet a matter of urgency" (Note: the Jikkinshō and the Azuma Kagami both relate that when the illness of Emperor Suzaku grew grave, Yorimichi received the deathbed edict but, when the matter of the Crown Prince came up, remained silent and gave no answer). His younger brother Yoshinobu secretly spoke cleverly to the emperor and urged it, and so Emperor Go-Sanjō was able to become Crown Prince (Note: following the Imakagami). For this reason Yorimichi and the Crown Prince were on poor terms (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). At this point Yorimichi withdrew to Uji and merely delegated affairs of state from a distance (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Imakagami).

¶Yorimichi once wished to pass the office of Kanpaku to his son Morozane and secretly conveyed this to Jōtōmon-in. Jōtōmon-in, considering that this did not accord with Michinaga's long-held intention, sent a letter in her own hand to the emperor, saying, "Do not grant that request." For this reason the office of Kanpaku was passed to Norimichi, but a promise was exchanged that it would surely be passed to Morozane in due course. Norimichi, however, never showed any intention of handing it over. Yorimichi reproached him, saying, "You ought to keep the promise of long ago. If I can see Morozane take that office, I shall be able to close my eyes in peace." Norimichi answered, "That is not something I can decide on my own," and Yorimichi is said to have resented this (Note: following the Kojidan).

¶In the fourth year of Enkyū he shaved his head, taking the Buddhist name Rengekaku and afterwards changing it again to Jakkaku (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the first year of Jōho he died, at the age of eighty-three (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Sonpi Bunmyaku, the Imakagami, and the Eiga Monogatari). He was known in his day as Uji-dono (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku, the Imakagami, and the Eiga Monogatari).

¶Yorimichi inherited the residual power of his father and forebears and did as he pleased with the commands of the court (Note: following the Ōkagami and the Gukanshō), but his arrogance and luxury surpassed even Michinaga's. He once built the Kaya-in, whose splendor was beyond compare (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). When Norimichi built the Nijō mansion, it too was extremely grand. Yorimichi was displeased and said to Morozane, "To build a private residence so large that it blocks the streets, is that not going beyond the regulations?" Morozane replied, "Indeed it is so. Yet who would dare to say anything about what a member of one's own family does?" and Yorimichi nodded. From this time on people competed to enlarge their residences and vied with one another in extravagance (Note: following the Kojidan).

¶His son Michifusa was of handsome appearance (Note: following the Gukanshō) and skilled at waka (Note: following the Imakagami); he rose to Gon-Dainagon and concurrently Ukonoe-no-taishō, Commander of the Right Palace Guards (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku), but died young (Note: following the Imakagami and the Kugyō Bunin) and left no heir (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). His second son Morozane has a separate biography. Morozane's younger brother was Toshitsuna.

Fujiwara-no-Toshitsuna

¶Fujiwara-no-Toshitsuna's mother remarried Tachibana-no-Toshitoo, Governor of Sanuki, while she was still carrying him, and so he at first bore the Tachibana surname. Later Yorimichi took him in and treated him as his own son, but people of the time, seeing Toshitsuna wearing the nōshi, an informal court robe, called him "Tachibana no nōshi." It is said that in common speech the character for "leather" is read as "nao," and this was a remark on Toshitsuna's change of surname. He was appointed Governor of Owari and Shuri-no-daibu, Master of the Office of Palace Repairs. Because he lived in the village of Fushimi, he was called Fushimi Shuri-no-daibu. His house was extremely wealthy and the view from his mansion was fine, so the poets of the day gathered there to compose and chant, and it is said that this went on without a day's break.

¶Once, when he was serving Emperor Shirakawa, the emperor asked about scenic places near the capital, and Toshitsuna answered, "Iwata is the finest." When the emperor asked what came next, he answered, "The Kaya-in." When the emperor asked, "Then is Toba the third?" Toshitsuna replied, "The site of that Toba palace is not especially outstanding in its views. It is only because it was built by the court that people in the world praise it to no purpose. If one is to name a third, it would be my Fushimi." People of the time praised his candor (Note: following the Imakagami). He died in the first year of Kahō, at the age of sixty-seven (Note: following the Chūyūki).

Fujiwara-no-Yorimune

¶Fujiwara-no-Yorimune had the childhood name Iwaogimi (Note: following the Ōkagami and the Ichidai Yōki). He was skilled at waka, and the verdict of the day ranked him alongside Ki-no-Tsurayuki and Taira-no-Kanemori (Note: following the Imakagami). While still young he rose in succession through the Seiga offices. In the first year of Chian he was appointed Gon-Dainagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). At the end of the Chōkyū era, the post of Ukonoe-no-taishō fell vacant, and Yorimune thought, "It is only natural that I should fill it," but his nephew Michifusa was appointed to it by an unusual promotion. Yorimune was greatly disappointed, shut his gate, and did not attend at court. Soon Michifusa died, and Yorimune became Ukonoe-no-taishō (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the second year of Eishō he was appointed Naidaijin. In the first year of Kōhei he was granted Junior First Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku) and permitted to enter the palace gate in a hand-drawn carriage (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the third year of Kōhei he was transferred to Udaijin. In the first year of Jiryaku he died, at the age of seventy-three (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He was known as the Horikawa Udaijin (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). His son Kaneyori became Senior Second Rank Gon-Chūnagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Kaneyori's younger brother was Toshiie.

Fujiwara-no-Toshiie

¶Fujiwara-no-Toshiie was appointed Kurōdo-no-tō, Head Chamberlain, during the Chōgen era, but was struck from the register for the offense of having someone strike Fujiwara-no-Tsunesuke at a drinking party in the Imperial Residence's audience hall (Note: the Kojidan says the following. In the second year of Kantoku, at a drinking party in the audience hall, Toshiie, who was then Tō-no-Chūjō, Head Chamberlain and Middle Captain, was seated there when he broke wind, and everyone present covered their mouths and stifled their laughter. Toshiie then bit into a kōji, a kind of mandarin orange, making a noise, in an attempt to deceive people's ears. Fujiwara-no-Tsunesuke whispered to the person beside him, "The kōji makes no sound after all," and at that everyone burst out laughing, unable to hold back. Toshiie, ashamed and enraged, drew his shaku, ceremonial baton, and struck Tsunesuke, and for this he was charged with disrespect and struck from the register. On consideration, Toshiie must by this time already have been Junior Second Rank Sangi, Counsellor, so it makes no sense to call him Tō-no-Chūjō, and the content of the story is also vulgar, so it is not adopted here). Soon he was restored to office (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Rekidai Kōki).

¶Between the Chōryaku and Chōkyū eras he was appointed Sangi and advanced to Junior Second Rank. In the third year of Eishō he became Gon-Chūnagon. At the beginning of Jiryaku he was transferred to Gon-Dainagon. In the Jōryaku era he reached Udaijin. In the second year of Eihō he died, at the age of sixty-four (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin; the Ichidai Yōki says sixty-two). He was known in his day as the Ōmiya Udaijin. His diary is called the Dai-uki (Note: following the Ninna-ji Shoseki Mokuroku).

¶Toshiie was skilled at songs. Violating the prohibition on night duty, he happened to come to the Shishinden, and, looking at the cherry trees in full bloom, leaned on the railing and, beating time, sang the song "Sakurabito." The musician Ō-no-Masakata heard it, could not contain his emotion, and danced the "Chikyūraku" to accompany it, it is said. People passed this story on and praised it (Note: following the Hōbutsushū and the Kokon Chomonjū).

¶His son Munetoshi became Gon-Dainagon. His second son Morokane became Sangi (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). His second son Mototoshi is in the biographies of poets. His second son Motoyori became Chinju-shōgun, General in Command of the Garrison. His second son Munemichi became Gon-Dainagon. Toshiie's younger brother Yoshinaga left to become the adopted son of his uncle Yoshinobu and reached Naidaijin (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Yoshinaga's younger brother Motosada became Governor of Mino (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Motosada's younger brother Yoshisue became Gon-Chūnagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin) and was called the Ise Chūnagon (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Norimichi

¶Fujiwara-no-Norimichi had the childhood name Yojigimi (Note: following the Ōkagami). During the Kankō era he rose in succession to Sakonoe-no-gon-no-chūjō, Provisional Middle Captain of the Left Palace Guards, and was granted Third Rank. In the second year of Chōwa he was at once appointed Gon-Chūnagon. In the first year of Chian he became Naidaijin. In the first year of Eishō he concurrently became Kōtaitei-no-fu, Tutor to the Crown Prince's younger brother. The following year he was appointed Udaijin. Between Tengi and Kōhei he was permitted the use of the hand-drawn carriage and the ox carriage and was transferred to Junior First Rank Sadaijin (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). He replaced Yorimichi as head of the Fujiwara clan, and in the first year of Jiryaku he was granted one banchō, guard sergeant, each of the Left and Right Palace Guards and three guardsmen each as zuijin. In the fourth year of Jiryaku he replaced Yorimichi as Kanpaku (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Fusō Ryakki).

¶When Emperor Go-Sanjō ascended the throne, Norimichi repeatedly submitted letters of resignation as Kanpaku, which were not granted, and he was dismissed as Sadaijin (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). At that time the emperor had forbidden the reappointment of provincial governors, but Norimichi, wishing to build the Nan'endō of the Kōfukuji, asked that for the sake of its cost the reappointment of governors be carried out as of old. The emperor, his beard trembling, was greatly angered and said, "The reason the court particularly honors the Sesshō and Kanpaku is only that such a person may become the emperor's maternal grandfather. My case is different from that. What is there for me to be wary of?" and sternly rejected the petition. Norimichi, indignant, shook out his sleeves and rose, and cried out in a loud voice, "Ministers and counsellors of the Fujiwara, all of you, resign your posts! The might of the Kasuga deity is exhausted from today." Thereupon all the Fujiwara rose and followed Norimichi out. The emperor had no choice but to call them back and grant the request (Note: following the Zoku Kojidan).

¶When a dispute arose between the governor of Yamato and the Kōfukuji, the emperor himself judged it, and his intention lay with the governor. Norimichi was displeased at this, and so the emperor yielded and followed him (Note: following the Gukanshō). In the second year of Enkyū he was appointed Daijō-daijin but soon resigned. In the second year of Jōho he died, at the age of eighty. He was posthumously granted Senior First Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He was known as Ō-Nijō-dono (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). His writings include the Chōchiki and the Nitōki (Note: following the Ninna-ji Shoseki Mokuroku).

¶His son Nobuie became Senior Second Rank Gon-Dainagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin) and was called Yamanoi (Note: following the Imakagami and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Nobuie's younger brother Nobunaga held one prominent office after another and in the first year of Enkyū was appointed Naidaijin (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). When Norimichi died, he wished to make Nobunaga Kanpaku in his place, but in the end his cousin Morozane succeeded him (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the fourth year of Jōryaku he was appointed Daijō-daijin (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Fusō Ryakki); it was the first case of anyone becoming Daijō-daijin directly, without passing through the offices of Sadaijin and Udaijin (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). In the second year of Kanji he was granted Junior First Rank. In the first year of Kahō he died, at the age of seventy-three (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). He was called Kujō (Note: following the Imakagami and the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Arikuni

¶Fujiwara-no-Arikuni had the style name Ken. He was a descendant of Fujiwara-no-Uchimaro, Minister of the Right. His ancestor six generations back, Manatsu (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku; the style name follows the Gōdanshō), became Ukonoe-no-chūjō, Middle Captain of the Right Palace Guards, during the Daidō era and was appointed Sanindō Kansatsushi, Inspector of the San'indō circuit. In the early years of Kōnin he was dismissed as Inspector and became Sangi, but was implicated in an incident and demoted to Bitchū-no-gon-no-kami, Provisional Governor of Bitchū (Note: everything from "six generations back" to here is an account of Manatsu). Arikuni's father Sukemichi was Governor of Buzen (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

¶From his youth Arikuni served his father well and once accompanied him to his post. When his father fell suddenly ill and lay at the point of death, Arikuni prayed earnestly to Taizan Fukun, the lord of Mount Tai, for his father's life. Soon his father revived, and people said that his filial devotion had reached Heaven (Note: following the Kojiki and the Jikkinshō).

¶During the Jōgen era he was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower and held in succession the posts of Governor of Iwami, Governor of Echigo, and others; after serving as Kurōdo, Chamberlain, and U-no-chūben, Middle Controller of the Right, he was appointed Kurōdo-no-tō and granted Junior Third Rank. In the Shōryaku era he was implicated in an incident and struck from the register (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Once, when the Kanpaku Kaneie was on his deathbed and, wishing to choose a successor from among his sons, consulted Arikuni, Arikuni recommended Michikane. Kaneie did not follow this and, adopting the word of Taira-no-Korenaka, in the end had his eldest son Michitaka succeed to the office. Michitaka resented Arikuni for this, and now at last he was slandered (Note: following the Gōdanshō and the Kojidan). Everyone thought that Arikuni had been convicted of a crime he did not commit.

¶Afterwards, when Michitaka died and Michinaga took the reins of power, Arikuni became Dazai-no-daini, Senior Assistant Governor-General of Dazaifu. At that time Michitaka's son Korechika, because of an offense, had been demoted to Dazai-no-sotsu, Governor-General of Dazaifu. Hearing of this at his post, Arikuni said with deep feeling, "Because I was that man's father's man, I was stripped of office though I had done no wrong, and even so I thought it a disgrace. How much more so for him, a noble who is maternal kin to the emperor, to be exiled to a distant frontier. How great his shame must be." He therefore sent his son Hironari to meet him and had him say, "Because of my duties I cannot go out to the outskirts to meet you myself. If you lack any of the things you need, please tell me whatever it may be. I am old and yet still living, and to have this chance to serve you is precisely the time for me to show my sincerity." He delivered dozens of gifts and looked after Korechika in every way. Korechika was greatly ashamed but was moved by this kindness and became especially close to him. People praised this, it is said (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari).

¶In the first year of Chōhō he was concurrently made Danjō-no-daihitsu, Senior Assistant Minister of the Board of Censors. In the third year of Chōhō he was appointed Sangi and granted Junior Second Rank. In the eighth year of Kankō he died, at the age of sixty-nine (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

¶Arikuni, together with Fujiwara-no-Koreshige, was known in the world for his literary talent (Note: following the Honchō Monzui). Arikuni once handed his own meibu, name register of submission, to Koreshige. Koreshige was startled and said, "Fujiwara-no-Ken (Arikuni) and the Shikibu-no-taifu (Koreshige) have long been men who stand side by side, so how can you do such a thing?" Arikuni answered, "I would rather pass between one man's legs to stand above the heads of ten thousand," it is said (Note: following the Gōdanshō and the Kojidan; the Gōdanshō gives "Shikidai" as Koreshige's style name, but since Koreshige was appointed Shikibu-no-taifu, it is clear that this is not a style name).

¶Arikuni was intelligent and capable in character, and was closely favored and valued by the Sesshō Michinaga. When Michinaga once built the Higashisanjō mansion, he had Arikuni supervise it. On the south pillars of the covered corridor by the western spring, only one bay in the middle had not had its nageshi, lintel timber, put in. Michinaga saw this and thought it not sturdy, but Arikuni made no excuse and left it as it was. At the ceremony of the installation of Jōtōmon-in as Empress, for the first time a palanquin was to enter the palace, and when the palanquin passed through this corridor, one bay of the corridor was wide open and presented no obstruction. Arikuni looked up and pointed to the space over the corridor to show Michinaga. Only then did Michinaga realize how deep and far-sighted Arikuni's care had been (Note: following the Jikkinshō and the Kojidan).

¶When Jōtōmon-in was having a difficult labor, Michinaga was extremely anxious, hurriedly opened the shōji, sliding screens, came out from within, consulted the kugyō, and wished to have prayers performed. Arikuni was present and answered, "She has already given birth; what is there to pray for now?" Before he had finished speaking, a lady-in-waiting came running to announce the birth of a prince, and everyone cried out banzai. Later Michinaga asked Arikuni, "How did you know it?" and Arikuni answered, "Just now I saw you open the screens and come out, and thinking that since the screens were already open, the birth must have come, I knew" (Note: following the Jikkinshō).

¶Once someone plotted to attack Arikuni under cover of darkness. Arikuni heard of it and stood in the dark holding oil. Sure enough, a man came by intending to attack him, and Arikuni poured oil over his sleeve. The next day, checking for that mark, the man could not talk his way out of it. Arikuni's quick wit was generally of this kind (Note: following the Gōdanshō).

¶His sons were Hironari, Kinnari, and Sukenari. Hironari held in succession the posts of Monjō-hakase, Doctor of Letters, Governor of Harima, Shikibu-no-taifu, and Sadaiben, Major Controller of the Left, and reached Junior Second Rank Sangi. Kinnari became Chūgū-no-daishin, Senior Secretary to the Empress's Household. Sukenari held office after office and reached Junior Third Rank Shikibu-no-taifu, and his house took the name Hino. Hironari's grandson was Masaie.

Fujiwara-no-Masaie

¶Fujiwara-no-Masaie had talent for learning and excelled at waka, and passed the taisaku, the civil service examination (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He held office after office and was appointed Sashōben, Minor Controller of the Left, concurrently Monjō-hakase (Note: following the Benkan Bunin). He shared a reputation with Ōe-no-Masafusa. Emperor Go-Sanjō at that time was giving his full trust to Masafusa, and Masaie was not yet known to the emperor.

¶By chance there was a fire in the palace, and none of the kugyō or close attendants had yet come running. When the emperor went out to the Nanden, the southern hall, Masaie, who was on night duty, attended the emperor as he came out of the Naishidokoro, entered the Ukon-no-jin, the Right Guards' station, to ask for a palanquin, and came as far as the front of the steps to receive him. The emperor, wondering, asked, "Who is it?" and Masaie answered, "Sashōben Masaie." The emperor said, "As you are a Benkan, you had best stay near my presence," and Masaie, still attending him, brought him outside. By this Masaie came to be known to the emperor on his own merit. People of the time praised his promptness, it is said (Note: following the Imakagami).

¶Later he reached Senior Fourth Rank Lower Udaiben, Major Controller of the Right, concurrently Kurōdo-no-tō. At the beginning of Eihō, when Sanemasa was to be transferred out to a provincial post, Masaie too was demoted and became Governor of Wakasa (Note: following the Benkan Bunin). Later he was wounded by robbers and died (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Hyakurenshō). He was eighty-one. His son was Toshinobu. Fujiwara-no-Toshinobu became Sashōben. Sukenari's son was Sanemasa.

Fujiwara-no-Sanemasa

¶Fujiwara-no-Sanemasa was granted gakuryō, a student stipend, at the end of the Chōgen era, soon was appointed Monjō-tokugōshō, Graduate of the Literature Course, and passed the taisaku (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). When Emperor Go-Sanjō was still the Crown Prince's younger brother, Sanemasa, as a learned elder scholar, became Tōgū-gakushi, Scholar to the Crown Prince, and was particularly trusted by the emperor. Their feelings were deeply in accord and they associated as intimately as friends, it is said (Note: following the Jikkinshō).

¶He served as Jidoku, reader-in-attendance, for fifteen years. During the Kōhei era he left for provincial office and became Governor of Kai (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). The emperor composed a poem in sending him off, saying that the people of the province would freely sing the praises of the kantō, the sweet pear, honoring a good governor, but that he should not forget the pleasures of wind and moon enjoyed together over so many years (Note: following the Kojidan, the Jikkinshō, and the Imakagami). He is also said to have comforted Sanemasa with a waka (Note: following the Shin Kokin Wakashū, the Kojidan, and the Jikkinshō).

¶When the emperor ascended the throne, Sanemasa again became Tōgū-gakushi. In the fourth year of Enkyū he became Sachūben, Middle Controller of the Left (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Once, when the emperor was still Crown Prince, Sanemasa went as envoy to the Kasuga shrine and at Kizu met Fujiwara-no-Takakata. Takakata boasted of his family and insulted Sanemasa. Upon returning, Sanemasa wept and complained of this to the Crown Prince. At this point Takakata had become Gon-no-sachūben, Provisional Middle Controller of the Left, and Sanemasa too asked for the post of Sachūben. The emperor said, "In nothing should there be even the slightest departure from reason. When first appointing someone to Sachūben, would it be right to make him a full holder of the office at once?" Then the Kurōdo-no-tō Fujiwara-no-Sukenaka was at his side and said, "Sanemasa only wishes to wash away his resentment from Kizu as soon as he can." The emperor thought for a while and then said, "I shall pray to Amaterasu Ōmikami about this," and in the end passed over Takakata and appointed Sanemasa Sachūben. Takakata happened to be at court and, hearing that the appointments were being made, thought that he would be given the post of Sachūben, but when the matter was opened it turned out that he was instead made concurrently Bitchū-no-gon-no-kami, and he left in shame and resentment, it is said (Note: following the Imakagami, with reference also to the Zoku Kojidan; that Takakata became Bitchū-no-gon-no-kami follows the Benkan Bunin).

¶In the reign of Emperor Shirakawa, Sanemasa held office after office and reached Sangi. During the Eihō era he was transferred to Dazai-no-daini (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Soon he was granted Junior Second Rank. In the second year of Kanji, implicated in the matter of the Hachiman shrine, he was exiled to Izu. On the way he shaved his head. The court felt sorry for him and sent comforting messages. Soon he died (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). His son Atsumune became Shikibu-no-taifu (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).