Biographies LXIX: Fujiwara-no-Morozane, Moromichi, Ietada, Norinaga and Yorisuke; Minamoto-no-Morofusa, Toshifusa and Moroyori

Fujiwara-no-Morozane

¶Fujiwara-no-Morozane was a son of the Kampaku, Regent, Fujiwara-no-Yorimichi. In the Tenki era (1053-1058) he was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower, became Jijū, Chamberlain, and Sakonoe-no-gon-no-chūjō, Provisional Middle Captain of the Left Guards, was advanced to Junior Third Rank, was appointed Gon-chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor, and was then transferred to Gon-dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor. In the third year of Kōhei (1060) he became Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior. In the first year of Jiryaku (1065) he was appointed Udaijin, Minister of the Right, and granted Junior First Rank. At the beginning of the Enkyū era (1069) he concurrently served as Tōgū-no-fu, Tutor to the Crown Prince, and soon afterwards was transferred to Sadaijin, Minister of the Left (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). When Emperor Go-Sanjō ascended the throne, the emperor showed a strong determination to renew the government and strove to reform old abuses (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Zoku Kojidan). Before this, most emperors of successive reigns had had the Fujiwara as their maternal kin, and the real power of government had entirely passed to the families of the emperors' maternal relatives. Emperor Go-Sanjō was brilliant by nature, and as a grandson of Emperor Sanjō through his mother he was in a position to do without the authority of the Sesshō and Kampaku (Note: the Setsuroku, Regent and Chancellor); from the time he was Crown Prince he had always disliked Yorimichi's high-handedness. Yorimichi, for his part, realized that he was not accepted by the emperor and withdrew to Uji (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). Yorimichi used to admonish Morozane, saying: "You must not miss a single day of attendance at court. Even when nothing is happening in the palace, you must be in waiting." The emperor had the Kurōdo, Chamberlains, keep watch over the courtiers in the Tenjō hall and report to him two or three times a day, "So-and-so is in attendance, so-and-so is not," but Morozane alone never failed a single night of duty. After secretly observing him for several months, the emperor one night suddenly summoned Morozane and spoke to him in private, asking, "Do you have a daughter?" Morozane answered, "I have one daughter." The emperor said, "Let her serve the Crown Prince as a Hin, consort." Morozane bowed in thanks and withdrew. In truth Morozane had no daughter of his own; he had adopted Kenshi, the daughter of his wife's brother, and it was she of whom he had spoken. Morozane resolved to report the matter to Yorimichi, made ready that very night, and went to Uji, where he told Yorimichi and thanked him, saying: "I have always received your kind instruction and have not neglected my attendance at court. That today I have indeed been granted this glorious command is truly owing to you." Yorimichi was deeply moved and wept tears of joy. Kenshi entered the household of the Crown Prince and won great favor. In time the Crown Prince ascended the throne as Emperor Shirakawa and installed Kenshi as Chūgū, Empress (Note: following the Gukanshō). Originally, when Yorimichi had handed the post of Kampaku over to his younger brother Norimichi, he had made him promise, "Afterwards, pass this on to my son," but Norimichi in the end broke that promise. Yorimichi died still harboring resentment. In the second year of Jōhō (1075), when Norimichi lay on his sickbed, at the point of death he petitioned the emperor, asking that his son Nobunaga succeed him as Kampaku, and the emperor granted it. Morozane was dismayed. Once, when the emperor happened to visit the Empress, the Empress was combing her hair and her tears fell and wet the mat. The emperor, puzzled, pressed her for the reason. The Empress answered: "The Minister of the Left, Morozane, has heard that Your Majesty means to make Nobunaga Kampaku. He cannot bear his grief and shame and intends to hide himself in the mountains and forests. If that happens, I too will be parted from Your Majesty for ever." The emperor was greatly alarmed and at once summoned the officials concerned and decided to appoint Morozane Kampaku (Note: following the Kojidan). When Emperor Horikawa received the abdication and ascended the throne, the office of Kampaku was changed to that of Sesshō, Regent. In the second year of Kanji (1088) Morozane received the post of Daijō-daijin, Chancellor, but soon resigned it. In the fourth year (1090) he again became Kampaku and conducted affairs of state as if he were Sesshō. In the first year of Kahō (1094) he resigned as Kampaku; this was granted, and his Zuijin, escorts, and Hyōjō, armed guards, were left as before, and he was permitted to enter the palace without leaving his Rinsha, hand-drawn carriage. In the third year of Kōwa (1101) he shaved his head and changed his name to Hōkaku. In that same year he died, at the age of sixty (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku. The name Hōkaku is from the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He was known in his time as the Go-Uji Nyūdō, the Later Lay Priest of Uji, and was also called the Kyōgoku Kampaku (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). His diary is called the Kyōgoku Kampaku-ki (Note: following the Kyōgoku Kampaku-ki as cited in the account of Emperor Go-Sanjō's accession). His sons were Moromichi, Ietada, Tsunezane, Yoshizane, and Tadanori. Tsunezane was a Senior Second Rank Dainagon, Major Counsellor, and his house was called Ōinomikado. When Emperor Nijō ascended the throne, in recognition of the favor owed to him as maternal grandfather, he was posthumously granted the rank of Senior First Rank and the office of Daijō-daijin (Note: following the Imakagami). Yoshizane was a Senior Second Rank Dainagon, and his house was called Onomiya. Tadanori was a Senior First Rank Dainagon, and his house was called Naniwa (Note: consulting the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Kugyō Bunin).

Fujiwara-no-Moromichi

¶Fujiwara-no-Moromichi was broad in capacity by nature and loved learning without tiring of it; he was widely versed in many fields of study and was also skilled in the seal and clerical scripts and in music. He studied the classics and histories under Ōe-no-Masafusa, and he studied the biwa under the Dazai-no-sotsu, Governor-General of Dazaifu, Minamoto-no-Tsunenobu, and was reputed to surpass even his teacher (Note: following the Geki Nikki). Between the Enkyū and Jōhō eras he was promoted in rapid succession and was granted Senior Third Rank (Note: following the Geki Nikki). In the first year of Jōryaku (1077) he was appointed Sangi, Counsellor, and concurrently served as Sakonoe-taishō, Commander of the Left Guards (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Suisaki. The Shokugenshō says that Moromichi was the first Counsellor to hold concurrently the post of Konoe-taishō, but, considering the matter, there were earlier cases, such as Kose-no-Notari and Fujiwara-no-Fuyutsugu, who served as Counsellor and Commander together; it may be that its author, Chikafusa, happened to overlook them). During the Eihō era (1081-1084) he rose to Naidaijin. In the first year of Kahō (1094) he became Kampaku in place of his father and was granted Junior First Rank (Note: following the Geki Nikki, the Kugyō Bunin, and the Imakagami). Moromichi was fond of worthy men and cherished scholars; he promoted those who excelled in learning and dismissed those who chased after power and profit. Between the Kahō and Eichō eras (1094-1097) the realm was orderly and hushed. In the first year of Kōwa (1099) he fell ill, and in a memorial asked to resign his office (Note: following the Geki Nikki). Soon afterwards he died, at the age of thirty-eight (Note: following the Geki Nikki and the Kugyō Bunin). He was known in his time as the Go-Nijō-dono, Lord of the Later Nijō (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). His diary is called the Go-Nijō Kampaku-ki (Note: following the Go-Nijō Kampaku-ki). Masafusa once praised Moromichi, saying: "When I look up at your majestic bearing, I cannot think you an ordinary man of this world. It is a pity that we cannot show you to men of foreign lands" (Note: following the Geki Nikki and the Imakagami). Earlier, in the Kahō era, the monks of Enryaku-ji had carried their sacred palanquin and pressed on the Imperial Palace with a petition. Moromichi ordered Nakatsukasa-no-jō, Secretary of the Ministry of Central Affairs, Minamoto-no-Yoriharu, to defend against them, and Yoriharu had a jinin shot dead (Note: a jinin was a shrine servant who carried the palanquin). The monks were enraged and cursed Moromichi. Since Moromichi happened to die shortly afterwards, the world took it for divine punishment (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki and the Gukanshō. The name Yoriharu is from the Jōsuiki). At this time the Retired Emperor Shirakawa had already abdicated but still conducted the government himself, and officials from every office constantly crowded his gate. Moromichi sighed, saying: "Is it right that so many carriages and horses should stand thick at the gate of a sovereign who has abdicated?" After Moromichi's death, the Retired Emperor grew ever more unrestrained, and the people of the time lamented and regretted this (Note: following the Imakagami). His son Tadazane has a separate biography. Iemasa was a Senior Third Rank Sangi; because he was strict and violent by nature, the people of the time called him the Sanjō Akusaishō, the Wicked Counsellor of Sanjō. Ietaka was a Junior Fourth Rank Shōnagon, Minor Counsellor (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Ietada

¶Fujiwara-no-Ietada took the house name of Kazan-in. Between the Enkyū and Ōtoku eras (1069-1087) he was promoted in rapid succession to Gon-chūnagon and was granted Junior Second Rank. In the second year of Kanji (1088) he was advanced to Senior Second Rank. In the fifth year (1091) he was transferred to Gon-dainagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). When Moromichi died, by order of seniority in age Ietada ought to have become Kampaku. But his father Morozane had taken his grandson Tadazane (Moromichi's son) into his own household as his son, and intended to place Tadazane in the position of Setsuroku (Note: Regent or Chancellor). The emperor therefore had Tadazane handle the affairs of the Daijōkan, Council of State. In the fifth year of Kōwa (1103) the post of Ukonoe-taishō, Commander of the Right Guards, fell vacant, and Ietada desired it. The Retired Emperor also intended to appoint his favorite Fujiwara-no-Munemichi to it. Ietada secretly consulted Tadazane, who said: "There is no other course. If you rely on the Chūgū, the Empress, to be your private patron, you may gain what you wish." Ietada followed these words and made his request to the Empress in secret. But the Empress knew that the Retired Emperor's intention could not be overturned, and did not venture to speak on his behalf. Soon afterwards the Retired Emperor sent the U-daiben, Major Controller of the Right, Fujiwara-no-Munetada, to convey his wishes to the emperor. At that moment the emperor was playing the flute in the Benden, the side hall, and when Munetada made his report, the emperor deliberately pretended not to hear. Munetada waited for an opening and reported again, but the emperor did not answer; still playing the flute, he slowly rose and withdrew to the inner rooms. Munetada, fearing the Retired Emperor's reproach, asked to be given a reply quickly. The emperor then appeared and said: "As to appointing Munemichi as Taishō, I shall comply as I am commanded. Yet I am in some doubt. In former times there was a teaching of this kind: 'In government what is to be valued most is the appointment of men. From the ministers and generals above down to the Yugei-no-jō, the Lieutenants of the Guards, one should choose men of ability with skill, following solely where the opinion of the world turns.' I have kept this deeply in mind. Considering the present appointment in my own way, the Gon-dainagon Ietada is in no way comparable to Munemichi in rank, ability, or reputation. How could I pass over this Ietada and take Munemichi? If there is a man of talent who stands out in the world, then even if his rank is low and his office slight, he may be raised up. But I have never heard that Munemichi's talent surpasses that of others. Report this to the Retired Emperor." When Munetada conveyed this answer, the Retired Emperor was ashamed and gave way, and so Ietada was appointed Taishō (Note: following the Imakagami). In the first year of Hōan (1120), the Kampaku Tadazane offended against the Retired Emperor's wishes over an incident. The Retired Emperor was angry, suspended his office of Nairan, Inspector of Documents, and, intending to replace him with Ietada, consulted his favorite Fujiwara-no-Akitaka. Akitaka said: "What of what happened on the raised stand on the day of the Inari Festival?" The Retired Emperor therefore thought better of it. Some time earlier a rumor had spread that "on the day of the Inari Festival Ietada held a drinking party on a raised stand with his kinsman by marriage Fujiwara-no-Akisue and others, and gravely damaged the dignity proper to a Kugyō, high court noble," and Akitaka cited this in slandering Ietada (Note: following the Gukanshō). The following year Ietada was transferred to Sakonoe-taishō, Commander of the Left Guards. In the first year of Tenshō (1131) he was appointed Sadaijin and granted Junior First Rank. In the second year of Hōen (1136) he was permitted to enter the palace without leaving his ox-drawn carriage. In that year he died. He was seventy-five.

¶His son Tadamune was a Gon-chūnagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He wrote the Kan'yōki (Note: following the Ninna-ji Catalogue of Books). His grandson Tadamasa became Daijō-daijin. Tadachika was Naidaijin and was called Nakayama (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). He wrote the Mizukagami and the Sankaiki (Note: following the Ninna-ji Catalogue of Books).

Fujiwara-no-Norinaga

¶Fujiwara-no-Norinaga, whose childhood name was Monju, was a son of Tadanori. He was skilled in waka poetry and also good at calligraphy, and learned the method of the regular script of Fujiwara-no-Sukemasa (Note: following the Imakagami). Between the Daiji and Kōji eras (1126-1145) he was promoted in rapid succession, became Kurōdo-no-tō, Head Chamberlain, and was appointed Sangi. In the fifth year of Kyūan (1149) he was granted Senior Third Rank. In the first year of Hōgen (1156) he was transferred to Sakyō-no-daibu, Master of the Left Capital Office (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Norinaga was a close attendant of the Retired Emperor Sutoku. When the Retired Emperor was about to raise troops, Norinaga remonstrated but could not stop him, and was deeply distressed. He told the Naidaijin, Fujiwara-no-Saneyoshi, in secret, and Saneyoshi likewise joined Norinaga in reporting to the throne that the rising should not be undertaken, but neither was heeded. When the matter failed, Norinaga shaved his head and lived at Kōryū-ji (Note: following the Hōgen Monogatari) and took the Buddhist name Shinren (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Because Norinaga had been a close attendant of the Retired Emperor, the court sent men to arrest him and sentenced him to exile at Ukishima in Hitachi province (Note: following the Hōgen Monogatari. The place name Ukishima is from the Imakagami). In the second year of Ōhō (1162) he was recalled (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). Afterwards he lived in retirement on Mount Kōya and ended his days there (Note: following the Imakagami). He wrote the Shūi Kokin (Note: following the Ninna-ji Catalogue of Books).

¶Norinaga's younger brother Yorisuke was appointed Bungo-no-kami, Governor of Bungo, in the Eiryaku era (1160-1161). Between the Ōhō and Nin'an eras (1161-1169) he became Dazai-no-shōni, Junior Vice-Governor-General of Dazaifu, and Kōgōgū-no-suke, Assistant Master of the Empress's Household. In the Kaō era (1169-1171) he received the post of Gyōbu-kyō, Minister of Justice, and rose to Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the second year of Juei (1183), when the Taira took the emperor with them and tried to enter Dazaifu, Yorisuke's son Yoritsune refused them (Note: following the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Jōsuiki). In the second year of Bunji (1186) he died (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Yorisuke had a large nose, and people called him "Hana Bungo," Big-Nosed Bungo (Note: following the Heike Monogatari and the Genpei Jōsuiki).

Fujiwara-no-Yorisuke

¶Minamoto-no-Morofusa was at first called Sukesada and was the eldest son of Imperial Prince Tomohira (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). When he was only two years old, the Prince looked at him in wonder and said, "This child has the countenance of a general. In later years he will surely become a Taishō" (Note: following the Zoku Kojidan). When he grew up, his talent and judgment were broad and deep, he was skilled in prose, and he excelled in waka as well (Note: following the Imakagami). The Kampaku Fujiwara-no-Yorimichi made a father-and-son compact with Morofusa (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku; the Eiga Monogatari and the Imakagami say that he was an adopted son of Fujiwara-no-Michinaga) and gave his own younger sister to Morofusa as his wife. Someone once privately spoke of the plainness of the wife's looks, but Morofusa said, "A husband and wife are brought together for a little while by fate; whether she is fair or plain is not worth troubling the heart over" (Note: following the Hōbutsushū and the Eiga Monogatari). In the fourth year of Kannin (1020) he was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower, was given the surname Minamoto-no-Ason, and changed his name to the present one. Soon afterwards he became Jijū, Chamberlain, and Ukonoe-no-chūjō, Middle Captain of the Right Guards. In the first year of Manju (1024) he was promoted in succession and granted Junior Third Rank. In the third year (1026) he was appointed Gon-chūnagon. Between the Chōgen and Kōhei eras (1028-1065) he became Gon-dainagon and concurrently served as Ukonoe-taishō. In the first year of Jiryaku (1065) he received the office of Naidaijin. When Emperor Go-Sanjō ascended the throne, he was transferred to Udaijin, keeping the post of Taishō as before, and was permitted to enter the palace gate without leaving his hand-drawn carriage. When Emperor Shirakawa ascended the throne, still greater honor was added: he was granted Junior First Rank, permitted the use of an ox-drawn carriage, transferred to Sakonoe-taishō, and soon concurrently made Kōtaishi-no-fu, Tutor to the Crown Prince. In the first year of Jōryaku (1077) he wished to resign his offices because of illness, but a courteous edict did not permit it (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). The emperor sent the Kurōdo-no-tō, Head Chamberlain, Minamoto-no-Toshizane, to have him receive the office of Daijō-daijin at his residence. He died that very day, at the age of seventy (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Kugyō Bunin). He was called Tsuchimikado (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). His writings include the Jo'i Jimoku-shō and the Doyūki (Note: following the Ninna-ji Catalogue of Books). His sons were Toshifusa, Akifusa, Morotada, and Hirotsuna. Morotada was a Senior Second Rank Dainagon and was called the Sawa Dainagon. Hirotsuna was a Junior Fourth Rank Lower Settsu-no-kami, Governor of Settsu (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Minamoto-no-Morofusa

¶Minamoto-no-Toshifusa was granted Junior Second Rank in the Tenki era (1053-1058) and appointed Sangi (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). The former Saiin, High Priestess of Kamo, Imperial Princess Kenshi, was living together with the Empress Dowager, and Toshifusa had a secret liaison with her. The Crown Prince was greatly angered and reported the matter to the emperor in order to have the offense set right. The emperor, having no choice, suspended Toshifusa from attendance at court (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari and the Kojidan). Soon afterwards he was advanced to Senior Second Rank and appointed Gon-chūnagon. But until the end of Emperor Go-Sanjō's reign he was not given great responsibility. In the Jōryaku era (1077-1081) he was appointed Dainagon, and soon concurrently became Mutsu-Dewa Azechi, Inspector of Mutsu and Dewa (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the second year of Eihō (1082) the office of Udaijin fell vacant, and the emperor, unable to decide on a choice, consulted Ōe-no-Masafusa, who recommended Toshifusa. The emperor said: "I think so too. But Akifusa (Toshifusa's younger brother) is the actual father of the Empress, and if I do not appoint him now, I fear that he may take the tonsure and renounce the world. There are many others of earlier appointment who also cherish hopes, and that is why I cannot decide." Masafusa said: "The post of minister is not an office to which one advances by order of seniority; what matters is to obtain the suitable man. Moreover, has Akifusa not already served as a provincial governor?" The emperor said: "It is not that there have been no cases of men who passed through provincial governorships and rose to be ministers. Sugawara-no-Michizane is an example." Masafusa said: "Lord Michizane was a Monjō-hakase, Professor of Letters, and so the case is different. Besides, judging by human feeling, would a younger brother envy and resent the elder brother's rising to be minister?" (Note: following the Imakagami). The emperor therefore appointed Toshifusa Udaijin. The next year he was transferred to Sadaijin. In the seventh year of Kanji (1093) he concurrently became Sakonoe-taishō (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Kugyō Bunin). The next year he was granted Junior First Rank. In the third year of Kahō (1096) he was permitted the use of a hand-drawn carriage. In the second year of Hōan (1121) he left office and shaved his head (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin) and took the name Jakushun (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Go-Shūi Ōjōden). He died. He was eighty-seven (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Go-Shūi Ōjōden). He was called the Horikawa Safu, the Minister of the Left of Horikawa (Note: following the Imakagami and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). His diary is called the Suisa-ki (Note: following the Ninna-ji Catalogue of Books and the printed edition of the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Toshifusa was well versed in affairs of government, and his talent had been handed down through three generations from his grandfather Imperial Prince Tomohira. He had a gift for letters and was also excellent at calligraphy. Many of the tablets hung at the gates of palace halls were in his hand (Note: following the Go-Shūi Ōjōden; the Imakagami was also consulted). His sons were Moroyori, Morotoki, and Morotoshi.

Minamoto-no-Toshifusa

¶Minamoto-no-Moroyori was learned, had an excellent memory, and had a gift for letters (Note: following the Imakagami). He received instruction in learning from Ōe-no-Masafusa (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū). Between the Eihō and Jōtoku eras (1081-1099) he was gradually promoted, was appointed Sangi, and concurrently served as Uhyōe-no-kami, Commander of the Right Gate Guards. In the reign of Emperor Horikawa, Minamoto-no-Mototsuna, the Sa-daiben, Major Controller of the Left, and Fujiwara-no-Munetada, the U-daiben, and others, though all of them were his juniors, passed over Moroyori and became Gon-chūnagon. Moroyori resented this and shut himself up at home, not attending court for several years. For this he was dismissed from the post of Uhyōe-no-kami. Because heavenly portents and earthly disasters had occurred often in recent years, Emperor Sutoku gave an imperial order to the hakase, scholars, of the various disciplines, asking them for a means of quelling them. The scholars all answered: "If talented men are employed and allowed to relieve their pent-up feelings, this will accord with the heart of Heaven." Moroyori was therefore appointed Gon-chūnagon (Note: following the Kojidan). After taking office he became the Shōkei, presiding noble, of the Sekiten, the rite honoring Confucius, and he inquired about precedent before doing anything. Fujiwara-no-Narimichi, by way of consolation, said to him: "You shut yourself up at home for so long, taking no part in public duties, and yet you now humbly seek out precedents like this; surely you fear that there may be mistakes." Moroyori turned and answered only, "Is it not said that on entering the Great Temple one asks about everything?" and said nothing more. Narimichi was ashamed (Note: following the Jikkinshō and the Kojidan). Soon he was transferred to Dainagon and granted Senior Second Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Ichidai Yōki). In the fifth year of Hōen (1139), when the summer drought continued and prayers for rain were offered to the deities of Niu and Kifune, Moroyori conducted the rite. At that time the Dai-naiki, Senior Secretary, could not attend for certain reasons, and the Shō-naiki, Junior Secretary, Fun'ya-no-Sukenaga, took his place in the proceedings, but was unable to compose the senmyō, the imperial proclamation. Moroyori wrote it in his place, and on leaving said, "This senmyō will surely meet with a response from the deities," and indeed heavy rain fell for three days (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū). In that year he died. He was seventy (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku; the Kugyō Bunin and the Ichidai Yōki give seventy-two). He was called Ononomiya. His younger brothers were Morotoki and Morotoshi (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Morotoki excelled in poetry, was renowned for his talent, and was praised by Masafusa (Note: following the Imakagami). He rose to Senior Third Rank Gon-chūnagon and concurrently served as Kōtaigōgū-no-daibu, Master of the Empress Dowager's Household (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). His writings include the Kutsu-ki (Note: following the printed edition of the Sonpi Bunmyaku) and the Chōshūki (Note: following the Ninna-ji Catalogue of Books). When Morotoki died, the Retired Emperor Toba ordered his house to present these records, had them stored in the Toba Kita-dono, the North Hall of Toba, and inscribed on the lid of the chest in which they were kept the title "Gon-no-daibu Shidai" (Note: following the Imakagami). Morotoshi also rose through successive promotions to Gon-chūnagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Minamoto-no-Moroyori

¶Minamoto-no-Akifusa excelled in waka, and although in learning he did not equal his elder brother, he enjoyed considerable reputation in his time (Note: following the Imakagami). In the reign of Emperor Go-Reizei he passed through the posts of Jijū, Ukonoe-no-shōshō, Junior Captain of the Right Guards, and Chūjō, Middle Captain, became Kurōdo-no-tō, concurrently served as Ōmi and Suō-no-suke, Assistant Governor, and Iyo-no-gon-no-kami, Provisional Governor of Iyo, was appointed Sangi, was granted Senior Third Rank, and was then transferred to Gon-dainagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). When Emperor Shirakawa ascended the throne, because he was the father of the Empress he passed over his elder brother Toshifusa and concurrently became Ukonoe-taishō (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the third year of Eihō (1083), when Toshifusa was transferred to Sadaijin, Akifusa succeeded him as Udaijin and kept the office of Konoe-taishō as well (Note: following the Eiga Monogatari). In the seventh year of Kanji (1093) he fell ill, and the emperor, by imperial order, pardoned prisoners guilty of minor offenses and prayed for his recovery (Note: following the Chūyūki). In the first year of Kahō (1094) he was granted Junior First Rank. In that year he died. He was fifty-eight (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Chūyūki, and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). The emperor grieved deeply, suspended his meals, suspended morning audience for three days, and posthumously granted him Senior First Rank (Note: following the Chūyūki). He was known in his time as the Rokujō Uufu, the Minister of the Right of Rokujō (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶Before this, Minamoto-no-Takatoshi, Jibu-kyō, Minister of Civil Administration, had a daughter, and in order to choose her husband he summoned a physiognomist and asked which of Toshifusa and Akifusa was the more suitable. The physiognomist answered, "Both of them will later rise to be ministers." Asked further which of the brothers would flourish the more, he answered, "The younger brother will flourish more. He may perhaps beget a sovereign. Or else someone who will rise to a position without equal will surely come from his descendants." Later Akifusa's son Masazane rose to Daijō-daijin, and his daughter Kenshi became Empress of Emperor Shirakawa and bore Emperor Horikawa, so that the words came true exactly (Note: following the Imakagami). Akifusa's sons were Masazane, Akinaka, Masatoshi, Kunizane, Akimasa, and Masakane (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶Masazane has a separate biography. Akinaka was a Junior Third Rank Sakyō-no-daibu, concurrently Jingi-haku, Head of the Department of Divinities (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). He was skilled in waka (Note: following the Kin'yōshū and the printed edition of the Sonpi Bunmyaku) and also good at calligraphy (Note: following the Jikkinshō and the Kokon Chomonjū). When Minamoto-no-Toshiyori received an imperial command to compile the Kin'yōshū, Akinaka did not think well of it and compiled a separate work, the Ryōgyokushū (Note: following the Yakumo Mishō and the Ninna-ji Catalogue of Books). In the fourth year of Hōen (1138) he died. He was eighty-one (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). Masatoshi was a Senior Second Rank Gon-dainagon. Kunizane was a Senior Second Rank Gon-chūnagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin), and his house was called Bōjō (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Akimasa was a Senior Second Rank Gon-dainagon and died in the second year of Hōen (1136) (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). His house was called Yamamomo (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Akimasa was coarse and frivolous by nature and had no particular talent (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū). It was said in the world, "Of those who rose to be Kugyō without being able to compose poetry, Akimasa was the first" (Note: following the Kojidan). Emperor Horikawa excelled at playing the flute, and once said to his attendants: "I wish to play the Gojōraku-no-kyū a hundred times. When you see the grasses and trees begin to dance, tell me at the fiftieth time." The musician Tokimoto raised the blind and announced, "The trees are moving," and it was indeed as the emperor had said. All who were present admired the reply, but Akimasa said lightly, "It is not that the trees moved of themselves. The wind blew and made them so," and all who stood by covered their mouths to stifle their laughter (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū and the Taigenshō). Masakane was a man of talent and knowledge and excelled in poetry (Note: following the Imakagami). In the first year of Tenshō (1131) he was granted Junior Third Rank and appointed Gon-chūnagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). The Retired Emperor Shirakawa often praised his ability, and once said to Emperor Toba: "I once employed Fujiwara-no-Michitoshi and Ōe-no-Masafusa, and they were truly rare ministers of renown in recent times; I thought that I had obtained good men for myself. Masakane today is hardly inferior to these two" (Note: following the Kojidan). In the first year of Hōen (1135) he left office because of illness. Whenever there was an important discussion at court, Emperor Toba would receive Masakane in audience and consult him (Note: following the Imakagami). In the second year of Kōji (1143) he died. He was sixty-five. He was known in his time as the Usugumo Chūnagon, the Thin-Cloud Middle Counsellor. His writings include the Raiki (Note: following the Ninna-ji Catalogue of Books).