Biographies LXXV: Fujiwara-no-Yorinaga, Morinaga, Michinori and Narinori

Fujiwara-no-Yorinaga

¶Fujiwara-no-Yorinaga was the second son of Fujiwara-no-Tadazane, Dajō-daijin, Chancellor. His childhood name was Ayamewaka. In the Chōshō era (1132-1135) he was granted Senior Second Rank and became Gon-dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor. At the beginning of Hōen (1135) he concurrently served as Ukonoe-taishō, Commander of the Right Palace Guards, and was appointed Naidaijin, Minister of the Center. In the fifth year of Hōen (1139) he concurrently became Tōgū-no-fu, Tutor to the Crown Prince, and was transferred to be Sakonoe-taishō, Commander of the Left Palace Guards (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku. The childhood name follows the Taiki). Because Fujiwara-no-Michinori urged him to study, Yorinaga took Michinori as his teacher, and also studied under Minamoto-no-Moroyori and Fujiwara-no-Narisuke, and in addition learned inmyō (Buddhist logic) from the monk Egyō. His reputation for talent grew day by day, and his father Tadazane cherished him above all others (Note: written following the Imakagami, the Taiki, and the Hōgen Monogatari). In the second year of Kōji (1143) Yorinaga first began to study the Book of Changes. Yorinaga said: "Next year is a Kinoe-Ne year and falls under the fortune of revolution, so the era name ought to be changed. It would be well to study the Changes and discuss this matter. Yet people say, 'Those who study the Changes meet with misfortune,' or 'One should begin only at the age of fifty.' These are groundless, mistaken theories and not worth believing. According to Huang Kan's commentary on the Analects, there is no harm at all in studying while young." Nevertheless he still felt doubt and fear, so he ordered Abe-no-Yasuchika to hold a sacrifice to Taishan Fujun (the Lord of Mount Tai) beside a river. It was raining and snowing at the time, and Yorinaga, wishing to call off the ceremony, said: "One who studies the Changes seeks to fathom the principles of heaven and earth and to understand the logic of the rise and decline of all things. Yet there are those who say it brings the curse of spirits and demons. To fathom principle is right; to speak of the curse of spirits is perverse. How could Heaven let the perverse prevail over the right?" Before long the snow cleared. Yorinaga was overjoyed and, taking it that Heaven had given its consent, washed his hands, rinsed his mouth, and read the Book of Changes. He summoned Fujiwara-no-Narisuke and had him lecture on its meaning day after day until he had exhausted it. He also received instruction in the art of divination by yarrow stalks (zei) from Michinori. The change of era to Ten'yō was in the end decided by Yorinaga's own hand (Note: following the Taiki). One day, while discussing with Michinori which should come first in the order of divination, Michinori was bested in the argument, and warned Yorinaga: "Your talent is far too high; you have no equal in either past or present. I privately fear for you. I beg you to stop studying." Yorinaga inwardly took pleasure in this (Note: following the Taiki and the Hōgen Monogatari). In the third year of Kyūan (1147), by imperial edict, Yorinaga was made Ichi-no-kami, Head of the Council of State. In this year, at the Niinamesai harvest festival, Yorinaga served as Naiben, Inner Master of Ceremonies, but made a mistake in the ritual, and, deeply ashamed, said: "Of my ancestors who held the post of Ichi-no-kami there were about three, and all of them bestowed their virtue upon the world and were looked up to by all under heaven. None failed as I have. Above, I have defied the heart of Heaven; below, I have betrayed the expectations of the people. Neither Heaven nor men stood with me, and so I brought on this blunder. There can be no greater disgrace." The following year the post of Shikubu-no-gon-no-shōyū, Provisional Junior Assistant Minister of Ceremonial, fell vacant, and Narisuke, who was then Kai-no-gon-no-kami, Provisional Governor of Kai, petitioned to be appointed to it. Yorinaga recommended Narisuke, saying: "Narisuke excels in talent and learning and stands out above his peers. If he is not promoted, how can the younger generation be encouraged? Moreover I studied under Narisuke as my teacher and came to know some letters. Now, fortunately, I have served as a minister for thirteen years; I beg that my own merits be extended to Narisuke and that his request be granted. In that way, in public it will be the employment of talent, and in private it will be a repayment of kindness." By imperial order this was permitted (Note: following the Taiki). In the fifth year of Kyūan (1149) he was appointed Sadaijin, Minister of the Left, and granted Junior First Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the sixth year of Kyūan (1150) the emperor came of age. Yorinaga had earlier adopted as his daughter Tashi, a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Kinyoshi, the elder brother of his wife, and at this time she entered the palace and became a Nyōgo, Consort. At about the same time, his elder brother Tadamichi had likewise adopted Teishi, a daughter of Fujiwara-no-Koremichi, and brought her into the court, intending to have her raised to empress. Teishi had originally been the adopted daughter of Bifukumon'in. Yorinaga wished to have Tashi made Empress, and asked Tadamichi to petition the Retired Emperor. The Retired Emperor could not decide between them. Yorinaga suspected that Tadamichi was obstructing the matter, and secretly submitted a written memorial seeking a ruling. The Retired Emperor replied: "I have never had any intention of passing over Tashi. Earlier Tadamichi reported that 'since the reign of Emperor Suzaku, no one but the daughter of the regent has been raised to empress'; therefore you should have Tadazane make the petition. If Tadazane petitions, how could Tadamichi refuse?" Accordingly Yorinaga had the petition made through Tadazane's favored concubine. Tadazane went to the Kayanoin and submitted a memorial: "Today I beg that Tashi be formally invested as Empress." Yorinaga also memorialized: "The mothers of Emperors Reizei, En'yū, and Horikawa were none of them daughters of regents." Further, he consulted with Tadazane and sent a letter to Bifukumon'in to make the plea. The Retired Emperor replied: "I will proceed toward issuing the proclamation of the regency." And he admonished Tadamichi accordingly. But he merely said that "the investiture follows precedent," without saying that Tashi would be the one raised. Tadazane and Yorinaga were greatly perplexed. Yorinaga said to Tadazane: "If Tashi cannot become Empress, I will take Buddhist vows." Tadazane was troubled by this. Soon Teishi was granted Junior Third Rank, so Yorinaga petitioned again through Fujiwara-no-Suekata, a close retainer of the Retired Emperor: "If Teishi is invested first, I will take Buddhist vows." Tadazane too submitted another earnest memorial. The Retired Emperor still could not decide. Tadazane went himself before the Retired Emperor and said in tears: "Yorinaga is of a hasty nature. If this matter is not accomplished, he will take the tonsure. I am past seventy, and I would lose one of my sons. I beg Your Majesty to grant it for my sake, and there is no need to inquire whether it accords with precedent. Moreover, is there not, in recent times, the precedent of the Empress-mother of Emperor Horikawa?" The Retired Emperor at last raised Tashi to Empress. Yorinaga was overjoyed. Teishi soon became Chūgū, the Second Empress (Note: following the Taiki). On every occasion Yorinaga slandered what Tadamichi did, and their mutual suspicion deepened day by day. Tadazane also came to hold Tadamichi at a distance, took back from him the Shuki Daiban (the vermilion vessels and banquet table, symbols of the head of the Fujiwara clan), which he had granted him, gave them to Yorinaga, and made Yorinaga Uji-no-chōja, head of the clan. At this time the emperor greatly disliked Yorinaga's arrogant behavior. At the New Year court assembly (Gan'e) of the first year of Ninpei (1151), Yorinaga served as Naiben. The emperor went behind the curtained dais and did not come out (Note: written following the Taiki and the Gukanshō). When dawn broke, the emperor sent a messenger to report to the Retired Emperor that "Yorinaga will come again tomorrow," and Yorinaga was not permitted to attend court. In this month there were appointments of ranks and offices. Tadamichi had Taira-no-Noriie, Sa-shōben, Junior Controller of the Left, ask the Retired Emperor, "Whom shall we have as Shuhitsu, the clerk who draws up the documents?" The Retired Emperor answered, "The Minister of the Left." The emperor summoned Noriie and ordered, "Have the Minister of the Right do the writing," but Noriie replied with the edict of the Retired Emperor. The emperor was angry and said, "Then report my words to the Retired Emperor," and Noriie reported them as ordered. The Retired Emperor was greatly angered and said: "I merely summoned the Minister of the Left. When there is a senior man, how could one use the one below him for no reason?" He then sent a letter to Tadazane and urged Yorinaga forward. Soon an edict was issued giving him the right of Nairan, preliminary inspection of documents of the Council of State (Note: following the Taiki. Noriie's family name follows the Benkan Bunin and the Taira genealogy). At that time Tadamichi was still serving as Kampaku, Chief Advisor, and when yet another such order was issued, everyone was astonished and perplexed (Note: following the Gukanshō and the Hōgen Monogatari). In the third year of Ninpei (1153) the Retired Emperor decreed that Yorinaga should conduct the examination of the Shinshi, candidates for the Advanced Scholar degree (Note: following the Hyakurenshō; the Retired Emperor's edict follows the Kokon Chomonjū). Yorinaga proposed: "The Ministry of Ceremonial reports that 'the grand ritual of the Sekiten, the Confucian memorial rite, has long been neglected since the Kannin era, and no one knows its procedure.'" He therefore drew up a draft of the ritual procedure, submitted it to the throne, and ordered the various offices to carry it out (Note: following the Taiki. The matter since Kannin follows the Hyakurenshō). In the second year of Kyūju (1155) Yorinaga submitted a memorial seeking to resign as Minister of the Left and from the office of Nairan, but it was not granted (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). When the emperor died, a council to decide on the successor was held at once, but the Retired Emperor consulted only with Tadamichi, and Yorinaga could take no part (Note: following the Gukanshō). At about this time someone told Yorinaga: "Someone had a shrine-maiden call down the spirit of the late emperor, and through the maiden's mouth the spirit said, 'Someone once drove a nail into the eye of the image of the Heavenly Lord on Mount Atago to curse me. It is because of this that I lost my sight and died.' The Retired Emperor sent men to investigate, and it was exactly as the words said. Bifukumon'in and the Kampaku suspect that this was the doing of Tadazane and Yorinaga, and for that reason the Retired Emperor deeply hates the two of you." Hearing this, Yorinaga was terrified and swore by Heaven and the sun that he was innocent (Note: following the Taiki). Before long, when Emperor Go-Shirakawa ascended the throne, Yorinaga's right of Nairan was suspended (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Tadazane petitioned that Yorinaga be made Tutor to the Crown Prince. The Retired Emperor said: "The Crown Prince is one whom the Nyoin, the Retired Empress Bifukumon'in, has raised. Yorinaga was often discourteous toward the Nyoin. I think that after I am gone, Yorinaga surely will not be loyal to the Crown Prince. How can he be given the post of tutor?" Yorinaga, frightened, submitted a memorial to the Retired Emperor explaining his situation. The Retired Emperor consoled and instructed him. Yorinaga prayed at various shrines to be restored to the office of Nairan, and Tadazane too petitioned the Retired Emperor, but in the end it was never granted (Note: following the Taiki). The Retired Emperor had never been well disposed toward the Retired Emperor Sutoku, and Yorinaga had often slandered the Retired Emperor. When Tadamichi fell into disfavor with the Retired Emperor, Yorinaga flattered and served him. But in time the Retired Emperor came gradually to hate Yorinaga and made exclusive use of Tadamichi. At this point Yorinaga began to ingratiate himself with the Retired Emperor Sutoku (Note: written following the Taiki, the Gukanshō, and the Hōgen Monogatari). When Emperor Konoe had died, the Retired Emperor Sutoku had thought that he himself would ascend the throne again, or else that Imperial Prince Shigehito would. But because Emperor Go-Shirakawa ascended the throne, he was deeply grieved and resentful. In the first year of Hōgen (1156), the Retired Emperor Toba died. The Retired Emperor Sutoku summoned Yorinaga and consulted him about raising a great undertaking. Thinking that if it succeeded he himself would become regent (Note: following the Hōgen Monogatari), Yorinaga answered: "Opportunity is hard to gain and easy to lose. Now that the Retired Emperor has died, the moment has already arrived. Decide swiftly, and do not harbor any more doubts" (Note: following the variant text of the Hōgen Monogatari). The Retired Emperor at last moved to the Shirakawa Kita-dono and gathered troops. When matters became pressing, he had his officers and men guard the gates on all four sides, and Yorinaga asked Minamoto-no-Tametomo for a plan. Tametomo replied, "Let us attack the Takamatsu-dono by night and take them by surprise," but Yorinaga was unable to adopt it. Before long the emperor's side sent Minamoto-no-Yoshitomo and others to attack, and the generals of the Retired Emperor's side met them but were utterly defeated. As Yorinaga tried to flee, a stray arrow struck him in the head (Note: the Gukanshō says that Chikugo-no-zenji Minamoto-no-Shigesada shot it), and he could no longer speak. Fujiwara-no-Morinori and others helped him into a carriage. Hearing that Tadazane was at Nara, he set out to see him, and on reaching the Kizu River sent word to Tadazane, but Tadazane would not see him. Yorinaga, enraged, bit through his own tongue and at last died on the Nara Slope (Note: following the Hōgen Monogatari. Nara Slope follows the Kugyō Bunin). The court sent men to have his grave dug up (Note: following the Hyakurenshō and the Hōgen Monogatari). In the reign of Emperor Takakura, an envoy was sent to his grave to bestow posthumously Senior First Rank and the office of Dajō-daijin (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Hōgen Monogatari).

¶Yorinaga was handsome in appearance, but severe and merciless in character. At court councils, if a high noble arrived late or differed with him in opinion, he humiliated him with particular harshness, and in bad cases he even had the man's residence torn down or burned. The people of the time called him "Aku-safu," the Wicked Minister of the Left (Note: written following the Gukanshō, the Imakagami, and the Hōgen Monogatari). Yet when he rebuked someone, from officials down to menial servants, he always questioned them closely about the circumstances and made clear who was in the right. If the man's account was reasonable, he admitted his own fault and apologized (Note: following the Hōgen Monogatari). Tadazane had once ordered Tadamichi to adopt Yorinaga as his son (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Gukanshō, and the Hōgen Monogatari; that Tadazane gave the order follows the Imakagami), but when Tadazane came to hold Tadamichi at a distance, Yorinaga exerted all his strength in opposing him (Note: following the Taiki). Tadamichi was skilled in waka and Chinese poetry and was also a fine calligrapher. Yorinaga mocked him, saying: "Such things are mere trifling skills and are of no use to the state" (Note: following the Hōgen Monogatari). He also mocked someone who held three provinces, Bizen and others, together, saying: "He has served as regent for two emperors and lives off the taxes of three provinces. It is splendor, to be sure, but does he not realize that his greed will stain his own name?" After Yorinaga became head of the clan he came to detest Tadamichi all the more and never again associated with him (Note: following the Taiki). Even so, when they met in the court hall Yorinaga still conducted himself with propriety. When Tadazane asked the reason, Yorinaga answered: "How could I disrupt the order of elder and younger brother, which Heaven has established, merely because our opinions differ?" (Note: following the Gukanshō). At the beginning of Kyūju (1154) the post of Udaijin, Minister of the Right, happened to be vacant. Yorinaga, who had long been close to the Dainagon Fujiwara-no-Munesuke, schemed to have the Naidaijin Fujiwara-no-Saneyoshi transferred to Minister of the Right and Munesuke appointed Naidaijin. Yorinaga submitted a memorial to the Retired Emperor saying: "Munesuke is nearly eighty years old, yet among the Major Counsellors his loyal diligence has no equal. He ought to be promoted. If he is passed over and the next in rank is raised instead, I too intend to resign my office." The Retired Emperor consented but it was not carried out. At that time Fujiwara-no-Koremichi, the father of the Chūgū, was also a Major Counsellor, next in rank after Munesuke, but because the Chūgū was Tadamichi's adopted daughter, Yorinaga sought to push Koremichi aside by exalting Munesuke. Yorinaga's sly and cunning methods were generally of this kind. Yorinaga habitually loved to study the classics and their commentaries, his memory was extraordinarily good, and he never let books out of his hands. When he visited the Kasuga Shrine several times, he read the Ruijū Sandai Kyaku in the boat and said: "We should read Chinese books above all, but even while traveling we ought also to read the books of our own country." On one occasion he read widely in the Nanshi (History of the Southern Dynasties), and at mealtimes and in the bath he always had five scribes recount its main points to him so that he could listen. Afterward, when he tested himself by reciting it, of the five hundred and ninety-one matters recounted, he remembered two hundred and eighty-five, and he was ashamed that he had still not retained them all. He loved to buy books, and on the east and west sides of his library he set up shelves named the Yōdana (Yang shelves) and the Indana (Yin shelves). He divided his books into four categories, classics, histories, miscellaneous records, and works of Japan, and many of the books he had copied out himself (Note: following the Taiki). His writings include the Jisōki and the Taiki (Note: following the Ninna-ji book catalogue). He was called Uji-no-Sadaijin, the Minister of the Left of Uji. His sons were Kanenaga, Morinaga, and Takanaga, and the monk Hanchō (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Hōgen Monogatari). Kanenaga became in childhood the adopted son of his uncle Tadamichi (Note: following the Taiki), rose to Senior Second Rank and Gon-chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor, and concurrently served as Ukonoe-taishō (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). At the beginning of Hōgen he was implicated in his father's affair and exiled to Izumo. Takanaga was exiled to Izu, and Hanchō to Aki (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku. The Hōgen Monogatari gives Hitachi for Izu, and the Nakarai text gives Awa for Aki, but both are probably mistaken).

Fujiwara-no-Morinaga

¶Fujiwara-no-Morinaga's childhood name was Manjumaro (Note: following the Taiki). In the Ninpei era (1151-1154) he was appointed Ukonoe-gon-no-chūjō, Provisional Middle Captain of the Right Palace Guards, and Sangi, Counsellor, and was repeatedly promoted until he reached Junior Second Rank. In the Kyūju era (1154-1156) he became Gon-chūnagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). At the beginning of Hōgen he was implicated in his father Yorinaga's affair and exiled to Hata in Tosa (Note: following the Imakagami and the Hōgen Monogatari). In the second year of Chōkan (1164) he was pardoned and returned to the capital (Note: following the Imakagami, the Hōgen Monogatari, and the Genpei Jōsuiki. The place name Hata follows the Genpei Jōsuiki). When the Azechi (Inspector) Minamoto-no-Sukekata asked how things had been in his place of exile, Morinaga did not answer but merely murmured the phrase "Kan Kō lives alone," meaning to withdraw from the world and live in seclusion. Sukekata, hearing this, hid his tears (Note: following the Kokonshū and the Jikkinshō). The Retired Emperor summoned Morinaga and said: "I have not heard the biwa for a long time." And he handed him a biwa. Morinaga first played Gaonon and then went on to play Genjōraku. The Retired Emperor and his attendants, hearing it, sighed in admiration and praised him (Note: following the Jikkinshō). In this year Morinaga was restored to his former rank and advanced to Senior Second Rank. In the Nin'an era (1166-1169) he was transferred to Dainagon, Major Counsellor, and concurrently became Sakonoe-taishō (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). He was called Tosa-no-Daishō, the General of Tosa (Note: following the Jikkinshō). At the beginning of Angen (1175) he was appointed Naidaijin, and in the first year of Jishō (1177) he received the office of Dajō-daijin and was granted Junior First Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the third year of Jishō (1179) Taira-no-Kiyomori, angered that courtiers had schemed to bring him down, exiled several dozen men. Morinaga was banished to Itoda in Owari (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki), had his head shaved, and changed his name to Rikaku (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the fourth year of Jishō (1180) he was pardoned and returned to the capital (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). He died in the third year of Kenkyū (1192) at the age of fifty-six (Note: following the Rekidai Kōki). He was called Myōon'in (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Morinaga was intelligent from childhood and loved music; he excelled above all at the biwa and the koto, and mastered the deepest secrets of both (Note: following the Imakagami). Minamoto-no-Koremori, Shikibu-no-taifu, Senior Assistant Minister of Ceremonial, had studied the biwa under Morinaga. When Morinaga was to be exiled to Tosa, Koremori saw him off as far as Daimotsu-no-ura. Morinaga, moved and delighted, transmitted to him the secret piece "Sōkaiha" (Note: following the Imakagami and the Hōgen Monogatari. The Senzai Wakashū and the Jikkinshō give Koremori as Koreshige). When the provinces suffered drought and every kind of prayer had proved ineffective, Morinaga, by imperial command, played the biwa at the Hie Shrine, and a rain of blessing fell at once. People marveled at this and praised Morinaga as "Ame-no-Otodo," the Minister of Rain (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki). Morinaga once said to someone: "'By watching the dance and listening to the music, one can tell the rise and fall of a country' is the teaching of the sages of old. The shirabyōshi now performed among the common people have a sound belonging to the Shō note, the note of a doomed state. The posture of the dance is also not upright; the dancers stand gazing at the sky and have an air of anxious brooding" (Note: following the Aizuchi-Nōshō and the Zoku Kojidan). His writings include the Sangō Yōroku and its Yōryaku, the Jinchi Yōroku and its Yōryaku, and the Aouma no Sechie-shō (Note: following the Ninna-ji book catalogue). His son Morotae was Ukonoe-shōshō, Junior Captain of the Right Palace Guards, and Moroyoshi held Junior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Michinori

¶Fujiwara-no-Michinori was a grandson of Suetsuna, Daigaku-no-kami, Director of the University, and a son of Sanekane, Kaga-no-jō, Third-Rank Official of Kaga. He became the adopted son of Takashina-no-Tsunetoshi, Nagato-no-kami, Governor of Nagato (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku. This work states that "Michinori used the Takashina name, but in the generation of his descendants all returned to the original surname." However, the Mudai Shishū, the Sakusha Burui, and the Ninna-ji book catalogue all write him as Fujiwara-no-Michinori. From this it appears that Michinori had already reverted to his original surname. This is followed here). He served at the courts of Emperors Toba, Sutoku, and Konoe, was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower, and was appointed Hyūga-no-kami, Governor of Hyūga (Note: written following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Imakagami). Michinori was skilled at reading faces. One day he looked at his own reflection in a mirror of water and saw the sign of a sword piercing his head, and inwardly thought it ill-omened. Later, when he met a physiognomist, he was told likewise that it was an evil sign. Michinori, troubled, asked, "How can I ward off this misfortune?" and the man answered, "If you take Buddhist vows you will escape it. But what happens after you pass seventy, even I cannot tell." Michinori believed these words and thought of taking vows, but because his own rank was low, he secretly petitioned the Retired Emperor, saying: "I wish to take Buddhist vows, but I would regret being called 'Hyūga Nyūdō,' the Lay Monk of Hyūga, by the world. I beg that I be appointed Gon-shōnagon, Provisional Junior Counsellor." The Retired Emperor did not grant it (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). In the Kōji era (1142-1144) Michinori again petitioned to be allowed to shave his head. The Retired Emperor asked the former Chūnagon Fujiwara-no-Akiyori about the matter. Akiyori answered, "Michinori is a man of talent without peer in the realm, and none stands above him. It would be better not to grant his request." Michinori nevertheless pressed his petition. In the first year of Ten'yō (1144) he was at last appointed Shōnagon, Junior Counsellor. Soon he shaved his head, changed his name to Enkū, and then again to Shinzei (Note: following the Taiki). In the first year of Hōgen (1156), the Minister of the Left Fujiwara-no-Yorinaga, bearing the Retired Emperor Sutoku, took up a position at the Shirakawa-dono and gathered troops, intending to attack the palace. Michinori, by imperial command, consulted Minamoto-no-Yoshitomo on military matters. Yoshitomo offered a plan, and they won the victory. When the disturbance had been put down, Yorinaga's partisans Fujiwara-no-Naritaka, Fujiwara-no-Morinori, and others hid themselves and did not appear. Michinori devised a stratagem and had their sentences proclaimed, "so-and-so is exiled to such-and-such a province, so-and-so is banished to such-and-such a place." The rebel partisans, thinking their offenses did not amount to death, shaved their heads and surrendered. Michinori seized every one of them. Minamoto-no-Tameyoshi, Taira-no-Tadamasa, and eighteen others also asked to surrender. Michinori at last argued that they should be put to death. The Minister of the Right Fujiwara-no-Masasada, the Major Counsellor Fujiwara-no-Koremichi, and others argued: "Since the reign of Emperor Saga, the death penalty has never been inflicted on a court official. How can it be carried out so suddenly now? It would be better to reduce the sentence by one degree." But Michinori firmly refused to yield and memorialized: "I have heard that in an extraordinary emergency the sovereign should decide on his own. If rebels are now exiled to the provinces, it may leave the seeds of later disaster. There is nothing better than to behead them all." The emperor followed him (Note: following the Hōgen Monogatari). Michinori's wife Fujiwara-no-Asako was the emperor's wet nurse. For this reason Michinori was especially trusted, and there was nothing in the affairs of the realm in which he did not have a hand (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). Earlier the Kampaku Tadamichi, troubled that the palace had fallen into ruin and the court ceremonies had lapsed, had petitioned for repairs, but Emperor Toba, concerned about the burden and expense to the people, had not allowed it. When Michinori came to control the government, he petitioned for repairs again. Michinori carried out the calculations himself and made his plans day and night. The halls, gates and corridors, and the buildings of the various offices and the Eight Ministries were completed in little more than a year. The morning audiences and the palace banquets were also all restored to the old forms. Following the precedent of the Enkyū era he also established the Kirokujo, the Records Office, and had it decide government affairs (Note: written following the Gukanshō, the Jinnō Shōtōki, the Imakagami, and the Heiji Monogatari). When Emperor Nijō received the abdication and took the throne, government came to proceed from the Retired Emperor (Go-Shirakawa). Michinori's power grew ever greater. At that time the Gon-chūnagon Fujiwara-no-Nobuyori was favored by the Retired Emperor and was on bad terms with Michinori. Nobuyori asked to be appointed Konoe-taishō, Commander of the Palace Guards. The Retired Emperor told Michinori of this. Michinori said: "Conferments of rank and appointments to office are the great statutes of the state. If the wrong person is chosen, then above one goes against the heart of Heaven and below against human feeling. In the past, when the Retired Emperor Shirakawa wished to make the Dainagon Fujiwara-no-Munemichi a General, Emperor Horikawa would not permit it, and when the Cloistered Emperor Shirakawa wished to appoint the Chūnagon Fujiwara-no-Ienari a Dainagon, the high nobles debated and judged it inadmissible. Even the post of Dainagon ought not to be lightly given to anyone, and still less that of General. If Nobuyori is appointed to this, it will bring about arrogance and he will bring ruin and defeat on himself. I beg you to reconsider for a little while." The Retired Emperor was displeased on hearing this. Michinori had three scrolls of pictures made depicting the deeds of An Lushan of Tang and presented them to the Retired Emperor (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). And in the postscript he wrote: "Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was a wise ruler of recent times. Yet he was careful at the start of his reign and negligent at its end. Although he enjoyed such a heyday that he performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices on Mount Tai, he could not escape the humiliation of fleeing to the land of Shu. Now, drawing on several Tang histories and the Tang Calendar, the Tang Annals, and the Biography of the Consort Yang, I have set out his conduct in detail and set it down in pictures. I humbly hope that sage emperors and enlightened kings of later ages, seeing these pictures, will be careful about the gains and losses of government and moral teaching" (Note: following the Gyokukai). This was probably meant to liken Nobuyori to An Lushan. Nobuyori, hearing of it, bore a deep grudge (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). Minamoto-no-Yoshitomo had once asked to marry his daughter to Michinori's son Korenori, but Michinori declined, and soon took a daughter of Taira-no-Kiyomori as the wife of his son Narinori. Yoshitomo was displeased at this (Note: following the Gukanshō). Nobuyori took advantage of this, allied himself closely with Yoshitomo, and plotted to kill Michinori (Note: following the Gukanshō and the Heiji Monogatari). In the first year of Heiji (1159), taking the opportunity while Kiyomori had gone on pilgrimage to Kumano, Nobuyori and Yoshitomo raised troops. On this day there was a portent, a white rainbow piercing the sun, and Michinori, alarmed that a sudden disturbance would break out in the palace that night, went straight to the Sanjō-dono. The Retired Emperor happened to be at a banquet of amusements, and Michinori's children were all in attendance at his side. Fearing to spoil the Retired Emperor's pleasure, Michinori did not report directly but secretly told a court lady before withdrawing. Returning home, he told his wife, "The heavenly portent is such that you should inform the children," then galloped his horse and fled to Ōwadahara. Fujiwara-no-Moromitsu, Fujiwara-no-Narikage, and two others followed him (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). Nobuyori and Yoshitomo did not know that Michinori had fled, and consulted, saying, "Michinori and his sons are always in attendance at the Retired Emperor's palace, so we should seize and kill them," and that same night they led troops, surrounded the Sanjō-dono, and set it afire (Note: following the Gukanshō). When dawn broke they burned down Michinori's residence and killed many of his maids and concubines. On his flight, as Michinori passed Ishidōyama, he again saw an anomaly among the stars and said with a sigh: "This is an omen that a loyal minister will take disaster upon himself in place of his lord. Now the lord is weak and his subjects strong. If a loyal minister is to suffer disaster in his lord's place, that will surely be I." He sent Narikage to the capital to learn how matters stood, and the report came back that an upheaval had occurred. Michinori, terrified and at a loss, dug a hole in the ground, buried himself in it, and, drawing breath through a bamboo tube, recited the name of the Buddha. Moromitsu and the others shaved their heads, became monks, and left weeping with grief. Minamoto-no-Mitsuyasu, Izumo-no-zenji, Former Governor of Izumo, led troops to search for Michinori's whereabouts, seized his attendants and questioned them sharply, learned the facts, and dug up the place. Michinori had not yet breathed his last, but his head was at length cut off, paraded through the streets of the capital, and displayed at the prison gate (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari. The Gukanshō says that Shinzei stabbed himself in the chest and died; which is correct is not known).

¶Earlier, when Michinori was about to shave his head, Fujiwara-no-Yorinaga had lamented: "Your lofty talent is the foremost of this age, yet no one in the world recognizes it, and you are this unfortunate. I have always been ashamed of this on the court's behalf. If you withdraw from the world, who will devote himself to learning? This is Heaven wishing to destroy our country." Michinori in turn said to Yorinaga: "I am of ill fortune and could not attain any prominent post. Now that I am about to leave the world, people will surely say that 'Heaven does not, after all, grant happiness to the talented, and even learning is allowed to decline.' I hope that Your Excellency will devote yourself to learning." So saying, the two faced each other and wept (Note: following the Taiki). Michinori was a man of vast talent and wide learning, versed in precedents and old texts, and also well acquainted with Buddhism and astronomy (Note: following the Imakagami and the Kojidan). When the Retired Emperor Toba made a pilgrimage to Kumano, he summoned the Song monk Tankai and gave him audience, but they could not understand each other's speech. When Michinori interpreted, his exchanges flowed without hesitation. Tankai asked, "Did you study in Song, or are you a man of Song?" Michinori answered, "I once thought I might be sent as an envoy to a foreign land, and so I have learned a little of foreign tongues, that is all" (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). His writings include the Honchō Seiki and the Hōsō Ruirin, and a Nihongi Chū in two volumes (Note: following the Ninna-ji book catalogue. The Nihongi Chū is from other books). He also loved song and dance, and once selected excellent pieces from among the melodies and taught them to the courtesan Iso-no-Zenji to dance. The shirabyōshi is said to have begun in this way (Note: following the Tsurezuregusa). His sons were Toshinori, Sadanori, Narinori, Naganori, and Mitsunori, and the others all became monks: Jōken, Chōken, Kanbin, Kenyō, Kakuken, Myōhen, Shōken, Gyōken, Kenshun, Kanken, and Kenkei (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Toshinori studied at the Kangakuin. In the Kōji era he passed the examination in policy questions (taisaku) and became Monjō-hakase, Professor of Letters; after serving as Shikubu-no-shō, Junior Assistant Minister of Ceremonial, he was appointed Gyōbu-no-taifu, Senior Assistant Minister of Justice, was made Kurōdo-no-tō, Head Chamberlain, and was granted Senior Fourth Rank Lower. In the first year of Heiji (1159) he was appointed Sangi (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the twelfth month of the same year, implicated in his father's affair, he was exiled to Echigo (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Michinori had once criticized Emperor Go-Shirakawa, remarking that "he does not notice that there are subjects at his side plotting rebellion." Someone who heard of this said, "What lack of discernment, to take no precautions." But Michinori had an extraordinary memory, and what he had once heard he never forgot over the years. And when he meant to undertake something, he decided and carried it out, without holding to old customs. Such were his strengths. Toshinori also said privately to someone: "The Retired Emperor is just like Emperor Hui of Jin. It will not be long before struggles for power such as the War of the Eight Princes break out." People thought these words hit the mark (Note: following the Gyokuyō, entry for the first year of Genryaku. This work records only "Toshinori Nyūdō," without separating the family name; since the Sonpi Bunmyaku says that Michinori's son Toshinori became a monk, they are considered the same person and so set down here). Sadanori was also implicated and exiled to Tosa; Korenori was exiled to Sado, Naganori to Oki, Jōken to Awa, and Chōken to Shimotsuke. Kanbin was exiled to Kōzuke, Kenyō to Mutsu, Kakuken to Izu, Myōhen to Echigo, and Shōken to Aki, and later all were recalled (Note: the Heiji Monogatari gives Izumo for Toshinori, Oki for Sadanori, Awa for Korenori, Awa for Naganori (there written Shūken), Tanba for Jōken, Shinano for Chōken, Kazusa for Kanbin, and Iyo for Kakuken). Sadanori was Junior Fourth Rank Lower, and Shōnagon, and Korenori was Junior Fifth Rank Lower, and Shōnagon (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Naganori was Sangi and Senior Third Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Narinori

¶During the Ninpei (1151-1154) and Hōgen (1156-1159) periods, Fujiwara-no-Narinori was repeatedly promoted until he became Harima-no-kami, Governor of Harima, was appointed Sakonoe-chūjō, Middle Captain of the Left Palace Guards, and advanced to Junior Fourth Rank Upper (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). At the time of Nobuyori's rebellion, Fujiwara-no-Tsunemune and Fujiwara-no-Korekata had both sided with Nobuyori. When they came to see that the affair would not succeed, they escorted the emperor to Rokuhara. After the disturbance was put down, Tsunemune and Korekata, fearing that Narinori would expose their scheme, slandered him and had him exiled to Muro-no-yashima in Shimotsuke. Before long he was recalled and restored to his former post (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). In the Nin'an era (1166-1169) he was granted Senior Third Rank and became Sahyōe-no-kami, Chief of the Left Gate Guards. In the fourth year of Jōan (1174) he was appointed Sangi, and in the second year of Angen (1176) Gon-chūnagon. Soon he concurrently became Minbukyō, Minister of Popular Affairs, and rose to Senior Second Rank. He died in the third year of Bunji (1187), at the age of fifty-three (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). By nature Narinori loved cherry blossoms; he transplanted cherry trees from Mount Yoshino and planted them around his residence in Higuchi-machi. People called it "Sakuramachi." Narinori prayed to the gods that the blossoms might last long, and the flowers did not wither for three times seven days (twenty-one days). The emperor, admiring his refined taste, wrote down "Sakuramachi Chūnagon" and bestowed it on him (Note: following the Genpei Jōsuiki. Written with reference to the Heike Monogatari). His son Motonori was Junior Third Rank, Sakonoe-chūjō, and Gyōbukyō, Minister of Justice. Narifusa was Hyōbu-no-shō and Ōmi-no-kami. Noriyuki was Junior Fourth Rank Lower, and Nagato-no-kami. Michinari was a Jijū, Chamberlain. Kanenori was Ōsumi-no-kami (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).