Biographies LXXVI: Fujiwara-no-Koremichi, Fujiwara-no-Mitsuyori, Fujiwara-no-Korekata, Fujiwara-no-Tsunemune, and Fujiwara-no-Yorizane

Fujiwara-no-Koremichi

¶Fujiwara-no-Koremichi was a grandson of Toshiie, Minister of the Right. His father Munemichi was imposing and handsome in bearing and thoroughly versed in the conduct of government. He ordered his household well and kept it in discipline; high and low lived in harmony, no one voiced a complaint, and the men of his day praised him. He enjoyed the favor of the Retired Emperor Shirakawa and often took part in important councils. His office and rank rose as far as Senior Second Rank and Gon-Dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor (Note: following the Chūyūki). In the world he was called the Akomaru Dainagon (Note: following the Imakagami).

¶In the third year of Hōan (1122) Koremichi was appointed Sangi, Counsellor, and in the fifth year of Daiji (1130) he became Chūgū Gon-no-daibu, Provisional Master of the Empress's Household. In that year four men, among them the Sangi Minamoto-no-Moroyori, were advanced to Gon-Chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Koremichi was ashamed that he had been passed over; he resigned his office and stopped attending court. On the day of a court banquet he smashed his betel-palm carriage and burned it in the street, dressed himself in coarse brown clothing and a skirt of plain cloth, and rode off at a gallop to make merry in the house of a courtesan. He wrote to Fujiwara-no-Ienari, a favorite of the Retired Emperor, "I intend to drift about as I please and so finish out my life." But because his son Tamemichi had won the favor of Emperor Sutoku, the emperor wished to employ Koremichi again. The Kampaku Tadamichi opposed this, but the emperor made repeated petitions to the Retired Emperor Toba, and in the end Koremichi was restored to office. In the second year of Chōshō (1133), at the Jin-no-za, the guards' seat of council, he was at once appointed Gon-Chūnagon. Appointment to office at the Jin-no-za began with Koremichi (Note: following the Imakagami. The year, the second of Chōshō, follows the Kugyō Bunin).

¶In the first year of Eiji (1141) he was transferred to Gon-Dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor, and soon was advanced to Senior Second Rank. In the first year of Hōgen (1156) he was appointed Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior, and in the following year he became Sadaijin, Minister of the Left (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In this year Fujiwara-no-Nobuyori killed Fujiwara-no-Michinori (Shinzei), and seized twelve of his sons, intending to put them to death. Koremichi took part in the deliberations and had the death sentences reduced to exile (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari).

¶In the first year of Eiryaku (1160) he received the appointment of Dajō-daijin, Chancellor. In those days the bonds of discipline were gradually slackening, and the old standards were falling into disuse with each passing day. Koremichi grieved over this deeply and composed a memorial in one piece, which he presented. In outline it says: "A sage sovereign does not cast away men of talent, but takes up their strengths. It is like a skilled craftsman choosing timber: the crooked wood he uses for the wheel, the straight for the shaft, and only so is there no talent in the world left discarded." It says also: "When an age of peace has lasted long, high and low alike drift into ease. If someone who plots rebellion seizes his moment and nurses ambition, the calamity will be beyond measuring. I have heard that 'Emperor Saga raised Sakanoue-no-Tamuramaro to be a general of the Konoe guards and so broke the spirit of the rebellious; the Koichijō-in employed Minamoto-no-Yoriyoshi; and the Retired Emperor Shirakawa summoned Taira-no-Tadamori and set him to guard the palace.' All of these were measures to forestall trouble before its signs appeared. Yet nowadays in the imperial residence there is no one on night duty. There are Kurōdo, Chamberlains, but they sleep at their ease in distant rooms, and some do not answer when called. This is not the way to hold the Son of Heaven's person in due regard." It says further: "When a sovereign honors learning, it does not mean skill in poetry and rhapsody, but knowing what is essential to government. If the ruler learns this and employs his ministers, and the ministers learn this and serve their ruler, the realm will of itself be at peace. If a man is merely adept at the craft of verse and ignorant of the real condition of the world, he is a useless man. There must surely be in the world men with the capacity to govern, and no one knows the worth of a subject better than his sovereign. I beg that such men be chosen. Any subject who thinks only of his own advantage and does not serve the public with a sincere heart is a criminal against the court. What I have learned is of this kind; I have gathered what I have heard and, modeling it on the Seventeen-Article Constitution, respectfully present it." His words bore very directly on the government of the time (Note: following the copy held by Prince Hachijō-no-miya).

¶By nature he was fond of jesting (Note: following the Imakagami and the Heiji Monogatari). When Fujiwara-no-Nobuyori surrounded the Sanjō Palace, many of the court ladies of the residence threw themselves into the well and died (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). When the disorder had been put down, the warriors were given offices in reward for their merit. Koremichi said with a laugh: "It seems that everyone who kills a man receives an office. The well of the Sanjō Palace killed more people than any, so why is it not given an office?" (Note: following the Imakagami and the Heiji Monogatari).

¶He died in the first year of Eiman (1165), at the age of seventy-three. He was called the Ōmiya Daishōkoku and also the Kujō Shōkoku (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶When Koremichi was a small child, he and his younger brother Suemichi once had their physiognomy read by the Jungō, Honorary Empress, Zenshi. Zenshi foretold of the two: "The elder will become a minister, but the younger will not rise to the rank of kugyō." It came about just as she said (Note: following the Kojidan).

¶When his father Munemichi was on his deathbed, he divided his estates among his children and had Koremichi write down the names of the places. Signing jointly with his elder brother Nobumichi, he gave the Mie estate in Higo and the Imabayashi estate in Tanba to Nobumichi. Then he charged his children: "After your mother dies, divide them among yourselves." Munemichi died, and soon Nobumichi died too. Nobumichi's son Yukimichi was still a child, and his mother was ill and close to death. So they sought to leave the Mieya estate to Koremichi and the Imabayashi estate to his younger brother Shigemichi, but Koremichi declined, saying: "My late father's words are still in my ears. The signature I wrote has not yet faded; how could I go against it? Moreover, when a father dies, it is by plain right that his son takes his place. I fear the way of Heaven and am ashamed to act against the way of a man, and so I cannot accept this order." In the end the estates were given to Yukimichi (Note: following the Taiki).

¶Koremichi's writings include the Mumyōshō (Note: following the Yakumo Mishō), the Daikai Hishō, and the Jinki Jimokushō (Note: following the Ninna-ji catalogue of books). His sons were Tamemichi and Korezane. Tamemichi became Senior Fourth Rank Lower, Sangi, and Chūgū Gon-no-daibu (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Korezane excelled in physical strength and, whenever he played with others, disliked reading, so Koremichi taught and admonished him (Note: following the Kokon Chomonjū). Korezane rose in rank and office as far as Senior Third Rank and Gon-Chūnagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

Fujiwara-no-Mitsuyori

¶Fujiwara-no-Mitsuyori was the eldest son of Akiyori, Chūnagon. In the fifth year of Daiji (1130) he became Shuri-no-suke, Assistant Director of the Office of Repairs. During the Chōshō years he became a Kurōdo, Chamberlain, and was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower. During the Hōen and Ninpei years he held in turn the posts of Left and Right Shōben, Junior Controller, and was appointed Kurōdo-no-tō, Head Chamberlain. During the Hōgen years he was appointed Sangi, was advanced to Senior Third Rank and Gon-Chūnagon, and concurrently served as Saemon-no-kami, Commander of the Left Gate Guards. In the first year of Heiji (1159) he additionally held the post of Kebiishi-no-bettō, Chief of the Imperial Police (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

¶At this time his nephew Fujiwara-no-Nobuyori, Emon-no-kami, Commander of the Right Gate Guards, raised troops and occupied the inner palace, confined the emperor and the Retired Emperor, posted soldiers to guard the various gates, and issued a false edict summoning the court nobles. Mitsuyori detested Nobuyori's violent conduct and for some time had not attended court, but he had Fujiwara-no-Noriyoshi, Uma-no-jō, Third Secretary of the Right Bureau of Horses, the son of his wet nurse, put on armor and accompany him, and said to him: "If matters take a sudden turn, you are to take my head, so that I am not disgraced by violent soldiers." Then he went up into the hall. Nobuyori sat in the first seat, and the court nobles were ranged below him. Mitsuyori was all the more displeased, and thought: "That man is Commander of the Right Gate Guards, and I am Commander of the Left. Why should I stand beneath him?" So he nodded to the Sadaiben, Left Grand Controller, Fujiwara-no-Nagakata and said: "In today's court assembly, is there no such thing as order of precedence?" And he took his seat directly above Nobuyori. Nobuyori was struck with terror and lost color. Mitsuyori held his shaku, his baton of office, correctly and, composing his bearing with dignity, said: "In today's deliberation, as a Commander of the Guards, it is proper that I take the first seat. Now, I have heard that the lords were summoned and that it was ordered that any who did not come would be put to death; what exactly is it that is to be deliberated?" None of those present could answer, and in the end Nobuyori did not utter a word. Mitsuyori looked about and said, "Ah, so even to attend court is meaningless," and slowly rose to his feet.

¶As he was about to leave, he called over his younger brother Korekata and said: "Although it is said there was an edict, it betrays me, and I have been told nothing whatever. I have only heard that all the men of talent and reputation of the present age are to be put to death, and that my name is among them. For me to die together with these men would in truth leave me no regret. But you a short time ago rode in the same carriage as Nobuyori and inspected the head of Shinzei. You already hold the weighty post of Kebiishi-no-bettō, yet you rode behind another man in his carriage. What a humiliation!" Korekata, ashamed, said, "This was done by edict." Mitsuyori said: "Even if there was an edict, why did you not object even once? Our house has served the court for eleven generations, from the reign of Emperor Daigo down to the present. We are a family that would not carry out a policy unless it was good government, and would not undertake a matter together with any who were not loyal and upright. And now you side with a vicious rebel and are about to drag the name of our house into the dust. How grievous! Taira-no-Kiyomori, Dazai-no-daini, Deputy Governor-General of Kyushu, has already returned from Kumano and is about to attack them with a great army. The day Nobuyori is put to death cannot be far off. Besides, I hear that Nobuyori consults with you on matters great and small. Then you must attend to every matter and guard the emperor's person, that no alarm may come upon him." He asked further: "Where is His Majesty at present?" Korekata answered, "He is in the Kurodo Gosho." "Where is the Retired Emperor?" "He is in the Ippon Gosho-dokoro." "What of the sacred mirror?" "It is in the Unmei-den, and the sword and jewel are in the Yoru-no-Otodo." Mitsuyori then saw a figure at the window of the Asagarei-no-ma and asked, "Who is that?" The answer was, "Nobuyori is there, and the palace guards are coming and going on that account." Mitsuyori sighed and said: "Though the world is in disorder, the principle of Heaven has not yet been lost. Spirits of the ancestral shrines, how is it that you do not aid our state? I have heard that in foreign lands there are rebellious ministers, but that such a thing should occur in our imperial land I have never heard." And, weeping, sobbing, he withdrew. Korekata escorted the emperor and secretly brought him out to Rokuhara. That the imperial army was able to show its strength owed much to Mitsuyori's action (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari. It is said in the world that Nobuyori secretly meant to kill Mitsuyori, but that the shaku Mitsuyori held shone with a light, and Nobuyori, awed by it, could not lay a hand on him. That shaku is said still to be preserved in the Kajūji family, and to be called the Kōshaku, the Shining Shaku. It is recorded here together with the rest).

¶In the first year of Eiryaku (1160) he became Gon-Dainagon. In the early years of Ōhō he was advanced to Senior Second Rank. In the second year of Chōkan (1164) he resigned his office and entered religion (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin), changing his name to Kōnen (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku), and lived in the village of Katsura (Note: following the Imakagami). He died in the third year of Jōan (1173), at the age of fifty (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the world he was called the Katsura Dainagon, and was also known as Hamuro, or as Rokujō (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). His writings include the Aki and the Getchūki (Note: following the Ninna-ji catalogue of books).

¶His sons were Mitsukata, Mitsusada, Mitsumasa, and Muneyori. Mitsukata was Senior Fifth Rank Lower, Governor of Awa. Mitsusada was Senior Fifth Rank Lower, Hyōbu Gon-no-taifu, Provisional Senior Assistant Minister of Military Affairs (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Mitsumasa became Junior Second Rank and Gon-Chūnagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Among his writings is the Ryūki. Muneyori became the adopted son of his uncle Nariyori, Sangi. Originally Mitsuyori had made Nariyori his heir and had handed over to him his daily records and documents. During the Kaō years, Nariyori, in recognition of having accompanied the imperial progress to Kasuga, petitioned that Muneyori be granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower. Muneyori afterwards rose steadily to become Sangi and in the end reached Senior Second Rank and Gon-Dainagon. He died in the third year of Kennin (1203), at the age of fifty. He once composed the Gonaki (Note: following the Ninna-ji catalogue of books). Mitsuyori's younger brother was Korekata.

Fujiwara-no-Korekata

¶Fujiwara-no-Korekata rose steadily in office and rank during the Eiji and Heiji years, became Kebiishi-no-bettō, and advanced to Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Because his nephew Nobuyori had had his younger brother Nobutoshi marry Korekata's daughter, the two houses were on intimate terms. When Nobuyori plotted rebellion, he allied himself closely with Korekata, and in the end raised troops and confined the emperor and the Retired Emperor; he had Korekata and the Gon-Dainagon Fujiwara-no-Tsunemune watch over the movements of the two palaces, and consulted Korekata on all confidential matters. His elder brother Mitsuyori rebuked Korekata most severely. Korekata repented, and together with Tsunemune and others he concerted a plan, and under cover of night they escorted the emperor's palanquin out of the inner palace. When they reached the Sōheki Gate, the rebel soldiers, finding it suspicious, challenged them. Korekata answered, "This is a lady of the palace going out. What cause have you for suspicion?" Still the soldiers did not believe him; with a bow they lifted the blind of the carriage and held up torches to light the interior. The emperor, graceful in appearance and dressed in beautiful garments, was riding in the same carriage as the Empress, and the soldiers, taking him for a genuine lady of the palace, opened the gate at once. So at last they were able to escape to Rokuhara. Korekata was short in stature, and after he became Kebiishi-no-bettō people called him the "Ko-Bettō," the Little Chief. Because, after siding with Nobuyori and confining the two palaces, he had together with Tsunemune brought the emperor out of the rebels' hands, the men of the time called him the "Chūbai," meaning one who stood in the middle and brought a matter to completion, and for that reason he was also called the "Naka-Ko-Bettō." Fujiwara-no-Koremichi, Minister of the Left, remarked: "'Chū' means 'loyalty,' not 'go-between.' Korekata followed his elder brother's teaching well, left the rebels' side, and returned to the right path. This is the act of a worthy man" (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari).

¶Korekata's mother was the emperor's wet nurse. For that reason he was close to the emperor and gradually came to take part in affairs of government. Tsunemune too was held in esteem as a maternal relative of the emperor, and the two relied heavily on the emperor's favor, acted in concert, and wielded the court's authority as they pleased, saying: "All matters should follow His Majesty's wishes; there is no need to inform the Retired Emperor" (Note: following the Gukanshō. That Korekata's mother was the emperor's wet nurse follows the Heiji Monogatari). The Retired Emperor heard this and was greatly angered, saying: "The emperor is still young and could not have come to such a thought. Surely those two are trying to drive a wedge between us, father and son." He issued an imperial command to Taira-no-Kiyomori to seize the two and put them to death (Note: following the Gukanshō and the Heiji Monogatari). The former Kampaku Tadamichi remonstrated and stopped it (Note: following the Imakagami and the Heiji Monogatari). Thus Korekata was exiled to Nagato and Tsunemune to Awa (Note: following the Gukanshō and the Heiji Monogatari). Korekata entered religion, changed his name to Jakushin, and in the world was called the Awata Bettō (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). When Tsunemune was pardoned and returned to the capital, Korekata composed a poem lamenting his own lot, and its words were most grievous. The Retired Emperor heard of it and took pity, and in the first year of Nin'an (1166) summoned Korekata back to the capital (Note: following the Jikkinshō and the Kokon Chomonjū. The year, the first of Nin'an, follows the Gukanshō).

¶His sons were Koresada (Junior Fifth Rank Lower, Kunai-no-taifu, Senior Assistant Minister of the Household), Tameyori (Gon-no-suke, Provisional Assistant of the Empress's Household), Koreyori (Kunai-no-taifu), and Koremoto (Shōnagon, Minor Counsellor, and Kageyu-no-sukē, Assistant Director of the Office of Examination of Provincial Governors) (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Tsunemune

¶Fujiwara-no-Tsunemune was the fourth son of Tsunezane, Dainagon. During the Hōgen years he rose to Gon-Dainagon of Senior Second Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). He had long been on close terms with Fujiwara-no-Nobuyori. When Nobuyori began his rebellion, he drew in Tsunemune and Fujiwara-no-Korekata and relied on them as confidants. Tsunemune foresaw that the venture would not succeed, and together with Korekata he concerted a plan and secretly escorted the emperor's palanquin out to Rokuhara (Note: following the Gukanshō and the Heiji Monogatari). When the disorder had been put down, Tsunemune, as a maternal relative of the emperor, was deeply trusted, and together with Korekata he gradually encroached upon the court's authority. The Retired Emperor was angered and exiled Tsunemune to Awa (Note: following the Gukanshō and the Heiji Monogatari). In the second year of Ōhō (1162) he was recalled to the capital. In the second year of Chōkan (1164) he was restored to his office and rank, was granted permission to wear a sword at court, and soon was appointed Udaijin, Minister of the Right (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). The men of the time called him the "Awa Daijin" (Note: following the Heiji Monogatari). During the Nin'an and Jōan years he concurrently served as Sakonoe-no-taishō, Commander of the Left Imperial Guards, and Sama-ryō-no-gokan, Supervisor of the Left Bureau of Horses, was transferred to Minister of the Left, and was granted Junior First Rank. In the second year of Jishō (1178) he became Tōgū-no-fu, Tutor to the Crown Prince. In the first year of Juei (1182) he was granted permission to use the teguruma, the hand-drawn carriage, and the ox-drawn carriage (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

¶At this time relations between Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune and his elder brother Yoritomo turned sour, and Yoshitsune memorialized that an imperial decree be issued to subdue Yoritomo. The Cloistered Emperor hesitated to decide and had the court nobles deliberate. Tsunemune said: "At present the only one guarding the capital is Yoshitsune alone. If, in his resentment, he were to do something unforeseen, we do not know whom the court could set to restrain him. If we grant his request for the moment and so soothe Yoshitsune's feelings, and afterwards explain the circumstances to Yoritomo and make him understand that this is not the court's true intention, what difficulty could there be?" The Cloistered Emperor followed this opinion (Note: following the Gyokuyō and the Azuma Kagami). Yoritomo heard of it and bore a grudge against Tsunemune, and from then on excluded Tsunemune from the number of those chosen as Gisō, Councillors who advise on matters for the throne (Note: following the Gukanshō).

¶Tsunemune presented a memorial begging to resign. In the fifth year of Bunji (1189) he entered religion and died, at the age of seventy-one (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Tsunemune held important office for a long time and was versed in the ceremonies and rites of the court, and was respected by the men of his day (Note: following the Gukanshō). In the world he was called the Ōinomikado Sadaijin, Minister of the Left. His son was Yorizane (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

Fujiwara-no-Yorizane

¶Fujiwara-no-Yorizane rose steadily in office and rank. In the first year of Shōji (1199) he received the appointment of Dajō-daijin, Chancellor. During the Kennin and Genkyū years he concurrently served as Tōgū-no-fu, Tutor to the Crown Prince, and was granted Junior First Rank. Soon he resigned as Dajō-daijin, but in the second year of Jōgen (1208) he was again appointed Dajō-daijin. In the fourth year of Kenpō (1216) he shaved his head and entered religion. He died in the first year of Karoku (1225), at the age of seventy-one (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).