Biographies CV: Fujiwara-no-Nobufusa, Tameaki, Yoshimoto, Kinkata, Sanenatsu, Sukena, Sukeakira, and Tsuneaki

Fujiwara-no-Nobufusa

¶Fujiwara-no-Nobufusa, whose original name was Michitoshi, was a son of Sukemichi, of Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Kugyō Bunin). His house name was Madenokōji, or alternatively Yoshida (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the reign of Emperor Kameyama he was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower, rose step by step to become Kurōdo-no-tō, Head Chamberlain, concurrently Sachūben, Middle Controller of the Left, was appointed Sangi, Counsellor, and concurrently served as Danjō-no-daihitsu, Senior Assistant Director of the Board of Censors. When Emperor Go-Nijō died, Nobufusa was dismissed from office and passed more than ten years as a rankholder without post. When Emperor Go-Daigo ascended the throne, he entered service again, was greatly favored, and was appointed Gon-chūnagon, Provisional Middle Counsellor (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). When the emperor plotted to overthrow the Hōjō, the matter very nearly leaked out. Hōjō Takatoki seized the Gon-chūnagon Fujiwara-no-Suketomo and the Head Chamberlain Fujiwara-no-Toshimoto and had them taken to Kamakura, and the court nobles, all stricken with fear, stood rooted to the spot. That night the emperor turned to the former Gon-chūnagon Fujiwara-no-Fuyufusa (Note: also written Fuyukata, or Sadafusa) and said, "Suketomo and Toshimoto have been seized. I do not know what disaster Takatoki will bring about next. See to it for me as you think best." Fuyufusa replied, "Of late the military men have grown overbearing. It would be well first to send a written explanation and so calm his anger." A draft was immediately prepared. The emperor read it, let his tears fall upon the paper, and wiped them away himself with his sleeve; all those about him wept and grieved (Note: following the Taiheiki). Nobufusa was made to carry it to Kamakura and to plead the case. When he met Takatoki and explained the circumstances plainly, the matter was settled thanks to him, and the two men escaped death (Note: compiled from the Masukagami and the Taiheiki). Returning to the capital, Nobufusa became Gon-dainagon, Provisional Major Counsellor (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Masukagami), was permitted by imperial sanction to wear a sword in attendance, and soon after was transferred to the full office (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). When the emperor made his progress to Kasagi, Nobufusa was seized because his sons Fujifusa and Suefusa had taken part in the plot (Note: compiled from the Kugyō Bunin, the Masukagami, the surviving fragments of the Kōmyōji manuscripts, and the Taiheiki). The Retired Emperor Kōgon stripped Nobufusa and nine others of their offices and ranks. Hōjō Takatoki, because Nobufusa had a name in the world, released him to his home and petitioned the court to restore his office. The Retired Emperor Kōgon granted this, sent Fujiwara-no-Sukeakira to convey the invitation to take up office again, and had him say, "If you accept the command, your sons will surely be recalled and restored to their former posts. I will vouch for this on your behalf" (Note: following the Taiheiki). Nobufusa then returned to service (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Taiheiki). When the emperor returned to the capital, Nobufusa's office was left as it had been; he concurrently served as Mutsu-Dewa Azechi, Inspector of Mutsu and Dewa, soon resigned that post, and rose to Junior First Rank. In the first year of Engen (1336) he shaved his head (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). When the emperor again made his progress to Enryakuji he attended him, and he followed him back to the capital as well (Note: following the Taiheiki). Afterwards he served the Retired Emperor Kōmyō. Nobufusa served successive emperors (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin) and was widely versed in precedent and ceremony (Note: following the Man'ichiki and the Garyō Nikkenroku). His diary is the Man'ichiki (Note: following the Man'ichiki). His two sons, Fujifusa and Suefusa, have separate biographies. His adopted grandson Nakafusa inherited the house (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the sixth year of Shōhei (1351) he presented himself at the Yoshino temporary palace (Note: following the Entairyaku and the Taiheiki). Because circumstances did not accord, he was not permitted to remain and returned to the capital (Note: following the Entairyaku). Afterwards he served the Retired Emperor Go-En'yū, and his office reached Jundaijin, Honorary Minister (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

Fujiwara-no-Tameaki

¶Fujiwara-no-Tameaki was a son of Tamefuji, Gon-chūnagon. In the fourth year of Einin (1296) he was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower and became Jijū, Chamberlain, and soon after was appointed Sakonoe-no-shōshō, Lesser Captain of the Left Palace Guards. In the third year of Shōchū (1326) he was transferred to Sakonoe-no-chūjō, Middle Captain of the Left Palace Guards (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). He was skilled at waka. Whenever Emperor Go-Daigo held a poetry gathering, he was always summoned to attend. When the plot against the Hōjō leaked out, he was seized at Rokuhara and was about to be interrogated. It was held that he was a poet and not a man to be suspected, but that, having often taken part in banquets and gatherings, he might perhaps know the emperor's intentions. To frighten the truth out of him, green bamboo was laid over glowing charcoal and he was to be made to walk on it as it was drawn along. Tameaki did not change color; he quietly asked for an inkstone and composed a poem, in which he said that he had never imagined that, having walked no path but that of poetry, he would be called to answer for the affairs of this wretched world. Tokiwa-no-Norisada and the others read it and were moved to admiration, and released him without further questioning. When the emperor left the palace, he followed the Dainagon Fujiwara-no-Morokata to Enryakuji; when the cause was defeated he went on to Kasagi, and was seized when the fortress fell (Note: following the Taiheiki). He was exiled to Tosa in the train of Imperial Prince Takayoshi (Note: following the Masukagami and the Shin'yōwakashū), and when matters were settled he returned to the capital. In the Shōhei years the Retired Emperor Sukō granted him Junior Third Rank. When the Northern and Southern courts made peace, he presented himself at the Yoshino temporary palace and was appointed Sangi. In the fourteenth year (1359) he was transferred to Gon-chūnagon and served concurrently as Jijū. In the following year he was granted Senior Third Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). At the command of the Retired Emperor Go-Kōgon he compiled the Shinshūi Wakashū, but died before it was completed (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Shūgaishō).

Fujiwara-no-Yoshimoto

¶Fujiwara-no-Yoshimoto was a son of the Kampaku, Regent, Michihira. At the beginning of the Gentoku era (1329) he was appointed Gon-chūnagon but soon resigned. When Emperor Kōgon ascended the throne he was again appointed to his former office. When Emperor Go-Daigo entered the capital, he was transferred to Gon-dainagon. Afterwards he served four reigns, those of Kōmyō, Sukō, Go-Kōgon, and Go-En'yū, rose to Udaijin, Minister of the Right, and concurrently served as Tutor to the Crown Prince. In the Shōhei years he became Kampaku and Ujino-chōja, Head of the Clan, was granted Junior First Rank, was transferred to Sadaijin, Minister of the Left, and later resigned the regency. In the Kōwa years he received the office of Daijō-daijin, Chancellor, and became Sesshō, Regent. In the fifth year of Genchū (1388), at the age of sixty-nine, he died (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin; the Sonpi Bunmyaku gives sixty-three). He was called the Later Fukōon-in (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku and the Sekkan Shidai).

¶Yoshimoto was skilled at waka, of vast learning and prodigious memory, and thoroughly versed in precedent. When Emperor Go-Daigo returned from Oki, he gave detailed advice on the implements to be used in ceremony and on the manner of attendance. He had once inclined his heart toward the Northern Court, and was also always on close terms with Ashikaga Takauji, Tadayoshi, and the others. In the Kōkoku and Genchū years, disorders followed one upon another, books were scattered and lost, and the institutions of government fell into decay and could not be restored. Yoshimoto weighed the old ceremonies, explained them clearly when questioned, and his textual research was also exact, so that he became the preceptor of five reigns from Emperor Kōmyō onward. Because he was on good terms with the Ashikaga, he was able to obtain many of the old records of the various houses. As a result, his comings and goings at court grew more frequent by the day, and both court and shogunate found in him something to rely upon (Note: compiled from the general sense of various works). Among his writings are the Gokeiki and the Sakakiba Nikki, which are handed down in the world (Note: following the Ninna-ji catalogue of books. It is told in the world that when Emperor Go-Kōgon ascended the throne there were no Three Sacred Regalia, and all who debated the matter were troubled; Yoshimoto is said to have submitted, "If we take Ashikaga Takauji as the precious sword, and me as the sacred seal, that will suffice. There is no need to grieve over the lack of the regalia." But since it is not recorded in the various works, it is not adopted here). He had seven sons: the eldest was Moronaga, the second Morotsugu, and the rest all became monks (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Moronaga and Morotsugu both held high position to the end of their lives (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku, the Kugyō Bunin, and the Sekkan Shidai).

Fujiwara-no-Kinkata

¶Fujiwara-no-Kinkata was a son of the Sadaijin, Minister of the Left, Saneyasu. In the Enkyō years (1308-1311) he was appointed Sangi. Between the Shōwa and Bunpō years (1312-1319) he rose by successive steps to Senior Second Rank and became Dainagon, Major Counsellor. In the first year of Karyaku (1326) he concurrently served as Ukonoe-taishō, Commander of the Right Palace Guards, and Umaryō-gokan, Superintendent of the Bureau of Horses (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Because he was the nominal father of Renshi, the favored consort of Emperor Go-Daigo, he repeatedly received the emperor's favor (Note: following the Nyoin Shōden). In the second year of Gentoku (1330) he received the office of Naidaijin, Minister of the Interior. At the beginning of Genkō he resigned his offices. When the emperor's carriage returned from Oki, he again became Naidaijin and concurrently served as Shikibukyō, Minister of Ceremonial. Soon he was granted the office of Udaijin, Minister of the Right, of Junior First Rank, and concurrently served as Tōgū-fu, Tutor to the Crown Prince (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). When Ashikaga Takauji again attacked Kyoto, Kinkata accompanied the imperial progress to Enryakuji (Note: following the various variant texts of the Taiheiki). Afterwards he served the Retired Emperor Kōmyō and became Sadaijin. In the Shōhei years he received the office of Daijō-daijin, Chancellor, but soon resigned it. When Takauji sought to submit and Emperor Go-Murakami was about to return to the capital, Kinkata was appointed Sadaijin (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin) and concurrently served as Goin-no-bettō, Superintendent of the Retirement Residence. The emperor entrusted him in his own hand with the conduct of various affairs, and he dealt with them as occasion required. Before long Otokoyama could no longer be held (Note: following the Entairyaku), and afterwards he served the Retired Emperor Go-Kōgon, shaved his head, and took the name Kūgen (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the fourth month of the fifteenth year (1360) he died at the age of seventy (Note: following the Entairyaku genealogy and the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

¶Kinkata's house held many books; he was of wide learning and broadly informed, and practiced in ceremony and precedent. Though he had left the office of the Dajōkan, he was held in esteem for his long-standing reputation, and from the time of the Retired Emperor Kōmyō onward he was consulted on every occasion. In those days warfare was incessant and court ceremonial had fallen into neglect and disrepair, but through his counsel much was set right. Among his writings are the Entairyaku, the Kōdairyaku, the Rekidai Saiyōshō, and the Ryakudaishō (Note: following the Entairyaku. This work also records the Rekidaishō and the Rekidai Yōkanshō, but these are probably all other names for the Saiyōshō). His eldest son was Saneyo, his second Sanenatsu, and the remaining fourteen sons all became monks (Note: following the Entairyaku genealogy and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Saneyo has a separate biography.

Fujiwara-no-Sanenatsu

¶Fujiwara-no-Sanenatsu became a Kirokujo-yoriudo, member of the Records Office, in the Kenmu years (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the record of the festival of the second year of Kenmu), was appointed Gon-sachūben, Provisional Middle Controller of the Left, served in the reigns of the Retired Emperors Kōmyō and Sukō, was granted Junior Third Rank and appointed Sangi, and advanced to Gon-dainagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the seventh year of Shōhei (1352), by imperial command, he presented himself at the temporary palace, and was specially raised from his proper office of Gon-sachūben to Gon-chūnagon of Senior Third Rank; it was permitted that the period in which he had been recorded as Sangi, of Junior Third Rank, and so on be added to his official record in the Engen and Kōkoku years. For this reason he came and went repeatedly in service. Before long he returned to the service of the Retired Emperor Go-Kōgon and was restored to his former office (Note: following the Entairyaku). In the end he rose to Naidaijin of Junior First Rank, concurrently Sakonoe-taishō, Commander of the Left Palace Guards (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He had three sons, Kinsada, Kintame, and Kinyori (Note: following the Entairyaku genealogy and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). Kinsada rose to Sadaijin of Junior First Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Entairyaku genealogy, and the Sonpi Bunmyaku), was a master of genealogical learning, and wrote several volumes of the Sonpi Bunmyaku (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Sukena

¶Fujiwara-no-Sukena was a son of Toshimitsu, Gon-dainagon, and an elder brother of Sukeakira, Gon-chūnagon (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the time of the Retired Emperor Go-Fushimi he enjoyed deep regard (Note: following the Masukagami). In the reign of Emperor Go-Daigo he rose by successive steps to Senior Second Rank and Gon-dainagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Now, by the arrangement that Hōjō Sadatoki had fixed at the accession of Emperor Fushimi, the descendants of Emperors Go-Fukakusa and Kameyama were to succeed to the throne in alternation. The line of Emperor Go-Fukakusa is called the Jimyōin line. At that time Emperor Go-Daigo had ascended the throne as a grandson of Emperor Kameyama, but he had invested as Crown Prince Imperial Prince Kazuhito, a son of the Retired Emperor Go-Fushimi. As the emperor was just then plotting the removal of Hōjō Takatoki, the Retired Emperor, wishing to have Prince Kazuhito ascend the throne early, secretly informed Kamakura of the circumstances. In the first year of Genkō (1331) Hōjō Takatoki sent troops to Kyoto; the emperor left the palace in secret and went to Kasagi, but Takatoki's troops stormed it and confined the emperor at Rokuhara. Ōsaragi Sadanao and others demanded that the Three Sacred Regalia be passed to Prince Kazuhito, but the emperor would not consent. When Nakatoki and the others pressed their demand without relenting, the emperor had no choice but to order Sukena and Minamoto-no-Tomochika to have new implements made and passed to Prince Kazuhito, and in the end the emperor was removed to Oki. When Emperor Kōgon ascended the throne in Kyoto, Sukena was the most favored of all and held the chief posts of power. In the third year of Genkō (1333), the righteous armies of the realm rose together and advanced into Kyoto. Sukena and his younger brother Sukeakira hastened to urge the Retired Emperor Kōgon to enter Rokuhara and hold it. Hōjō Nakatoki and the others were defeated in battle and fled east, escorting the Retired Emperor Kōgon and the two retired emperors Go-Fushimi and Hanazono, with Sukena, Fujiwara-no-Tsuneaki, and others in their train. When they reached Bamba in Ōmi, the troops who accompanied them collapsed in rout, and the Emperor Kōgon and the two retired emperors were captured by the forces of Imperial Prince Moriyoshi. Sukena, as an attendant close to Emperor Kōgon, feared that he could not escape punishment, shaved his head, and fled. Before long Takatoki was put to death, and the emperor's carriage returned to Kyoto (Note: following the Taiheiki). The Retired Emperor Kōgon was deposed and given the title of Dajō-tennō, Retired Emperor, and withdrew to live in the Jimyōin (Note: following the Kōnendai Ryakki). Sukena lay in hiding for several years, until the rebellion of Ashikaga Takauji broke out. The Kumano Bettō Dōyū had long been on close terms with Sukena, and when Takauji fled west, he, troubled that there was no just cause, wished to raise up the Jimyōin line and intended to use the strife between the two lines as a pretext. He therefore sent Dōyū to Kyoto to convey this intention secretly to Sukena. Sukena then petitioned for an edict of deposition (of Emperor Go-Daigo) and had the monk Kenshun carry it to Takauji. Takauji then led the troops of Chinzei, advanced rapidly to Kyoto, and took up position at Tōji. Nitta Yoshisada escorted the emperor to Enryakuji and ordered Ōta Zenshoku to escort the Retired Emperor Hanazono and the deposed emperor to Enryakuji. The Retired Emperor Kōgon had long been in secret communication with Takauji and, claiming illness on the way, halted at Hōshōji. Soon Takauji entered Kyoto and fighting broke out in the streets; Zenshoku, about to hasten there, said to the attendants of the Retired Emperor Kōgon, "Enemy troops are upon us. Please remain here a while and wait. I will hurry the palanquins along at once." Sukena then led the Cloistered Emperor and the Retired Emperor Kōgon to Takauji at Tōji. Thus the imperial line was made twofold, and the realm was in the end divided into north and south (Note: following the Taiheiki. This work says that Zenshoku detained the Retired Emperor Kōgon and left taking only the Cloistered Emperor and Imperial Prince Toyohito, but that is an error. Here the Hōjō-ke text, the Saigen-in text, and the Nanto text are followed). His younger brother was Sukeakira (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).

Fujiwara-no-Sukeakira

¶Fujiwara-no-Sukeakira rose by successive steps to Senior Second Rank and Gon-dainagon (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). When Rokuhara fell, he fled east in the train of the new emperor (Emperor Kōgon) (Note: following the Masukagami). When the emperor returned from Oki, he was pardoned of his offenses by imperial edict and his office and rank were restored (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). Ashikaga Takauji led the troops of Chinzei and again attacked Kyoto. Sukeakira accompanied the emperor's progress to Enryakuji (Note: that Sukeakira accompanied the progress follows the Saigen-in text), but secretly slipped away from the side of the Retired Emperor Kōgon and joined Takauji's army. Because the Retired Emperor Kōgon had earlier given him aid, Takauji wished to restore him to his position. But the people disliked this, holding that the failure of the Retired Emperor Kōgon's succession to the throne had been bound up with the fall of the Hōjō (Note: following the Taiheiki). He therefore set up the Retired Emperor's younger brother, Imperial Prince Toyohito. This was the Emperor Kōmyō (Note: following the Tenshō text of the Taiheiki). When the emperor returned from Enryakuji and entered the Kazan-in, Takauji pressed him to hand over the regalia. The emperor again handed over newly made regalia. In the twelfth year after Emperor Kōmyō's accession, there was in Kunizaki Kanbe in Ise a monk named Enjō, who went to worship at the Ise Shrines, claimed that he had obtained a precious sword, and brought it to Sukeakira. Sukeakira consulted with Ashikaga Tadayoshi, Urabe Kanekazu, the priest of the Hirano Shrine, and others, and presented it to the court. What was said was this: "As Enjō was about to worship at the Shrines, he was bathing in the sea, when something that gave off a radiance drifted toward him. It was about ten fists long, and its hilt was shaped like a sankō, a three-pronged vajra. When he took it and went to the Shrines, a boy suddenly appeared and, as though possessed, pointed at Enjō and said, 'Since the Jishō era the imperial house has suffered many troubles and the realm has often been in disorder. This was truly because there was no divine sword and the throne could not be protected. Now Amaterasu has commanded the Sea God to bring it. What this monk holds is that sword.'" The Saishu and others recorded the circumstances in detail, and Enjō set out for Kyoto with the sword. On the way he worshiped at Hasedera and lodged there (Note: that it was Hasedera follows the Tenshō text; this work says the Kasuga Shrine), and a man at his side said, "Tonight I dreamed that a monk's words reached the Son of Heaven. Might you be the very man?" On inquiry, it turned out that he was a retainer of Sukeakira. Emperor Kōmyō was greatly pleased, appointed Enjō Daisōzu, Major Supervisor of Monks, and granted him the customs revenue of the barrier at Kuzuha in Settsu. When the Naidaijin Fujiwara-no-Tsuneaki remonstrated, Emperor Kōmyō accepted the remonstrance and had the precious sword returned and deposited at the Hirano Shrine (Note: following the Taiheiki). In the eighth year of Shōhei (1353) he died at the age of fifty-seven (Note: following the Entairyaku and the Jōrakuki).

Fujiwara-no-Tsuneaki

¶Fujiwara-no-Tsuneaki was a son of Sadasuke, Gon-chūnagon. At first he served Emperor Go-Daigo and was appointed Sangi. When the emperor went to Oki, he remained in the capital and served the Retired Emperor Kōgon, and was appointed Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor. He served through four reigns, those of Kōgon, Sukō, Go-Kōgon, and Go-En'yū, was greatly trusted, and rose by successive steps to Junior First Rank and Naidaijin (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin. That he was greatly trusted follows the Taiheiki). He contended for power with Fujiwara-no-Sukeakira, and the two were at odds. The matter of Sukeakira's presenting the precious sword to Emperor Kōmyō was truly a fantastic and groundless tale. Tsuneaki remonstrated, saying: "It is already more than one hundred and sixty years since the precious sword was lost. Its loss must have occurred in a time of good government, so how could it appear in a troubled age such as this? If it came in response to the flourishing of sacred virtue, the realm ought to be at peace. Now calamities and disorders repeatedly arise and warfare does not cease. I do not know to what this sword has appeared in response. In my humble view, this affair springs from Sukeakira's treachery and deceit, and a flattering minister is fawning upon you and deceiving Your Majesty's clear judgment. If Your Majesty takes it to be true, I fear you will become the laughingstock of the realm. Moreover, the customs revenue of the Kuzuha barrier has long been granted to Tōdaiji. If it is now taken away without cause, the monks will surely cry out in resentment. I beg that the earlier edict be revoked at once and that it be returned and granted to Tōdaiji as before." Emperor Kōmyō followed this and had it returned in the end (Note: following the Taiheiki). As a result, relations between the two grew ever worse (Note: following the variant texts of the Taiheiki). In the second year of Bunchū (1373) he died at the age of seventy-six (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He was called the Shibayama Naidaijin and also Kajūji (Note: following the Sonpi Bunmyaku).