Imperial Princes VI

Imperial Prince Tsuneyo

¶Emperor Junna had five sons. The posthumously honored Empress bore his first son, Imperial Prince Tsuneyo (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Kōin Shōunroku). The Empress also bore his second son, the deposed Crown Prince Tsunesada (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Kōin Shōunroku), his third son, Imperial Prince Tsunemune (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Kōin Shōunroku), and his fourth son, Imperial Prince Motosada (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Kōin Keizu). The palace woman Ōnakatomi-no-Yasuko bore his fifth son, Imperial Prince Yoshisada (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Kōin Shōunroku).

Tsunesada, the Deposed Crown Prince

¶Imperial Prince Tsuneyo was at first one of the royal princes and was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower and made Jijū, Chamberlain (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). In the fourteenth year of Kōnin (823) he was named Crown Prince, but Tsuneyo submitted a memorial and firmly declined, and so he was made an Imperial Prince and granted Third Rank (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Teiō Hennenki. On examination: the Jinnō Shōtōki says that after Emperor Saga had already abdicated to Emperor Junna, he had Tsuneyo further installed as Crown Prince, broadly in order that Emperor Junna's line might be handed down permanently within the imperial succession, but that Tsuneyo firmly declined and in the end took the tonsure. Having now examined the various books, none confirms this. Yet if we consider that when Emperor Ninmyō ascended the throne he installed Tsunesada as Crown Prince, that Tsunesada once sought to decline the heir's position and the Retired Emperor Saga admonished him, and that after the Retired Emperor's death he was deposed for his involvement in the rebellion of Tomo-no-Kowamine and others, then there may perhaps be some basis for what the Shōtōki records. It is added here only for reference). In that year he was appointed Jibu-kyō, Minister of Civil Affairs, and later transferred to Nakatsukasa-kyō, Minister of Central Affairs. In the fifth month of the third year of Tenchō (826) he died, at the age of twenty-two. The emperor (Emperor Junna) was plunged into grief and for a long time did not attend to the government of the court (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku). His son, Prince Masamichi, was especially cherished by the emperor (Emperor Junna) and was taken in as a foster son by Emperor Ninmyō. Emperor Ninmyō also loved him and constantly brought him to the Imperial hall. In the fourth year of Jōwa (837), in the hall, he underwent his coming-of-age ceremony and was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower. In the sixth year (839) he became Chamberlain. In the seventh year (840) he became Governor of Musashi. In the sixth month of the following year, before his term was completed, he died, at the age of twenty (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki).

Imperial Prince Tsunemune

¶The deposed Crown Prince Tsunesada was, even as a child, extraordinarily intelligent beyond others; he read the classics and histories well and was skilled at composition as well, and Emperor Saga regarded him as no ordinary person (Note: following the Go-Shūi Ōjōden). When Emperor Ninmyō received the abdication and took the throne, Tsunesada was installed as Crown Prince (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki). Ono-no-Takamura and Harusumi-no-Yoshitada were chosen as Tōgū Gakushi, Scholars of the Crown Prince's Household (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki and the Go-Shūi Ōjōden). Emperor Junna repeatedly sent letters asking that Tsunesada be allowed to decline the position of Chokui, the secondary heir (the post of Crown Prince), but Emperor Ninmyō would not listen (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki). Tsunesada was of upright appearance and composed bearing, and Emperor Ninmyō regarded him as a person of uncommon capacity (Note: following the Go-Shūi Ōjōden). When Tsunesada first came to court at the Shishinden, he performed the bowing dance and ascended to the hall. By Imperial command he was given a robe, and he accepted it, performed the bowing dance, and withdrew. He was nine years old at the time, yet his ceremonial demeanor was like that of a mature man. Soon afterward he began to read the Classic of Filial Piety, and he summoned the high court nobles and gave them a banquet (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki).

¶Tsunesada once calmly submitted a memorial and said: "It is an ancient custom for the Crown Prince to conduct the Sekiten, the rite honoring Confucius, at the University. This ceremony has long fallen into disuse, and I do not know the reason." Emperor Ninmyō said: "Long ago, at the end of Tenpyō, the minister Kibi-no-Makibi urged Empress Takano (Empress Kōken) to visit the University and have this rite performed. Since then, more than eighty years, it has fallen into disuse and has not been held. Now that the Prince has the will to revive it, this is truly a joyful thing." He therefore commanded Tsunesada to lead the hundred officials and carry out the rite, and had the scholars lecture on the classics. The assembled ministers were made to compose poems, and Tsunesada also composed a poem. Sugawara-no-Kiyokimi, Shigeno-no-Sadanushi, and others praised him greatly, and each presented a long-lined poem to encourage him (Note: following the Go-Shūi Ōjōden and the Biography of Imperial Prince Tsunesada).

¶In the eleventh month of the fifth year of Jōwa (838) he underwent his coming-of-age ceremony in the Shishinden. The edict said: "The Crown Prince Tsunesada has a disposition beyond that of ordinary men and from the first has been endowed with a gentle and refined nature; he has studied in the Eastern Palace and kept the position of heir, and from his young years has grown, becoming more distinguished day by day. On an auspicious day of this month we are for the first time arranging the ceremony of coming of age. Its meaning embraces the four rites, and its way places weight on the three investitures of the cap. Through this his abundant virtue will be ever more fully harmonized, and the succession to the imperial line will be ever more flourishing. This happy occasion is not a joy for Us alone. We should extend this grace everywhere throughout the land, and grant one grade of rank to the sixth rank and below among those who are heirs succeeding their fathers throughout the realm. All unpaid taxes declared in and before the fourth year of Jōwa are to be remitted in full." (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki) A general amnesty was proclaimed throughout the realm.

¶Tsunesada's talents were polished from day to day, and he came to understand deeply the ways of the world; and he thought to himself: "I am not of the principal line, yet I occupy the position of heir. If the two Retired Emperors (Saga and Junna) should pass away, the first signs of calamity would be impossible to foresee." He therefore had Harusumi-no-Yoshitada compose a memorial, and, following the precedents of Taibo and Liu Jiang, sought to yield his place to a worthier man, but this was not permitted. The Retired Emperor Saga instructed him earnestly, but Tsunesada met with Fun'ya-no-Akitsu, Taifu (Master of the Crown Prince's Household), Fujiwara-no-Sadamori, Suke (Assistant Master), and others, and lamented: "I have pleaded again and again with all sincerity, and still I have not received Heaven's favor. What will you gentlemen do about my person?" When he had finished speaking, he wept (Note: following the Biography of Tsunesada).

¶In the seventh year of Jōwa (840), Emperor Junna died. In the ninth year (842), the Retired Emperor Saga died. Soon afterward, the rebellion of Tomo-no-Kowamine and others, Tatewaki (sword-bearing guards) of the Crown Prince's household, was discovered (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki). Tsunesada was afraid and again submitted a memorial seeking to resign the position of Crown Prince. Emperor Ninmyō replied magnanimously: "What could Kowamine's wicked treason have to do with the Crown Prince? You should not let it weigh on your mind." Even so, Tsunesada's unease did not leave him. A few days later a secret letter was delivered, saying, "Kowamine's plot was set in motion on behalf of the Crown Prince." The emperor believed it (Note: following the Biography of Tsunesada). At that time the emperor was at the Reizen-in to escape the heat, and Tsunesada was accompanying him. Fujiwara-no-Yoshimi, Sakonoe-no-Shōshō (Lesser General of the Left Palace Guards), leading forty palace guards, surrounded the Crown Prince's Jikisō, his duty quarters, and seized the weapons of the Tatewaki and others; beneath the encampment of the Right Hyōe guards he set up a tent and held more than a hundred members of the Prince's household in separate confinement (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki; the Biography of Tsunesada was also consulted and adopted). Those of the rank of zōshiki and below were confined at the guard posts of the Left and Right Emon, and Fujiwara-no-Okao, Sa-emon-no-Gon-no-suke, and Saeki-no-Miyanari, Uma-no-suke of the Right, and others, leading palace guards, bound Dainagon, Great Counsellor, Fujiwara-no-Chikanari, Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor, Fujiwara-no-Yoshino, and Sangi, Counsellor, Fun'ya-no-Akitsu, and confined each of them separately within the palace compounds. By edict the Crown Prince was deposed, Chikanari was expelled from beyond the capital, Yoshino was demoted to Dazai-no-Gon-no-sotsu, supernumerary Governor-General of Dazaifu, and Akitsu was demoted to supernumerary Governor of Izumo. On the following day Tsunesada entrusted four swords to Fujiwara-no-Fujimaro, Ukonoe-no-Shōshō (Lesser General of the Right Palace Guards), to be deposited at the Kurōdo-dokoro, the Chamberlains' Office. Soon afterward the people of the dissolved household were assembled in the courtyard at the guard post of the Right Emon, and by edict twenty-eight people from the Daishin (Senior Secretary) downward were demoted to the posts of Gon-no-kami, Gon-no-jō, and Gon-no-sakan in the various provinces. Among the zōshiki of the hall and the rank-holding Tatewaki of the sixth rank and below, those sentenced to exile numbered more than sixty, and they were also assigned to the border guards and dispatched along the various circuits. Tachibana-no-Hayanari and Tomo-no-Kowamine were likewise sentenced to exile (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki).

¶At first, when his duty quarters were surrounded, Tsunesada, calm and composed, said to those about him: "I have borne an office too heavy for my station, and I have long known of the coming omens of calamity myself. For that very reason, for several years I have told you of my wish to decline, hoping to avoid meeting this ruin. But I could not bear to go against the feelings of others, and so I brought sorrow upon myself. Is this not the will of Heaven?" (Note: following the Biography of Tsunesada) Soon afterward Masami-ō, Sangi, was sent to guard Tsunesada and escort him to the Junna-in (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki and the Biography of Tsunesada). At this point he was reduced to the rank of Imperial Prince. Tsunesada looked at those about him and said: "Happily I have been able to set down a heavy burden." He took up residence in the eastern pavilion of the Junna-in, and was called in the world Teiji Shinnō, the Pavilion Prince. From this time he devoted himself wholly to the Buddhist Way and never summoned consorts or ladies again (Note: following the Go-Shūi Ōjōden). Tsunesada's fine reputation had been known from early on, and the people of the realm placed hope in his future; but when he was once cast out, since it was not through any fault of Tsunesada's, those at court and in the country grieved for him (Note: following the Biography of Tsunesada).

¶In the second year of Kashō (849) he was granted Third Rank (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki). At length he took the tonsure and changed his name to Kōjaku (Note: on examination, the Kōin Shōunroku writes Jakukō, which is mistaken), and he kept the precepts and devoted himself to practice (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). In the second year of Jōgan (860) he donated several tens of his estates and pastures to the Daikakuji (Note: following the Go-Shūi Ōjōden), made Buddhist images, and copied sutras and treatises and enshrined them there. He also donated funds for incense, lamps, and meals for fourteen Jōgaku monks, the endowed monks of the temple (Note: following the Go-Shūi Ōjōden and the Biography of Tsunesada). At first he studied the histories with Harusumi-no-Yoshitada and Ōe-no-Otondo and the Five Classics with Nakahara-no-Tsukio, and afterwards received the secret essentials of the exoteric and esoteric teachings from the monk Shinnyo Dōshō, mastering the inner meaning of them all (Note: following the Biography of Tsunesada). He was especially skilled at cursive and clerical script. At that time the two Retired Emperors (Saga and Junna) excelled in calligraphy, and critics said: "Saga's writing has strong sinew but lacks flesh, Junna's has abundant flesh and soft sinew, but only Tsunesada's has excellence in both sinew and bone, with fullness and leanness well balanced." He was also skilled at the drum and the koto and mastered all the melodies of Takahashi-no-Fun'ya-no-Maro. Fun'ya-no-Maro always said: "The skillfulness of the turns is the fruit of training, and I respectfully pass it on to him. But the purity and elegance of his tones is a natural wonder, truly beyond my reach."

¶At first, when Tsunesada was eight years old and still being raised in the inner palace, the Retired Emperor Saga heard of his fondness for music, summoned him to play the koto, and himself taught him the Ekisui melody in the Uchō (Yu) mode. When Tsunesada had finished learning it, he asked about its origin. The Retired Emperor said: "Long ago Jing Ke devised a plot on behalf of the Crown Prince of Yan to stab the First Emperor of Qin. The Crown Prince held a farewell banquet for him on the banks of the Yi River, and Jing Ke sang in the Yu mode, in a song declaring that the stalwart man who departs will not return, and that the dagger would be brandished and stained with blood. Moved to indignation and deep feeling, his hair stood on end beneath his cap; he climbed into his carriage and left, and did not look back again. The affair was in the end not accomplished, and Jing Ke died. Later people transcribed it for the seven-stringed koto, and that is this piece." Tsunesada said: "This is not a proper melody. I do not wish to learn it." The Retired Emperor was pleased and sent a letter to Emperor Junna saying: "The Prince not only understands music; he is one who also grasps the meaning of words." The emperor too was pleased and kept the letter in the Shikyoku, the historiographers' office.

¶While in the Eastern Palace he was fond of pictures. When someone presented a scroll of Enshokuzu, erotic pictures depicting intercourse between men and women, he ordered it burned, saying, "This would dishonor the mother who bore me." The people of the time marveled at this. In the eighth year of Gangyō (884), the Son of Heaven (the Retired Emperor Yōzei) left the throne. Fujiwara-no-Mototsune, Daijō-daijin, Chancellor, who had set his heart on Tsunesada, led Minamoto-no-Tōru, Minister of the Left, and Minamoto-no-Masaru, Minister of the Right, to state their intention of putting him forward. Tsunesada wept and said: "In the Buddhist scriptures I have heard of those who loathed the royal throne and took refuge in the Buddhist Way, but I have never heard of one who cast off the body of a monk to covet worldly glory. This is an evil bond." For several days he took no food. And so it came about that Emperor Kōkō was welcomed to the throne (Note: following the Biography of Tsunesada). Tsunesada was by nature without anger, and apart from reciting the Buddha's name and the sutras, he never spoke jesting words (Note: following the Go-Shūi Ōjōden). In the ninth month of this year he died, at the age of sixty (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku. On examination, the Go-Shūi Ōjōden places his death in the ninth month of the first year of Ninna, which is mistaken). On the night before, he bathed and arranged his robes, entered the altar, and sat in meditation. At midday on the following day his disciples opened the door and looked in, and he was sitting facing west in the lotus position, as if alive (Note: following the Go-Shūi Ōjōden). By his last testament he was given a simple burial, with plainness as the sole principle (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). Tsunesada had had two children, both full of talent, who had also taken the tonsure together with Tsunesada (Note: following the Go-Shūi Ōjōden and the Biography of Tsunesada).

Imperial Prince Motosada

¶Imperial Prince Tsunemune died in the third month of the ninth year of Jōwa (842) (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki). He was thirteen years old (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

Imperial Prince Yoshisada

¶Imperial Prince Motosada was of pure and distinguished appearance, and his sincerity in filial piety was deep and earnest (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). In the early years of Jōwa he was granted twenty chō of wasteland in Sakai district, Echizen province (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki). In the eleventh year (844) he was granted Third Rank (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki and the Sandai Jitsuroku), and by special Imperial command was allowed to attend the Naien, the Inner Banquet. In the thirteenth year (846) he became Taishu, Governor-Prince, of Kazusa. In the second year of Kashō (849), his illness grew severe and he asked to take the tonsure (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki). In the ninth month of the eleventh year of Jōgan (869) he died (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku. On examination, the Kōin Shōunroku says that he took the tonsure in the ninth month of the tenth year of Jōgan and died the following day, which is mistaken).

Imperial Prince Muneyasu

¶Imperial Prince Yoshisada was granted Fourth Rank in the first year of Kashō (848). In the fifth month he died suddenly (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki).

Imperial Prince Saneyasu

¶Emperor Ninmyō had fourteen sons. The Empress Fujiwara bore Emperor Montoku (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Kōin Keizu). The posthumously honored Empress Dowager Fujiwara bore his second son, Imperial Prince Muneyasu (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Kōin Keizu), Emperor Kōkō (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki, the Sandai Jitsuroku, and the Kōin Shōunroku), and his fourth son, Imperial Prince Saneyasu (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Kōin Shōunroku). The Nyōgo, Consort, Shigeno-no-Nawako bore his fifth son, Imperial Prince Motoyasu (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Kōin Keizu). The Nyōgo, Consort, Fujiwara-no-Sadako bore his eighth son, Imperial Prince Nariyasu (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku, the Sandai Jitsuroku, and the Kōin Shōunroku). The Kōi, Dressing Lady, Ki-no-Taneko bore his seventh son, Imperial Prince Tsuneyasu (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku and the Sandai Jitsuroku. On examination, neither of these two books records the clan of his mother, so the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Kōin Shōunroku are followed here). A woman of the Mikuni clan bore Sadatō (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku, the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Kōin Shōunroku). The palace woman Fujiwara-no-Katoko bore his sixth son, Imperial Prince Kuniyasu (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Kōin Keizu). A woman of the Yamaguchi clan bore Minamoto-no-Satoru (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku). Minamoto-no-Masaru, Minamoto-no-Suzushi, Minamoto-no-Hikaru, and Minamoto-no-Itaru were all of mothers whose clans have not been handed down (Note: following the Genji Keizu and the Kōin Shōunroku).

Imperial Prince Motoyasu

¶In the third year of Jōwa (836), Imperial Prince Muneyasu was granted ten chō of wasteland in Yamabe district, Yamato province, thirty-three chō of wasteland in Kanzaki district, Harima province, and seventy chō of vacant land in Mushiro district, Mino province. In the eleventh year (844) he was granted Fourth Rank. In the twelfth year (845) he became Dazai-no-sochi, Governor-General of Dazaifu. In the second year of Kashō (849) he concurrently became Nakatsukasa-kyō, Minister of Central Affairs. In the third year (850), when the emperor (Emperor Ninmyō) fell ill and took the tonsure, Muneyasu likewise took the tonsure (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki). In the sixth month of the tenth year of Jōgan (868) he died. He was forty-one years old (Note: reckoned from the Shoku Nihon Kōki's statement that Muneyasu was seven in the first year of Jōwa).

Imperial Prince Kuniyasu

¶In the fourth year of Jōwa (837), Imperial Prince Saneyasu was granted one chō of vacant land in Kadono district, Yamashiro province. In the first year of Kashō (848) he was granted Fourth Rank. In the second year (849) he was appointed Kazusa-no-taishu (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki. On examination, the Montoku Jitsuroku records that he was also appointed Kazusa-no-taishu in the fifth month of the third year of Kashō, and it is not known which is correct). In the second year of Ninju (852) he was transferred to Danjō-no-in, Chief of the Board of Censors. In the first year of Ten'an (857) he concurrently became Hitachi-no-taishu. In the first year of Jōgan (859) he asked to take the tonsure. By edict it was ruled that Imperial Prince Saneyasu be permitted to resign his office and rank and take refuge in the Buddhist gate, and that, following the precedent of Imperial Prince Kuniyasu, his rank and fief households be withdrawn, but that his original fief households and the attendants of his establishment be provided for him according to the precedent for those without rank (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku. On examination, the Sonpi Bunmyaku records that he took the tonsure in the first year of Saikō (854), which is mistaken. Moreover, the entry for the fourth month of the fifth year of Jōgan in the Sandai Jitsuroku says that ninety-four chō of fields belonging to the household of Imperial Prince Saneyasu in Aichi district, Ōmi province, were donated to the Enryakuji as funds for the transmission of the Law, and that by edict they were handed over to the provincial governor so that taxes would never again be levied on them. This was probably done at Saneyasu's own request, but since there is no other evidence, it is not recorded in the main text). He changed his name to Hōshō (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). In the sixth year (864), by edict, one hundred and thirty rolls of silk, three hundred tun of floss, four hundred tan of tribute cloth, and three thousand three hundred kan of coin borrowed by his household were remitted. In the fifth month of the fourteenth year (872) he died (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). He was forty-two years old (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki). He was called Yamashina-no-miya (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Genji Keizu), and also Kitano Shinnō, the Kitano Prince (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

¶He had three sons, Okimoto, Okinori, and Okisuke (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu). Okimoto was at first one of the royal princes, but in the Jōgan era he became Chamberlain. He successively held the posts of Gon-no-kami of Shinano and Harima (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Shokuji Bunin. Shinano is from the Sandai Jitsuroku) and Danjō-no-daihitsu, Senior Assistant of the Board of Censors (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku), and was appointed Sama-no-kami, Head of the Left Bureau of Horses. In the Gangyō era he concurrently became Governor of Iyo (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku, the Kugyō Bunin, and the Shokuji Bunin), was granted the surname Minamoto-no-Ason and became Sakonoe-no-gon-no-chūjō, Provisional Middle General of the Left Palace Guards, and concurrently Governor of Bizen (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). He was appointed Kurōdo-no-tō, Head Chamberlain (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Shokuji Bunin, and the Kōin Shōunroku), and his rank reached Senior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi and the Kugyō Bunin). In the Ninna era he concurrently became Ise-no-gon-no-kami. In the third year of Kanpyō (891) he was appointed Sangi, Counsellor, and concurrently Kunai-kyō, Minister of the Imperial Household. In that year he died (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Shokuji Bunin). He was forty-seven years old (Note: following the Genji Keizu). He had two sons and one daughter, named Tadasuke, Toshisuke, and Yoshiko. Tadasuke was granted Junior Fifth Rank Lower and in the Ninna era became Uhyōe-no-gon-no-suke, Provisional Assistant Captain of the Right Gate Guards (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). Toshisuke, in the Shōtai era, became Chūgū-no-daishin, Senior Secretary of the Empress's Household (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). Yoshiko became a Nyōgo of Emperor Seiwa. Okinori was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower in the Gangyō era (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi) and became Chamberlain. In the eighth year (884) he died (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku).

Imperial Prince Tsuneyasu

¶In the third year of Jōwa (836), Imperial Prince Motoyasu was granted thirty-five chō of vacant land in Yasu district, Ōmi province. In the fourth year (837) he was granted thirty chō of wasteland in Kawachi province. In the second year of Kashō (849) he was granted Fourth Rank (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki). In the third year (850) he became Kōzuke-no-taishu (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki and the Montoku Jitsuroku). In the second year of Jōgan (860) he concurrently became Danjō-no-in. In the fifth year (863) he became Hyōbu-kyō, Minister of Military Affairs, and was permitted to wear a sword. In the eleventh year (869) he was transferred to Kazusa-no-taishu. In the thirteenth year (871) he advanced to Third Rank. In the eighteenth year (876) he became Dazai-no-sochi, with the post of Hyōbu-kyō retained as before. In the seventh year of Gangyō (883) he advanced to Second Rank. In the eighth year (884) he became Shikibu-kyō, Minister of Ceremonial (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku), and later reached First Rank. In the twelfth month of the first year of Engi (901) he died (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Fusō Ryakki, and the Ichidai Yōki). He was called Hachijō-no-miya (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku). He once studied the koto together with Emperor Kōkō under Takahashi-no-Fun'ya-no-Maro (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku).

¶He had ten sons and two daughters, named Masamochi-ō, Yukitada-ō, Nobuhira-ō, Koretoki-ō (Note: the Ichidai Yōki writes Masatoki-ō), Kanenori, Kanehito, Asakane, Asashi, Yasumochi, Yoshimichi, Princess Renshi, and Princess Genshi (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu).

¶Masamochi-ō (Note: the Genji Keizu says he was granted the surname Taira, but this appears nowhere else and is not adopted) became Chamberlain and was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower; later he was transferred to Danjō-no-daihitsu and advanced to Junior Fourth Rank Upper. In the Ninna era he concurrently became Mimasaka-no-gon-no-kami, and he moved to the post of Jingi-haku, Head of the Department of Divinities (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). He had two sons, Mareyo and Yukitoki (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu), who were both granted the surname Taira-no-Ason (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). Mareyo successively held the posts of Ukonoe-no-gon-no-shōshō, Provisional Lesser General of the Right Palace Guards, and Sa-shōben, Lesser Controller of the Left, and rose to Uchūben, Middle Controller of the Right, and Kura-no-kami, Director of the Imperial Storehouse (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Chōya Gunsai), and his rank was Junior Fourth Rank Upper (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). In the eighth year of Enchō (930) he was struck by lightning in the Seiryōden and died (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). Mareyo was by nature fond of wine and was one of the Eight Drinkers of the Teijiin (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki and the Chōya Gunsai). Yukitoki held posts both within and outside the court during the Engi and Enchō eras. In the Tengyō era he was successively transferred to Sa-emon-no-gon-no-suke, Provisional Assistant Captain of the Left Gate Guards, Governor of Tanba, and Shuri-no-daibu, Master of the Office of Palace Repairs; he was appointed Kurōdo-no-tō, was granted Senior Fourth Rank Lower, and became Kura-no-kami. In the Tenryaku era he was appointed Sangi, with the post of Shuri-no-daibu retained as before, concurrently became Governor of Iyo, and was transferred to Dazai-no-daini, Vice-Governor-General of Dazaifu. In the seventh year (953) he died in office. He was sixty-four years old (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

¶Yukitada-ō was Junior Fourth Rank Upper and Governor of Yamashiro (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). He had two sons, Sukemoto and Sukitada (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu), who were both granted the surname Taira-no-Ason. Sukemoto was Senior Fifth Rank Lower and Governor of Mikawa. Sukitada was Senior Fifth Rank Lower and Governor of Aki.

¶Nobuhira-ō was Junior Fourth Rank Upper and Ukyō-daibu, Master of the Right Capital Office (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). Koretoki-ō was Ōtoneri-no-kami, Director of the Palace Attendants (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Kōin Shōunroku). His son Arihiro was granted the surname Taira-no-Ason and Junior Fourth Rank Lower, and successively held the posts of Ukyō-daibu (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku) and Nakatsukasa-no-shō, Lesser Assistant of the Ministry of Central Affairs (Note: following the Gōke Shidai).

¶Kanenori, together with his five younger brothers beginning with Kanehito, was granted the surname Minamoto-no-Ason (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). He successively held the posts of Governor of Awa and Nuidono-no-kami, Director of the Sewing Bureau, and reached Junior Fourth Rank Upper and Dazai-no-daini (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu). Kanehito was Junior Fourth Rank Lower and Governor of Inaba (Note: in some copies of this book "Lower" is written "Upper," and the Genji Keizu writes "Governor" as "Vice-Governor"). Asakane was Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Governor of Bungo. Asanori was Junior Fourth Rank Lower and Governor of Inaba (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku. On examination, as to Junior Fourth Rank Lower and Governor of Inaba, one copy of the Shōunroku has Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Governor of Tango, and the Genji Keizu has Junior Fifth Rank Lower and Vice-Governor of Tanba).

¶Yasumochi was Junior Fourth Rank Lower. His son Koresuke was Junior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu) and Chūgū-no-daibu, Master of the Empress's Household (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). Yoshimichi reached Junior Fourth Rank Lower and was successively Governor of Awa and Bizen. His son Sukenari successively held the posts of Kurōdo, Chūgū-no-daishin, and Governor of Suō (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu. Chūgū-no-daishin is from the Genealogy).

¶Princess Renshi was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower in the first year of Gangyō (877) (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). Princess Genshi became the Itsuki, Priestess, of Ise in the first year of Kanpyō (889) (Note: following the Saigū-ki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Kijo-shō. On examination, the Saigū-ki and the Kijo-shō write Imperial Princess Genshi, which is mistaken).

Minamoto-no-Masaru

¶In the seventh year of Jōwa (840), Imperial Prince Tsuneyasu was granted the island of Tōshi in Shima province (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki). From childhood Tsuneyasu was composed and intelligent, and among the imperial sons he was especially beloved of the emperor (Emperor Ninmyō). When the emperor died, Tsuneyasu felt deep longing for him and wept with grief without ceasing. In the first year of Ninju (851) he took the tonsure and lived at the Ungein. In the eleventh year of Jōgan (869) he entrusted this temple to the monk Henjō, saying: "This was the residence granted by the Emperor Fukakusa (Emperor Ninmyō). When the emperor died, I cut off my hair and entered religion, but I have not yet been able to repay in full that vast and boundless kindness. I wish this to be a monastery for all time, where the teaching of Tendai may be studied. If I entrust it to someone who is not the right person, the Buddhist Way will not be practiced; if I entrust it to the right person, the lamp of the Law will burn ever brighter. Now, together with the fields, gardens, and resources, I entrust it to you in perpetuity." (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku. On examination, the entry for the fifth year of Jōgan in this book says that one hundred and thirty chō of fields belonging to the household of Imperial Prince Tsuneyasu in Takashima district, Ōmi province, were donated to the Enryakuji as funds for emergency relief. This was probably done at Tsuneyasu's own request, but since there is no explicit text, it is not recorded in the main text.) In the fifth month of that year he died (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki and the Teiō Hennenki). He was called Ungein-no-miya (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki and the Kōin Shōunroku). One of his sons took the tonsure (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu), took the name Kōshō, founded the Rokuharamitsuji and lived there (Note: following the Genkō Shakusho and the Shomonzeki-fu). He was called Kūya Shōnin (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku, the Genji Keizu, the Shomonzeki-fu, and the Genkō Shakusho). The title "Shōnin," Holy Man, began with him (Note: following the Shomonzeki-fu). At the beginning of Gangyō he entered the capital, recited the name of Amida Buddha, and exhorted the people to the faith. The people called him Ichi-no-Shōnin, the Holy Man of the Marketplace (Note: following the Genkō Shakusho).

Minamoto-no-Suzushi

¶Imperial Prince Nariyasu was from childhood extraordinarily intelligent and had the aspirations of an adult. The emperor (Emperor Ninmyō) loved him as one of rare quality. In the fourth month of the third year of Ninju (853) he contracted smallpox and died (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku).

Minamoto-no-Hikaru

¶Minamoto-no-Masaru (Masaru) was the Daiichi Genji, the first Minamoto (the first of Emperor Ninmyō's sons to be granted the Minamoto surname). In the second year of Kashō (849) he was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper. In the third year (850) he became Governor of Awa. When the emperor (Emperor Ninmyō) shaved his head and took up religious life, he took the tonsure together with Muneyasu (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki). Soon afterward he let his hair grow and returned to lay life. In the second year of Ninju (852) he again became Governor of Awa and was appointed Kunai-kyō, Minister of the Imperial Household (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the third year (853) he was transferred to Governor of Mimasaka and then changed to Governor of Bitchū. In the first year of Saikō (854) he was appointed Sangi and concurrently became Gon-no-kami of Echizen (Note: on examination, the Ichidai Yōki says that in the first year he was appointed Jibu-kyō, but since there is no other evidence, it is not recorded in the main text). In the first year of Ten'an (857) he became Sahyōe-no-kami, Director of the Left Gate Guards. In the third year (859) he became Governor of Shinano and was transferred to Governor of Ise (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku). On the accession of Emperor Seiwa he advanced to Senior Fourth Rank Lower. In the third year of Jōgan (861) he was transferred to Governor of Bizen, with the post of Sahyōe-no-kami retained as before. In the sixth year (864) he was transferred to Saemon-no-kami, Director of the Left Gate Guards. In the eighth year (866) he advanced to Junior Third Rank. In the tenth year (868) he concurrently became Governor of Ōmi. In the twelfth year (870) he became Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor. In the fourteenth year (872) he was transferred to Dainagon, Great Counsellor. In the fifteenth year (873) he was granted the right to wear a sword. In the seventeenth year (875) he advanced to Senior Third Rank (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku) and concurrently became Mutsu-Dewa Azechi, Inspector of Mutsu and Dewa (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). In the first year of Gangyō (877) he concurrently became Sakonoe-no-taishō, General of the Left Palace Guards. In the second year (878), because of the rebellion of the Emishi of Dewa, he asked to resign as Inspector, but this was not granted. In the third year (879) he advanced to Junior Second Rank. In the sixth year (882) he was appointed Udaijin, Minister of the Right. He submitted a memorial asking to reduce his fief by one thousand households, and this was granted (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). In the third year of Ninna (887) he advanced to Senior Second Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the tenth month of the fourth year (888) he died (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki, the Kugyō Bunin, and the Ichidai Yōki). He was fifty-eight years old (Note: on examination, the Ninmyō chronicle of the Ichidai Yōki says that he died in the fourth year of Ninju (854) at the age of sixty-five, and the Fusō Ryakki says fifty-nine. Both are probably mistaken. Here the Kugyō Bunin, the Uda chronicle of the Ichidai Yōki, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Teiō Hennenki are followed). Sangi Fujiwara-no-Morokazu and Jibu-no-taifu Tachibana-no-Yasukage were sent, and he was posthumously granted Junior First Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin).

¶He had five sons, named Fuchi, Susumu, Nin, Gai, and Kiyoshi. Fuchi became Kurōdo (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu). In the Gangyō era he became Bizen-no-suke, Vice-Governor of Bizen, and was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower. In the Ninna era he was transferred to Governor of Bungo (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). Later he became Kunai-no-taifu, Senior Assistant of the Imperial Household Ministry, and advanced to Kurōdo (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu). In the Gangyō era he became Zusho-no-kami, Director of the Bureau of Books. In the Ninna era he became Governor of Mikawa (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). Later he reached Junior Fourth Rank Lower, successively served as Governor of Izumo, Tanba, Shinano, Tajima, and others, and was appointed Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Jibu-no-taifu, Senior Assistant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu). Gai was Junior Fifth Rank Lower. In the Ninna era he became Settsu-no-suke, Vice-Governor of Settsu (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). He served as Governor of Mimasaka and Hōki (Note: following the Genji Keizu).

Minamoto-no-Itaru

¶Minamoto-no-Suzushi was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper in the second year of Kashō (849) (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki). In the third year (850) he became Governor of Sanuki (Note: following the Shoku Nihon Kōki and the Montoku Jitsuroku). In the third year of Ninju (853) he again became Governor of Sanuki. In the first year of Saikō (854) he became Uma-no-kami, Director of the Right Bureau of Horses. In the third year (856) he became Governor of Tajima. In the first year of Ten'an (857) he was transferred to Governor of Ōmi (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku). In the Jōgan era he successively served as Governor of Ise, Harima, and Sagami (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku), and advanced to Senior Fourth Rank Lower and Kunai-kyō, Minister of the Imperial Household. In the first year of Gangyō (877) he concurrently became Uhyōe-no-kami, Director of the Right Gate Guards. In the sixth year (882) he was appointed Sangi and soon concurrently became Iyo-no-gon-no-kami (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the third year of Ninna (887) he advanced to Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). In the fourth year (888) he concurrently became Saemon-no-kami. In the first year of Kanpyō (889) he concurrently became Governor of Mino (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the second month of the second year (890) he died (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Genji Keizu). He was fifty-six years old (Note: on examination, the Ichidai Yōki says that he was fifty-eight in the third year of Ninna, by which reckoning he would have been sixty-one this year. The Genji Keizu says he was fifty-two, which is probably mistaken. Here the Kugyō Bunin is followed). He had two sons, Tōru and Sonau. Tōru was Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Echū-no-suke, Vice-Governor of Etchū (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku. The Genji Keizu has Junior Fifth Rank Lower). Sonau (Note: following the Genji Keizu and the Sonpi Bunmyaku. On examination, the Kōin Shōunroku writes "Sonau" with a different character) was Junior Fifth Rank Lower and Governor of Kii (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu).

Minamoto-no-Satoru

¶Minamoto-no-Itaru was Junior Fourth Rank Upper. In the twelfth year of Jōgan (870) he became Bizen-no-gon-no-kami, and later took the tonsure (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku).

Imperial Prince Koretaka

¶Minamoto-no-Satoru was intelligent by nature, fond of learning, and known for his talent in practical affairs. When Emperor Seiwa read the Gunsho Chiyō, the "Essentials of Government from Many Books," he kept Satoru constantly at his side. In the eleventh year of Jōgan (869) he was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper. A few years later he was appointed Governor of Tajima. Soon he was transferred to Ukyō-daibu, Master of the Right Capital Office, and successively held concurrent posts as Governor of Tanba, Tajima, and Mino. In the first year of Gangyō (877) he was transferred to Kunai-kyō and advanced to Senior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: on examination, the Kōin Shōunroku says Senior Second Rank, which is mistaken). In the tenth month of the third year (879) he died. He was thirty-one years old (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). He had three sons, Nari, Osamu, and Miyako. Nari was Junior Fifth Rank Lower and Dazai-no-shōni, Lesser Vice-Governor-General of Dazaifu. Osamu was Junior Fifth Rank Lower and Zusho-no-kami, Director of the Bureau of Books (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku).

Imperial Prince Koreeda

¶Sadatō was granted the surname Minamoto-no-Ason in the early years of Jōwa. Later, because of a fault of his mother, he was struck from the imperial register, took the tonsure, and changed his name to Jinjaku (Note: his original name is missing and cannot now be determined). At the end of the Kashō era, by a gracious edict, he again received seasonal clothing and a monthly stipend, in the same way as in the precedent of Hōei, who sought the Buddhist Way. Later he returned to lay life and had children.

¶When Emperor Kōkō was still an Imperial Prince, in the eighth year of Jōgan (866), he presented a memorial together with Imperial Prince Motoyasu, Taishu of Kazusa, Minamoto-no-Masaru, Sangi, and others. Its substance was as follows: "While Emperor Ninmyō was ill, Jinjaku, together with Tokiyasu (Emperor Kōkō) and the others, tasted the medicines and attended him, and for that reason took the tonsure; his case does not fall under the ordinary precedents for punishment. Yet now that good bond has not been fulfilled, and he is to return again to the lay world; the children born to him already number several, yet his name remains registered in the monastic rolls, and his person has as yet no registered domicile. The path to service has already been cut off, and the sorrow of his sinking is truly deep. Moreover, the way of a son does not change between monk and layman. When he took the tonsure he had already been ranked among the Imperial sons; on the day he returned to lay life, how could he not be an Imperial son? In accordance with the precedents of the world, he should be restored to his original surname. However, we have heard it said that the last wishes of Emperor Saga state that a son of a mother who has committed a fault cannot become a Minamoto. We beg that he be granted a separate surname and given name, that he be conferred a rank, and that his domicile be established by the Kyōshiki, the Capital Office."

¶By edict this was granted; he was given the surname Sada-no-Ason and the name Noboru, was granted Senior Sixth Rank Upper, and his domicile was established in the First Block of the First Ward of the Right Capital. The following year he advanced to Junior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). In the first year of Gangyō (877) he advanced to Junior Fifth Rank Upper (Note: following the Ruijū Kokushi. On examination, the Teiō Hennenki has Senior Fifth Rank Lower, but this was probably a later advancement. It cannot now be determined). In the first year of Ninna (885) he became Governor of Bitchū (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku).

Imperial Prince Korehiko

¶Emperor Montoku had twelve sons (Note: on examination, one account in the Rekidai Kōki and the Gukanshō both say that of twenty-nine Imperial sons, fourteen were granted surnames; but having now examined the various books, those among the emperor's sons and daughters from Minamoto-no-Yoshiari downward, down to the son of Minamoto-no-Osamu, who were granted surnames number only fifteen, and the others cannot be determined). The Empress Fujiwara bore Emperor Seiwa (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Kōin Shōunroku). The Kōi, Dressing Lady, Ki-no-Shizuko bore his first son, Imperial Prince Koretaka, and his second son, Imperial Prince Koreeda (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Kōin Shōunroku). The palace woman Shigeno-no-Okuko bore his third son, Imperial Prince Korehiko (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku, the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, and the Kōin Shōunroku). Fujiwara-no-Imako bore his fifth son, Imperial Prince Koretsune (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Teiō Hennenki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Kōin Keizu). Shigeno-no-Mineko bore Minamoto-no-Motoari and Minamoto-no-Toshiari (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). A woman of the Tomo clan bore Minamoto-no-Sadaari (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku, the Sonpi Bunmyaku, and the Teiō Hennenki). A woman of the Taji clan bore Minamoto-no-Tsuneari. A woman of the Kiyohara clan bore Minamoto-no-Tokiari (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Teiō Hennenki). A woman of the Sugawara clan bore Minamoto-no-Sadaari (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku, the Sonpi Bunmyaku, and the Teiō Hennenki). A woman of the Fuse clan bore Minamoto-no-Yukiari (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Teiō Hennenki. On examination, the Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu both list an Imperial son, Minamoto-no-Tomiari, but judging from the Sandai Jitsuroku's statement that in the third year of Jōgan the Imperial Princess Tomiko was granted a surname, Tomiari is probably an error for Tomiko, and so he is not adopted).

Imperial Prince Koretsune

¶Imperial Prince Koretaka (Note: "Taka" is also sometimes written with another character) was the most beloved of the emperor (Emperor Montoku). At that time Emperor Seiwa was still very young and was Crown Prince, and so the emperor considered installing Koretaka as heir for the time being to await Emperor Seiwa's growing up, but he hesitated to decide because of Fujiwara-no-Yoshifusa, the maternal grandfather. Yoshifusa was deeply troubled by this and sought to make the Crown Prince decline the position. Fujiwara-no-Mitsuhito, who was versed in astronomy, remonstrated with Yoshifusa, saying: "The movements of the heavens have not changed, and nothing else will befall the Crown Prince." Before long Minamoto-no-Makoto, Minister of the Left, offered his opinion to the emperor, and it turned out just as Mitsuhito had said (Note: following the Ōkagami Uragaki).

¶In the first year of Ten'an (857), though not yet come of age, he was by special Imperial command permitted to wear a sword and was granted Fourth Rank. In that year he came of age. In the second year (858) he became Dazai-no-sochi (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku). In the fifth year of Jōgan (863) he became Danjō-no-in. In the sixth year (864) he became Hitachi-no-taishu. In the ninth year (867) he again became Hitachi-no-taishu. In the fourteenth year (872) he was transferred to Kōzuke-no-taishu, and in autumn of that year he fell ill and took the tonsure. In the sixteenth year (874) his fief was increased by one hundred households (Note: on examination, the edict below says "return all the original fief households and add these one hundred households," and also speaks of "the day the Prince declined and returned his rank and fief"; so it seems likely that a passage is missing from the entry above under "took the tonsure").

¶The edict said: "We have heard it said that 'the perfect rule of Danling (Emperor Yao) put first the harmonizing of the hearts of his kin, and Kon-chō Nōnin (the Buddha Śākyamuni) still cherished the shade of the tree.' How much more, among flesh and blood joined like flower and calyx, who could fail to feel earnest concern? Our elder half-brother, Imperial Prince Koretaka, was especially cherished by the late emperor (Emperor Montoku), and We wish to make Our fraternal affection for him all the greater. From the time of Our accession We have wished to increase his honors early. But the decrees of Heaven are profound, and the standards of an emperor must be given weight. To establish a name without private motive, one must follow the deeds of the ancients, and to establish virtue by perfect impartiality, one must seek its reputation afterward. For that reason, following the proper order, We have repeatedly stated the established rules of the court, restraining desire and curbing sentiment, and have long kept Our former feelings within Our breast. We have always wished that the glory of Our family might shine upon the ten thousand lands as an extraordinary favor; how could We have thought that he would cast off the world like fallen leaves (Note: one text writes the character for 'entirely' differently, but neither is clear) and share joy together with the heavens? The bond of flesh and blood is given by Heaven (Note: two characters are missing here), yet We regret that he has become utterly distant, that the ways of monk and layman have parted, and that We cannot meet him in person. On the day the Prince declined and returned his rank and fief, We reflected that the Prince in ordinary times kept his household in simplicity and relied solely on the provisions of the court, that he would be unable to support himself by begging, and that there would be many obstacles in setting up his fasting meals (Note: one text writes one character as 'kan,' but it is probably an error for 'han,' meaning meal). But, hesitating to go against the Prince's lofty will, We did not dare to settle the matter. Now that We have indeed heard that the Prince is often in want, Our grief is beyond all words. Let those former fief households be preserved entire, and let these one hundred households be restored and added, as aid for the expenses of his robe and bowl, and so console Our aching heart."

¶Koretaka submitted a memorial declining this (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). The edict in reply said: "The Prince's spirit towers high, and his sentiments are penetrating and far-reaching. In his breast he holds a capacity as broad as the Northern Sea, and in his hand he holds virtue like that of the Prince of Dongping (Liu Cang of the Later Han). He has left the confused world of the dust and entered the gate of the Buddhist Law, full of subtle meaning. Like the tortoise he hides his head well, and like the crane his body is extremely thin. We, though different in body, are brothers of one breath, and you must know Our feeling of closeness and love. Like branches that parted from a single tree, We share the times of flourishing and decay. The present fief is extremely small, and We wish it only to serve slightly for the implements of practice and as provisions for meditation toward the mountains. But the Prince purifies himself in mountain streams, shuts himself in rock caves to cut off desire, wears vines in place of clothing and takes the mists for food, and has repeatedly sent writings from the wilds, firmly maintaining a humble and deferential attitude. This is not as an honor but only to express Our sincerity. May the Prince receive it with an empty heart and not refuse it. If you decline again, it will be to estrange Us." (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku and the Toshi Bunshū)

¶In the second month of the ninth year of Kanpyō (897) he died (Note: on examination, the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu both say that he died in the second month of the fifteenth year of Jōgan (873) at the age of twenty-six, but given the Sandai Jitsuroku's statement that his fief was increased in the sixteenth year, these two books are mistaken. Here the Ise Monogatari Ketsugishō is followed for the time being). He was fifty-four years old (Note: from the statement in the Montoku Jitsuroku for the first year of Ten'an that he was fourteen). Because he lived in the village of Ono, he was called Ono-no-miya (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Genji Keizu, and the Teiō Hennenki. His residence at Ono is from the Genpei Jōsuiki). He was also called Minase-no-miya (Note: following the Teiō Hennenki), or Kihara Shinnō (Note: following the Heike Monogatari). Koretaka was skilled in waka (Note: following the Sakusha Burui) and also composed Chinese poetry (Note: following the Jikkinshō and the Wakan Rōeishū). His son, Prince Kanehiro (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Genji Keizu), was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower in the Ninna era (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku. The Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu both have Senior Fourth Rank Lower, and the Ichidai Yōki has Senior Fifth Rank Lower). He successively served as Governor of Yamashiro, Minbu-no-taifu, Senior Assistant of the Ministry of Popular Affairs, Jingi-haku, and Kunai-kyō (Note: following the Genji Keizu).

Minamoto-no-Yoshiari

¶Imperial Prince Koreeda was granted Fourth Rank in the sixth year of Jōgan (864). In the ninth year (867) he became Kazusa-no-taishu (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). In the ninth month of the tenth year (868) he died. He was twenty-two years old at the time (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku. On examination, the Ichidai Yōki says he was twenty-three). He had a son, Prince Kagenori (Note: following the Ichidai Yōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Genji Keizu).

Minamoto-no-Tsuneari

¶Imperial Prince Korehiko was granted Fourth Rank in the ninth year of Jōgan (867). In the tenth year (868) he became Hitachi-no-taishu. In the fifteenth year (873) he became Danjō-no-in. In the seventeenth year (875) he became Kazusa-no-taishu. In the eighteenth year (876) he was again transferred to Hitachi-no-taishu and then moved to Nakatsukasa-kyō. In the fifth year of Gangyō (881) he became Kōzuke-no-taishu, and later was changed to Dazai-no-sochi. In the first month of the seventh year (883) he died. He was forty-four years old (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku. On examination, if Korehiko was forty years old, he would have been four years older than his elder brother Koretaka. "Forty" is probably an error for "thirty"). His son was Prince Koreyo (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu), and his daughter was Princess Naoko (Note: following the Saiin-ki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Kōin Shōunroku. On examination, another text of the Ichidai Yōki has Manako, and the Genji Keizu is the same, but there she is made a daughter of Koreeda. Some also say she was a daughter of Koretaka). Prince Koreyo's son Yasumoto was granted the surname Taira-no-Ason (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku) and became Governor of Noto (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu). Naoko became the Itsuki, Priestess, of Kamo in the reign of Emperor Uda (Note: following the Saiin-ki, the Ichidai Yōki, and the entry for the second year of Daiji in the Chūyūki).

Minamoto-no-Tokiari

¶Imperial Prince Koretsune became an Imperial Prince in the third year of Jōgan (861). In the thirteenth year (871) he was granted Fourth Rank. In the fourteenth year (872) he became Hitachi-no-taishu. In the fifteenth year (873) he was granted the right to wear a sword and became Jibu-kyō, Minister of Civil Affairs. In the seventeenth year (875) he became Kōzuke-no-taishu, and later was transferred to Danjō-no-in. In the sixth year of Gangyō (882) he became Kazusa-no-taishu. In the seventh year (883) he was again transferred to Kōzuke-no-taishu. In the eighth year (884) he became Hyōbu-kyō (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). Later he advanced to Third Rank (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku, the Ichidai Yōki, the Kōin Shōunroku, and the Genji Keizu). In the fourth month of the fourth year of Engi (904) he died (Note: following the Nihon Kiryaku and the Ichidai Yōki).

Minamoto-no-Motoari

¶Minamoto-no-Yoshiari was granted the surname Minamoto-no-Ason in the third year of Ninju (853) (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku) and became the Daiichi Genji, the first Minamoto of this emperor's line (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Rekidai Kōki). In the second year of Jōgan (860) he was granted wasteland in Uji district, Yamashiro province. In the fourth year (862) he was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper. In the eighth year (866) he became Governor of Kaga. In the eleventh year (869) he became Ōkura-kyō, Minister of the Treasury. In the twelfth year (870) he concurrently became Mino-no-gon-no-kami. In the fourteenth year (872) he was appointed Sangi (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku) and concurrently became Sahyōe-no-kami, Director of the Left Gate Guards. He also concurrently became Mino-no-gon-no-kami. In the sixteenth year (874) he was transferred to Bitchū-no-gon-no-kami (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the seventeenth year (875) he advanced to Senior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). In the eighteenth year (876) he concurrently became Sakonoe-no-chūjō, Middle General of the Left Palace Guards (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the first year of Gangyō (877) he advanced to Junior Third Rank. In the second year (878) he became Saemon-no-kami (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). In the third year (879) he again concurrently became Mino-no-gon-no-kami (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin. On examination, the Sandai Jitsuroku lacks the character "gon") and was given in addition the post of Kebiishi-no-bettō, Chief of the Police and Judicial Office (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Genji Keizu). In the fourth year (880) he became Ōmi-no-gon-no-kami (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the sixth year (882) he was appointed Chūnagon, Middle Counsellor (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku and the Kugyō Bunin). In the first year of Kanpyō (889) he concurrently became Minbu-kyō, Minister of Popular Affairs, was given in addition the post of Ukonoe-no-taishō, General of the Right Palace Guards, and also became Tutor to the Crown Prince. In the second year (890) he advanced to Senior Third Rank. In the third year (891) he was transferred to Dainagon, Great Counsellor. In the fifth year (893) he concurrently became Mutsu-Dewa Azechi, Inspector of Mutsu and Dewa, and was changed to Sakonoe-no-taishō, General of the Left Palace Guards. In the seventh year (895) he again concurrently became Minbu-kyō and became Bettō, Superintendent, of the provinces of the home region. In the eighth year (896) he was appointed Udaijin, Minister of the Right, with the posts of Sakonoe-no-taishō and Tutor to the Crown Prince retained as before (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In the sixth month of the ninth year (897) he died. He was fifty-three years old. He was posthumously granted Senior First Rank and was called Konoin-no-Otodo, the Minister of the Konoin (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Genji Keizu. On examination, the Sonpi Bunmyaku writes "Konoin" as "Konoe-in," which is mistaken).

¶He had seven sons, Masatoki (Note: on examination, this book makes him the second son, but here the Kugyō Bunin is followed), Masamoto, Masakane (Note: on examination, the Sonpi Bunmyaku writes Masataka and gives his office as Dainagon, but he is not found in books such as the Kugyō Bunin, so the Bunmyaku is mistaken), Masakata, Masatoshi (Note: "toshi" is also sometimes written "taira"), Masazumi, and Masasue. His daughters were Genshi and Shōshi (Note: following the Genji Keizu. On examination, the Kōin Shōunroku lists them both as royal princesses and as daughters of Emperor Montoku, which is mistaken).

¶Masatoki became Chamberlain at the end of Gangyō. In the Ninna era he became Suō-no-suke, Vice-Governor of Suō, and was transferred to Mino-no-suke (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). In the Kanpyō era he successively served as Sakyō-no-suke, Assistant Master of the Left Capital Office, Uma-no-suke, Assistant Director of the Bureau of Horses, Uemon-no-gon-no-suke, Provisional Assistant Captain of the Right Gate Guards, and Sa-shōben, Lesser Controller of the Left; as Gon-no-uchūben, Provisional Middle Controller of the Right, he concurrently became Moku-no-kami, Director of the Bureau of Carpentry, and was transferred to Sachūben, Middle Controller of the Left. In the Engi era he concurrently became Suō-no-gon-no-kami and was transferred to Uhyōe-no-kami, Director of the Right Gate Guards, was appointed Sangi, was given in addition the post of Kebiishi-no-bettō, and successively concurrently served as Gon-no-kami of Harima and Ōmi, Governor of Sanuki, and Uemon-no-kami, Director of the Right Gate Guards. In the twenty-first year (921) he reached the rank of Chūnagon and Junior Third Rank (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin). In that year he died. He was fifty-four years old (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin and the Ichidai Yōki. On examination, the Nihon Kiryaku says sixty-five, and one copy of the Bunin, the Rekidai Kōki, and the Genji Keizu say seventy-five, all of which are mistaken).

¶He had eight sons, Tadasuke, Suketaira, Sukemoto (Note: "moto" is also sometimes written "nari"), Masasuke, Sukeakira, Sukekuni, Nakaakira, and Nakakane. Tadasuke successively served as Kurōdo, Chamberlain, and reached Senior Fifth Rank Lower and Sakonoe-no-shōshō, Lesser General of the Left Palace Guards. Suketaira was Sakonoe-no-shōgen, Lieutenant of the Left Palace Guards. Sukemoto successively served as Kurōdo and Monjō-shō, a student of letters (Note: following the Genji Keizu), reached Junior Fourth Rank Lower, became Sakonoe-no-shōshō (Note: following the Shokuji Bunin), and was appointed Udaiben, Great Controller of the Right (Note: following the Genji Keizu). In the Tengyō era he was appointed Kurōdo-no-tō (Note: following the Shokuji Bunin). Masasuke was a Kurōdo. Sukekuni was Senior Fifth Rank Lower and Governor of Ise. Nakaakira was Governor of Kaga. Nakakane took the tonsure and changed his name to Kan'en (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku).

¶Masamoto became Kii-no-gon-no-suke, Provisional Vice-Governor of Kii, in the Ninna era (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku), and later reached Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Sanuki-no-suke, Vice-Governor of Sanuki. His son Hitokane was Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Governor of Inaba. Masakata was Governor of Shinano. His son Sumitada was Saiin-no-jikan, Deputy of the Saiin, the Kamo Priestess's office. Masatoshi successively served as Sa-shōben and Uemon-no-gon-no-suke and reached Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Ōkura-no-taifu, Senior Assistant of the Ministry of the Treasury. His son Nakamasa was Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Governor of Chikuzen. Masazumi successively served as Kurōdo (Note: following the Genji Keizu) and Governor of Shimōsa, and reached Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Shōnagon, Lesser Counsellor (Note: following the Genji Keizu and the Sonpi Bunmyaku). He had two sons, Yasunao and Yonari. Yasunao was Junior Fifth Rank Upper and Governor of Etchū. Yonari was Takumi-no-jō, Secretary of the Bureau of Skilled Artisans. Masasue was Senior Fifth Rank Lower and Sakonoe-no-shōshō. He had four sons, Nakanobu, Nakamasa, Nakatsura, and Sukemasu. Nakanobu reached Junior Fourth Rank Lower and successively served as Governor of Tajima and Dewa. Nakamasa was Moku-no-jō, Secretary of the Bureau of Carpentry. Nakatsura successively served as Uemon-no-jō (Note: following the Genji Keizu), Kura-no-suke, Assistant Director of the Storehouse, and Saiin-no-chōkan, Director of the Saiin (Note: following the Fusō Ryakki). Sukemasu was Senior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Genji Keizu).

¶Genshi became a Nyōgo, Consort, of Emperor Seiwa (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). Shōshi was married to Fujiwara-no-Tadahira, Daijō-daijin, Chancellor (Note: following the Kugyō Bunin, the Genji Keizu, and the Sonpi Bunmyaku), and was granted Senior Fifth Rank Lower (Note: following the Genji Keizu, the Sonpi Bunmyaku, and the Fujiwara Keizu).

Minamoto-no-Sadaari

¶Minamoto-no-Tsuneari was granted the surname Minamoto-no-Ason in the third year of Ninju (853) (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku and the Genji Keizu) and was granted Junior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Genji Keizu). In the second year of Ten'an (858), in the hall, he shaved his head and took the tonsure (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku).

Minamoto-no-Toshiari

¶Minamoto-no-Tokiari was granted the surname Minamoto-no-Ason in the third year of Ninju. Later, together with Tsuneari, he took the tonsure in the hall (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku).

Minamoto-no-Yukiari

¶Minamoto-no-Motoari was granted the surname Minamoto-no-Ason in the third year of Ninju (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku). In the tenth year of Jōgan (868) he was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper. In the twelfth year (870) he became Echizen-no-gon-no-kami, and later Suō-no-gon-no-kami. In the sixth year of Gangyō (882) he advanced to Senior Fourth Rank Lower. In the first year of Ninna (885) he became Jibu-kyō (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). His son Yasuyuki was Junior Fourth Rank Lower and Governor of Inaba (Note: following the Genji Keizu).

¶Minamoto-no-Sadaari was granted the surname Minamoto-no-Ason in the third year of Ninju (Note: following the Kōin Shōunroku). He was granted Junior Fourth Rank Upper and became Ōkura-kyō. In the second year of Ninna (886) he advanced to Senior Fourth Rank Lower (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). He had two sons, Masakata and Masatane. Masakata was Junior Fifth Rank Lower and Takumi-no-kami, Director of the Bureau of Skilled Artisans. His son Sanetoki was Kageyu-no-sukē, Deputy Director of the Office of Inspectors. Masatane was Junior Fifth Rank Lower and Governor of Settsu (Note: following the Genji Keizu).

¶Minamoto-no-Toshiari was granted the surname Minamoto-no-Ason in the third year of Ninju (Note: following the Montoku Jitsuroku). He reached Senior Fourth Rank Lower and Governor of Suō. He had two sons, Kuninori and Kiyokado. Kuninori was Junior Fifth Rank Lower and Governor of Echigo. Kiyokado was Kaga-no-suke, Vice-Governor of Kaga (Note: following the Genji Keizu).

¶Minamoto-no-Yukiari was granted the surname Minamoto-no-Ason in the third year of Jōgan (861). In the seventeenth year (875) he was granted Senior Fourth Rank Lower and became Governor of Mimasaka (Note: on examination, the entry for the sixth month of the third year of Ninna in this book says that he was appointed Governor of Mimasaka in the nineteenth year (877)). Soon he was transferred to Suō-no-gon-no-kami. In the fourth year of Gangyō (880) he became Sakyō-daibu, Master of the Left Capital Office. In the sixth year (882) he was transferred to Jibu-kyō. In the seventh year (883) he again concurrently became Governor of Mimasaka. Soon he was transferred to Musashi-no-gon-no-kami. When Emperor Kōkō took up the imperial succession, he supervised the Sama-ryō, the Left Bureau of Horses. In the first year of Ninna (885), as an outer post, he became Dazai-no-daini, but he left office to observe mourning for his mother, and several months later he was reappointed to his former post. In the sixth month of the third year (887) he died in office. He was thirty-four years old (Note: following the Sandai Jitsuroku). He had a son, Kiyomasa (Note: following the Genji Keizu).