, originally known as , was a Japanese noble of the early
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...
. He reached the court rank of and the position of '' sangi''.
Life
In 778, Mamichi was appointed as an in the Ministry of the Center. In 783, he was conferred the rank of . In this period, he also held various posts in the imperial guard and as a regional administrator. In 785, with the investiture of Prince Ate, the future
Emperor Heizei
, also known as ''Heijō-tennō'', was the 51st emperor of Japan, Emperor Heizei, Yamamomo Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Heizei's reign lasted from 806 to 809.
Traditional narr ...
, as Crown Prince, Mamichi was promoted to and appointed . In 790 Mamichi appealed to have his family's rank increased from ''
muraji
(from Old Japanese: ''muraⁿzi'' < *''mura-nusi'' "village master") was an ancient Japanese hereditary title denoting rank and political standing (a '''' to ''
ason
was a prestigious hereditary noble title in Japan, used mainly between Asuka and Heian periods. At first, it was the second highest, below '' Mahito'', which was given to members of the Imperial family, but after Heian period it became the high ...
'', and was granted the new family name of Sugano no Ason, based on his place of residence.
Thanks to the confidence of Emperor Kanmu, Mamichi was able to hold increasingly important positions in the imperial guard and the
daijō-kan
The , also known as the Great Council of State, was (i) (''Daijō-kan'') the highest organ of Japan's premodern Imperial government under the Ritsuryō legal system during and after the Nara period or (ii) (''Dajō-kan'') the highest organ of Jap ...
. He was also deeply involved as an assistant director in the construction of the new capital at
Heian-kyō
Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180.
Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mov ...
. During the same period, his court rank steadily rose, to in 789, in 791, in 794, and in 797.
Along with
Fujiwara no Tsuginawa
, also known as Fujiwara no Tsugutada and Monozomo no Udajin, was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Nara period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Tsuginawa" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915).
Career
I ...
and
Akishino no Yasuhito
is the younger brother and heir presumptive of Emperor Naruhito of Japan and the younger son of Emperor emeritus Akihito and Empress emerita Michiko. Since his marriage in June 1990, he has had the title and has headed his own branch of the i ...
, Mamichi worked on the compilation and editing of the
Shoku Nihongi
The is an imperially-commissioned Japanese history text. Completed in 797, it is the second of the ''Six National Histories'', coming directly after the '' Nihon Shoki'' and followed by ''Nihon Kōki''. Fujiwara no Tsugutada and Sugano no Mamichi ...
, completing its 40 volumes in 797. In 805, he joined the ranks of the ''
kugyō
is the collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre- Meiji eras. The term generally referred to the and court officials and denoted a court rank between First Rank and Third Rank un ...
'' with a promotion to '' sangi''. Later that year, he held , in which Otsugu argued that the planned campaign against the
Emishi
The (also called Ebisu and Ezo), written with Chinese characters that literally mean "shrimp barbarians," constituted an ancient ethnic group of people who lived in parts of Honshū, especially in the Tōhoku region, referred to as in contemp ...
in the north and construction of the capital were overburdening the populace and should be stopped. Mamichi was strongly opposed to this, but the Emperor was convinced by Otsugu's argument, and the plans were halted.
With the ascension of Emperor Heizei in 806, Mamichi was promoted to . In 807, the police force was established, and Mamichi placed in charge of the
San'indō
is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. ''San'in'' translates to "the shaded side of a mountain", while ''dō'', depending on the context, can mean either a road, o ...
region. In 809, he was promoted to and placed in charge of Tōkaidō. In 811, during the reign of
Emperor Saga
was the 52nd emperor of Japan,#Kunaichō, Emperor Saga, Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Saga's reign spanned the years from 809 through 823 ...
, Mamichi reached the age of 70 and retired from his post as ''sangi''. He died on July 23, 814 at the age of 74, with the rank of and as governor of
Hitachi Province
was an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hitachi fudoki''" in . It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Shimōsa Province, S ...
.
Genealogy
According to the
Shinsen Shōjiroku
is an imperially commissioned Japanese genealogical record. Thirty volumes in length, it was compiled under the order of Emperor Saga by his brother, the Imperial Prince Manta (万多親王, 788–830). Also by Fujiwara no Otsugu and Fujiwara no ...
, Mamichi was descended from the 14th king of
Baekje
Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla.
Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...
,
Geungusu of Baekje
Geungusu of Baekje (died 384, r. 375–384) was the fourteenth king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
Background and rise to the throne
Geungusu was the eldest son of the 13th king Geunchogo, and father to the 15th king Chimny ...
.
*Father:
*Mother: Unknown
**Son: - Poet, one work in the
Kokin Wakashū
The , commonly abbreviated as , is an early anthology of the ''waka'' form of Japanese poetry, dating from the Heian period. An imperial anthology, it was conceived by Emperor Uda () and published by order of his son Emperor Daigo () in about ...
**Son:
**Daughter:
Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku
, abbreviated as Sandai Jitsuroku, is an officially commissioned Japanese history text. Completed in 901, it is the sixth and final text in the Six National Histories series. It covers the years 858–887.
Background
Following the earlier nation ...