The Asukai family (飛鳥井家 ''Asukai-ke'') was a Japanese noble family. The family began in the early

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

as a cadet branch of the

Fujiwara clan The was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

, being founded by Fujiwara (Asukai) no Masatsune. The family excelled at '' waka'' poetry and playing ''

kemari is an athletic game that was popular in Japan during the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura period (1185–1333). It resembles a game of keepie uppie or hacky sack. The game was popular in Kyoto, the capital, and the surrounding Kinki (Kansai reg ...

'' (an ancient Japanese sport similar to soccer), as well as

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

. They had a hand in several of the imperial anthologies of ''waka'', and had close ties to the

Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...

and

Muromachi The , also known as the , is a division of History of Japan, Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Ashikaga shogunate, Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially establ ...

shogunate , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

History

The Asukai family were a branch of the

, and were known especially for their skill at composing '' waka'' poetry and playing ''

'' (Japanese football). Their founder was Fujiwara no Masatsune, a grandson of the great poet and ''kemari'' player . The family's name was derived from a

Kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

井, meaning a well in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, particularly, the well of Asuka (飛鳥井 ''asuka-i'') located near Masatsune's residence. Masatsune was an early ally of the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yori ...

, but also earned the favour of

Emperor Go-Toba was the 82nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1183 through 1198. This 12th-century sovereign was named after Emperor Toba, and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as "later"; ...

. He was selected as one of the compilers of the '' Shin-Kokin Wakashū'', and also had a distinguished political career, thus laying the foundations for the future prosperity of his house. Masatsune, his son Norisada (飛鳥井教定), grandson Masaari (飛鳥井雅有), great-grandson Masaaki (飛鳥井雅顕), great-great-grandson Masataka (飛鳥井雅孝) continued to maintain a close relationship with the shogunate, and Masataka's descendants Masaie (飛鳥井雅家) and Masayori (飛鳥井雅縁) assisted the Ashikaga shōguns. With the downfall of the

Nijō family is a Japanese aristocratic kin group. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Nijō," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 42 retrieved 2013-7-7. The Nijō was a branch of the Fuji ...

, the Asukai and Reizei families became the two great houses of ''waka'' poetry. Masayori's son Masayo (飛鳥井雅世) was entrusted by the shōgun

Ashikaga Yoshinori was the sixth ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1429 to 1441 during the Muromachi period of medieval Japan. Yoshinori was the son of the third ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). His childhood name ...

to compile the '' Shinshoku Kokin Wakashū'', an

imperial anthology Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Im ...

. Masayo's sons Masachika (飛鳥井雅親) and Masayasu (飛鳥井雅康) both became the confidants of

Ashikaga Yoshimasa "Ashikaga Yoshimasa" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. was the eighth ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1449 to 1473 du ...

and Yoshihisa, and were influential figures in the court-samurai poetic world that developed at that time. The prominence they achieved continued until well into the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

Family Tree

Poetry

Their poetic tastes and style was similar to that of the

Nijō poetic school The refers to descendants of Fujiwara no Tameie's eldest son, Nijō Tameuji (1222–86). The family name took after Nijō district of Kyoto where the family had resided. This hereditary house of Japanese waka poetry is generally known for its con ...

, and their numerous poems and writings on poetic theory ('' karon'') had a strong influence on the poets of later generations.

Calligraphy

Masachika founded the so-called Asukai School (飛鳥井流 ''Asukai-ryū'') or Eiga School (栄雅流 ''Eiga-ryū'') of

Japanese calligraphy , also called , is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language. Japanese writing system, Written Japanese was originally based on Man'yōgana, Chinese characters only, but the advent of the hiragana and katakana Japane ...

References

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Asukai family Japanese clans