, also known as Kujō-dono or Bōjō-udaijin, was a

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 ...

statesman, courtier and politician during the middle

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 Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Nakahira" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915). Considered a learned scholar and well-versed in the customs of the court, he supported the court's government as ''

udaijin was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 701. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Udaijin'' in the context of a central administrat ...

'' during the reign of

Emperor Murakami The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother ( empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rul ...

. Morosuke's eldest daughter Fujiwara no Anshi, empress consort to Emperor Murakami, gave birth to two princes who later became

Emperor Reizei was the 63rd emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 冷泉天皇 (63)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Reizei's reign spanned the years from 967 through 969, ending with his abdication and retirement. ...

and

Emperor En'yū was the 64th Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 円融天皇 (64)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. En'yū's reign spanned the years from 969 through 984. Biography Before his ascension to the Chry ...

, putting Morosuke's lineage in an advantageous position as the maternal relatives of the Emperor.

Life

Morosuke was born the second son of

Fujiwara no Tadahira was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Heian period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Tadahira" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915). He is also known as ''Teishin-Kō'' (貞信公) or ''Ko-ichijō Dono'' ...

, who controlled the government for many years as sekkan (regent) and ''

daijō-daijin The was the head of the during and after the Nara period and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. It was equivalent to the Chinese , or Grand Preceptor. History Emperor Tenji's favorite son, Prince Ōtomo, was the first to have been acco ...

''. Around 930 he had an affair with a daughter of

Emperor Daigo was the 60th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 醍醐天皇 (60)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Daigo's reign spanned the years from 897 through 930. He is named after his place of burial. Gen ...

, Princess Kinshi, and was later permitted to marry her. This was the first time a non-imperial Japanese retainer married an imperial princess — in previous cases where retainers married the daughters of emperors, those daughters had first been divested of their imperial status. From 931 to 947 he was steadily promoted, passing through the position of '' sangi'' and attaining the post of provisional ''

chūnagon was a counselor of the second rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. The role was eliminated from the Imperial hierarchy in 701, but it was re-established in 705. This advisory position remained a part of the I ...

''. When

Taira no Masakado was a Heian period provincial magnate (''gōzoku'') and samurai based in eastern Japan, notable for leading the first recorded uprising against the central government in Kyōto. Along with Sugawara no Michizane and Emperor Sutoku, he is of ...

launched his rebellion, was appointed as , but the rebellion was put down before he could join battle. The court debated Tadabumi's honors, and Morosuke's older brother Saneyori argued that as Tadabumi had not done anything, he should not be granted any prize. Morosuke argued that as Tadabumi had accepted his orders and set out from the capital, he should still be rewarded. Saneyori stuck to his own position, but public opinion favored Morosuke. After this Morosuke was promoted to ''

dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

'', made a , and bestowed the . In 947,

Emperor Suzaku was the 61st emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 朱雀天皇 (61)/ref> according to the traditional List of emperors of Japan, order of succession. Suzaku's reign spanned the years from Heian period, 930 through 946. B ...

abdicated, and

ascended to the throne. As Saneyori was promoted to ''

sadaijin The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Sadaijin'' in the context of a cent ...

'', Morosuke filled his old position as ''

'' and was granted the . Promotion naturally favored the eldest son and family heir, but Morosuke was considered excellent enough to cause problems for his older brother in spite of this: Morosuke held more real power than even Saneyori. Morosuke had married his eldest daughter Anshi to Murakami while he was still the crown prince. With his enthronement she became a court lady and assisted the emperor often. When they had a child, the future

, Anshi was made '' chūgū''. As the maternal grandfather of the crown prince, Morosuke and his cohorts were able to lead the court by Murakami's side for about ten years. After the death of his wife Princess Kinshi, Morosuke married Princess Gashi, and when she died Princess Yasuko, all of whom were daughters of Emperor Daigo, thus further deepening his ties with the imperial line. Because he had affairs with and then married three different imperial princesses, Morosuke may have been the model for a character in the ''

Utsubo Monogatari is a late 10th century Japanese story. It is Japan's oldest full-length narrative.Kubota (2007:34)Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten Henshū Iinkai (1986:170-173) Twenty volumes exist that are dominated by two plotlines: about a family of master virtu ...

'', the ultimate lecher, Fujiwara no Kanemasa. In 960 Morosuke was laid out by illness, and according to the customs of the day attempted to cut his hair and take the tonsure, but Emperor Murakami sent a messenger to dissuade him. Even so, his sickness worsened, and on May 29 he cut off his hair, only to die two days later on May 31, 960, at the age of 53. Morosuke never held the position of sekkan in his life, but the successive reigns of his grandchildren Emperor Reizei and Emperor En'yū after Murakami's death put his family in an outstanding position as the emperor's maternal relatives. His eldest son Koretada briefly held power as sekkan, and his other sons Kanemichi, Kaneie, Tamemitsu, and Kinsue also all attained the position of ''daijō-daijin''. In Morosuke's children's generation, his descendants were the legitimate line of the Fujiwara regent family.

Personality and works

Morosuke and his older brother Saneyori, both educated by

, each formed their own school of the practices and traditions of the court. Morosuke formed the , and Saneyori the , which were passed down to their respective descendants. Morosuke recorded the practices of his school in a book called the . He was friends with , who was also versed in the ways of the court, and to whom he married his third and fifth daughters. The talented Takaakira flourished with Morosuke's support. Morosuke was also an excellent poet, leaving behind a collection of his works simply called . In 956 he held a party in his garden, and the ''

Ōkagami is a Japanese historical tale written around 1119 by an unknown author. It covers the period from 850 to 1025, the golden days of the Fujiwara family's rule. It is called a , along with the records of the '' Eiga Monogatari''. In the tale, the ...

'' contains an anecdote about his visit to

Ki no Tsurayuki was a Japanese author, poet and court noble of the Heian period. He is best known as the principal compiler of the ''Kokin Wakashū'', also writing its Japanese Preface, and as a possible author of the ''Tosa Diary'', although this was publish ...

to request that the latter write a poem for him. Thirty-six of Morosuke's poems are included in the ''

Gosen Wakashū The , often abbreviated as ''Gosenshū'' ("Later Collection"), is the second imperial anthology of Japanese poetry, Japanese Waka (poetry), waka compiled in 951 in poetry, 951 at the behest of Emperor Murakami by the Five Men of the Pear Chamber ...

''. His personal diary and the dying instructions he left for his descendants, , are also preserved.

Genealogy

*Father:

*Mother: , daughter of

Minamoto Yoshiari was a Japanese court official during the Heian period, and founder of the Takeda school of archery. Yoshiari was a son of Emperor Montoku, although he was granted the surname Minamoto which removed him from the Imperial lineage. He was a successf ...

*Wife: , daughter of **First son: Fujiwara no Koretada (924-972) **Second son: Fujiwara no Kanemichi (925-977) **Third son:

Fujiwara no Kaneie was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Heian period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Kaneie" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915). He also was known as Hōkō-in Daijin and Higashi-sanjō-dono. Career K ...

(929-990) **Fifth son: , adopted by

**First daughter: Fujiwara no Anshi (927–964), wife of

, mother of

and

**Second daughter: , wife of , concubine of

, ''naishi-no-kami'' **Third daughter: wife of **Sixth daughter: , court lady of

, ''naishi-no-kami'' *Wife: daughter of **Fourth son: **Seventh son: *Wife: daughter of **Sixth son: *Wife: , daughter of

*Wife: , daughter of

Saiō or was the title of the unmarried female members of the Imperial House of Japan, Japanese Imperial Family, sent to serve at Ise Grand Shrine from the late 7th century to the 14th century. The 's residence, , was about north-west of the shrine ...

Ise Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shi ...

**Eighth son:

Fujiwara no Takamitsu Fujiwara no Takamitsu (藤原高光, c. 939-994) was a mid-Heian period '' waka'' poet and Japanese nobleman. He is designated as a member of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals. His father was Fujiwara no Morosuke, and his mother was , the daughte ...

(939-994) **Ninth son: **Tenth son: ,

Tendai , also known as the Tendai Dharma Flower School (天台法華宗, ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just ''Hokkeshū''), is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition with significant esoteric elements that was officially established in Japan in 806 by t ...

school Buddhist monk **Fifth daughter: , wife of Minamoto no Takaakira *Wife: , daughter of

**Eleventh son: , head managing monk of

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admir ...

**Twelfth son: Fujiwara no Kinsue (956-1029) *Other children: **Daughter: , wetnurse to

Emperor Ichijō was the 66th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 一条天皇 (66)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Ichijō's reign spanned the years from 986 to 1011. Biography Before he ascended to the Chrysanthe ...

, mistress of

Fujiwara no Michikane Fujiwara no Michikane (藤原道兼; 961 – 995), was a Japanese statesman of the Heian period. Career Michikane and his father, Kaneie, plotted to induce Emperor Kazan to abdicate the throne. Kazan had fallen deeply in love with Yoshiko, ...

, wife of **Daughter: wife of Morosuke managed to marry his daughters to

; the sons of his daughter Empress ''Anshi''/Yasuko became

and

. The reigns of Reizei and En'yū are remarkable for quarrels among the members of the Fujiwara family.Brinkley, Koretada's daughter gave birth to Prince Morosada, who afterwards reigned as

Emperor Kazan was the 65th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 花山天皇 (65)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Kazan's reign spanned the years from 984 through 986. Biography Before his ascension to the Chrysa ...

Kaneie's daughter was the mother of Okisada, who became Emperor Sanjo

Notes

References

* Brinkley, Frank and

Dairoku Kikuchi Baron was a Japanese mathematician, educator, and education administrator during the Meiji era. After earning degrees in mathematics and physics from St John's College at the University of Cambridge, he became one of the first Japanese profe ...

. (1915). ''A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era.'' New York: Encyclopædia Britannica
OCLC 413099
* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

.
OCLC 58053128
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

Nihon Odai Ichiran Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in t ...

''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujiwara no, Morosuke Fujiwara clan 909 births 960 deaths People of the Heian period Buddhist clergy of the Heian period