Fujiwara no Akitsuna (藤原顕綱; dates uncertain, ? – ) was a Japanese nobleman and ''

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

'' poet of the

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. ...

Life

Fujiwara no Akitsuna was a son of , a member of the Michitsuna lineage (道綱流) of the

Northern Branch The Northern Branch is a railroad line that runs from Jersey City to Northvale in northeastern New Jersey. The line was constructed in 1859 by the Northern Railroad of New Jersey to connect the New York and Erie Railroad's Piermont Branch ter ...

of the

Fujiwara clan 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 the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

. His mother was , a daughter of Fujiwara no Masatoki (藤原順時), the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Kaga Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the south and western portion of Ishikawa Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Kaga bordered on Echizen, Etchū, Hida, and Noto Provinces. It was part of Hokurikudō Circuit. Its abbr ...

. The year of his birth is uncertain. He was the adoptive father of Arisuke (有佐), a son of

Emperor Go-Sanjō was the 71st emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 陽成天皇 (71)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Sanjō's reign spanned the years from 1068 through 1073. This 11th century sovereign was named a ...

. His other children included Michitsune (道経), the

Izumi Province :''The characters ''泉州'' are also used for the name of the Chinese city of Quanzhou''. was a province of Japan in the area of southern Osaka Prefecture. Tango bordered on Kii to the south, Yamato and Kawachi to the west, and Settsu to t ...

, Kenshi ( ja), the wet nurse of

Emperor Horikawa was the 73rd emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 堀河天皇 (73)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Horikawa's reign spanned the years from 1087 through 1107. Biography Before his ascension to the ...

, and

Nagako Nagako is an uncommon Japanese given name for females. Although written romanized the same way, the kanji can be different. Notable people with the name include: *, later Empress Kōjun of Japan (香淳皇后) * Nagako Konishi (born 1945), a fema ...

, the author of the '. He was also related by marriage to and

Fujiwara no Akisue was a noted Japanese poet and nobleman. He was active at the end of the Heian period, and the son of Fujiwara no Takatsune (藤原隆経). He was also a member of the famous poetic and aristocratic clan, the Fujiwara. Akisue was close to Empe ...

. During the

Kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and 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 ...

era (1087–1094) he became the

Sanuki Province was a province of Japan in the area of northeastern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Sanuki''" in . Sanuki bordered on Awa to the south, and Iyo to the west. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō system, ...

, earning him the nickname ''Sanuki no Nyūdō'' (讃岐入道). He served in positions such as

Tanba Province was a province of Japan in the area of central Kyoto and east-central Hyōgo Prefectures. Tanba bordered on Harima, Ōmi, Settsu, Tajima, Wakasa, and Yamashiro Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō system ...

and governor of Izumi Province, and by the end of his career was of

Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese as ''ikai'' (位階), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', ...

. He probably took the tonsure in Kōwa 2 (1100). It is uncertain when he died. ''

Sonpi Bunmyaku is a Japanese genealogical text. Originally written by Tōin Kinsada in the late 14th century, it was either 15 or 16 volumes in length. This was followed by re-edited editions eventually bringing the text to thirty volumes in length. The full tit ...

'' says he died on the 27th day of the sixth month of Kōwa 5 (1103), at age 75 (by Japanese reckoning), but his poetry appears in the record of the ''

Sakon no Gon-Chūjō Toshitada Ason-ke Uta-awase Sakon may refer to: * ''Karakurizōshi Ayatsuri Sakon'' (Puppet Master Sakon), a 1999 manga and anime series * Sakon (Naruto), a ninja from the Land of Sound in the manga and anime series ''Naruto'' * Sakon, a character in the early 2000's video ga ...

'' (左近権中将俊忠朝臣家歌合), which took place the following year. places his death in the summer of Kajō 2 (1107).

Poetry

The first ''

uta-awase , poetry contests or ''waka'' matches, are a distinctive feature of the Japanese literary landscape from the Heian period. Significant to the development of Japanese poetics, the origin of group composition such as ''renga'', and a stimulus to a ...

'' contest in which he took part was the ''

Jōryaku Ninen Dairi Uta-awase was a Japanese era name (年号, ''nengō'', lit. year name) after ''Jōhō'' and before '' Eihō.'' This period spanned the years from November 1077 through February 1081. The reigning emperor was . Change of Era * January 27, 1077 : The new ...

'' (承暦二年内裏歌合) in Jōryaku 2 (1078). He took part in the poetic gatherings: *the '' Kaya no In-dono Shichiban Uta-awase'' (高陽院殿七番歌合) in the eighth month of Kanji 8 (1094); *the '' Ikuhō Mon'in Senzai-awase'' (郁芳門院前栽合) in the eighth month of Kahō 2 (1095); and *the ''Sakon no Gon-Chūjō Toshitada Ason-ke Uta-awase'' in the fifth month of Chōji 1 (1104). He also held poetic gatherings at his own residence. According to the ', he was engaged in copying the ''

Man'yōshū The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in ...

'', and that he came into possession of the Yōmei-in text (陽明院本 ''Yōmei'in-bon'') of the '' Kokinshū'', penned by the compiler

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 publishe ...

. Twenty-five of his poems were included in

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

, including the '' Goshūishū''. He left a personal collection, the '' Akitsuna Ason Shū''. Among his most famous works is the following poem, which was submitted to the ''Sakon no Gon-Chūjō Toshitada Ason-ke Uta-awase'' and included in the first book of love poems in the '' Shikashū'':

References

Citations

Works cited

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fujiwara Akitsuna Waka poets 11th-century Japanese poets Kuge Year of birth unknown 1100s deaths Year of birth uncertain