was a Japanese noble and
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
of the
Nara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...
. He was the son of
Fujiwara no Maro
was a Japanese statesman, courtier, and politician during the Nara period. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Umakai" in ; Brinkley, Frank. (1915). Maro established the Kyōke branch of the Fujiwara clan.
Career
Maro was a min ...
, and, according to the genealogy book ''
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 ...
'', his mother was
Uneme of Yakami no Kōri,
Inaba Province
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Tottori Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Inaba bordered on Harima, Hōki, Mimasaka, and Tajima Provinces.
The ancient capital, and the castle town, were at Tott ...
, who is probably the same person who had a famous affair with
Aki no Ōkimi
Aki or AKI may refer to:
Places in Japan
* Aki District, Hiroshima, a district in Hiroshima Prefecture
* Aki, Kōchi, a city in Kochi Prefecture
*Aki District, Kōchi, a district in Kochi Prefecture
*Aki, Ōita, a town in Ōita Prefecture
*Aki Pro ...
. The collection of Japanese poems ''
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 ...
'' does not include his works. With an unknown woman he had a son , among other children with other women. The footnote of ''Sonpi Bunmyaku'', however, notes that Toyohiko is actually the grandson of Hamanari.
Hamanari achieved the
court rank of and the position of ''
sangi''.
Life
As the heir of his father Maro, the founder of the
Kyōke
The was a cadet branch of the Fujiwara clan. It was founded by Fujiwara no Maro
Maro had three brothers: Muchimaro, Fusasaki, and Umakai. These four brothers are known for having established the "four houses" of the Fujiwara.Brinkley, ; exce ...
, Hamanari was a central figure of that clan. However, he was almost a generation younger than the second heads of the
Nanke,
Hokke, and
Shikike
The was a cadet branch of the Fujiwara clan founded by Fujiwara no Umakai, i.e., one of the four great houses of the Fujiwara, founded by the so-called , who were sons of Fujiwara no Fuhito.
The name derives from the fact that the founder Umak ...
, and this left him always a step behind their advancement.
Hamanari was conferred the rank of in 751. Under
Empress Kōken
, also known as , was the 46th (with the name Empress Kōken) and the 48th monarch of Japan (with the name Empress Shōtoku), Emperor Kōnin, Takano Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession.
...
, he held high-level positions in various ministries, but his promotion stagnated at this rank until
Fujiwara no Nakamaro
, also known as , Brown, Delmer M. (1979). ''Gukanshō,'' p. 274 was a Japanese aristocrat (''kuge''), courtier, and statesman. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Fujiwara no Nakamaro"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 207. He was Chancellor (''Daij ...
's rebellion in 764. He supported Empress Kōken's side in the conflict, and was promoted to a month later. He held a position as director of the ''
gyōbu-shō'', and in 772 was promoted to and ''sangi'', joining 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 ...
''.
In 773,
Emperor Kōnin
was the 49th emperor of Japan, Emperor Kōnin, Tahara no Higashi Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Kōnin's reign lasted from 770 to 781.
Traditional narrative
The personal name of ...
's heir was disinherited, and according to the ''
rekishi monogatari ''Rekishi monogatari'' (歴史物語) is a category of Japanese literature defined as extended prose narrative. Structurally, the name is composed of the Japanese words ''rekishi'' (歴史), meaning history, and ''monogatari'' (物語), meaning tale ...
''
Mizukagami
is a Japanese '' rekishi monogatari''. It is believed to have been written in the early Kamakura period around 1195. It is widely credited to Nakayama Tadachika but the actual writer is unknown. It is the third book of the four mirror series.
...
, Hamanari opposed
Fujiwara no Momokawa
was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Nara period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Momokawa" in . His original name was .
Career at court
He was a minister during the reigns of Empress Kōken/Shōtoku and ...
's candidate Prince Yamabe, the future
Emperor Kanmu
, or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the sco ...
, in favor of his brother by another mother, on the grounds that Yamabe's mother was descended from immigrants from
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 ...
.
Still, Hamanari was steadily promoted in Kōnin's court: in 774 to , in 775 to , and in 776 to .
In 781, after Emperor Kanmu assumed the throne, Hamanari was assigned away from the capital as director of the
Dazaifu. Two months later, he was demoted within that body, had his retainers reduced from ten people to three and his stipend reduced by two-thirds, and was commanded to stop performing his actual duties and leave them to his supposed subordinate. This was likely intended by Kanmu to set an example for his opposition, and perhaps also as retribution. In 782, Hamanari's son-in-law
Higami no Kawatsugu rebelled, and Hamanari was implicated and stripped of his high position as ''sangi''. He was never able to return to the center of government. Hamanari died in the Daizaifu in 790, at the age of 67.
Personality
Hamanari was well-read, and practiced divination and
onmyōdō
is a system of natural science, astronomy, almanac, divination and Magic (supernatural), magic that developed independently in Japan based on the Chinese philosophies of yin and yang and Wuxing (Chinese philosophy), wuxing (five elements). The p ...
. He held positions in various ministries, but was unable to produce any impressive results. According to 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 ...
, this brought suffering to his subordinates and the people.
For poetics, he is best known for ''
Kakyō Hyōshiki
is a text on Japanese poetics written by Fujiwara no Hamanari. One volume in length, it "is the oldest extant piece of poetic criticism in the Japanese canon".Rabinovitch, page 471
Development
The text was commissioned by Emperor Kōnin and com ...
'', the oldest extant piece of Japanese poetic criticism. In it, he attempts to apply phonetic rules of
Chinese poetry
Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language. While this last term comprises Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Yue Chinese, and other historical and vernacular forms of the language, its poetry ...
to
Japanese poetry
Japanese poetry is poetry typical of Japan, or written, spoken, or chanted in the Japanese language, which includes Old Japanese, Early Middle Japanese, Late Middle Japanese, and Modern Japanese, as well as poetry in Japan which was written in t ...
.
See also
*
8th century in poetry
East Asia
Events
*Chinese poetry in the Tang dynasty develops into what is now considered to be of the characteristic style known as Tang poetry, highlighted by the work of Li Bai and Du Fu.
*Japanese poetry emerges, and the first List of Japane ...
*
Japanese poetry
Japanese poetry is poetry typical of Japan, or written, spoken, or chanted in the Japanese language, which includes Old Japanese, Early Middle Japanese, Late Middle Japanese, and Modern Japanese, as well as poetry in Japan which was written in t ...
References
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*
*
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Further reading
JSTORWasp Waists and Monkey Tails: A Study and Translation of Hamanari's Uta no Shiki (The Code of Poetry, 772), Also Known as Kakyo Hyoshiki (A Formulary for Verse Based on The Canons of Poetry) - Judith Rabinovitch - Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 51, No. 2 (Dec., 1991), pp. 471–560 - (Fujiwara no Hamanari is mentioned in the first sentence of the first of the 90 pages of this article. This first page is at this link and is free.)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujiwara no, Hamanari
Fujiwara clan
724 births
790 deaths
Japanese male poets
People of Nara-period Japan
8th-century Japanese poets