, the second son of Michitaka, was a '' kugyo'' (

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...

) 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. ...

. His mother was

Takashina no Takako , also known as the or as , was a Japanese ''waka'' poet of the mid-Heian period. One of her poems was included in the ''Ogura Hyakunin Isshu''. Biography She was the daughter of .''Daijirin'' entr"Gidōsanshi no haha" Sanseidō. By her husban ...

, also known as Kō-no-Naishi (高内侍). His sister Teishi (Sadako) was married 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 Chrysanth ...

, and Korechika aspired to become the regent ('' Sessho'') for his young brother-in-law after his father's death. Korechika's (ultimately fruitless) ambitions pitted him against his powerful uncle,

Fujiwara no Michinaga was a Japanese statesman. The Fujiwara clan's control over Japan and its politics reached its zenith under his leadership. Early life Michinaga was born in Kyōto, the son of Kaneiye. Kaneiye had become Regent in 986, holding the position unti ...

, and the resulting power struggle continued until Empress Teishi's unexpected death. This left Michinaga's daughter, Shoshi, as Ichijō's sole empress, solidifying Michinaga's power at court. In Chōtoku 2 (長徳２年) (996), Korechika and his younger brother Takaie were exiled to Dazaifu. Korechika was charged with shooting an arrow at Retired Emperor Kazan, and performing an

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

Shingon file:Koyasan (Mount Koya) monks.jpg, Shingon monks at Mount Koya is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks suc ...

curse known as

Daigensuihō The , or the ''Great Rite of Āṭavaka'', is one of the of Esoteric Shingon Buddhism. Its name is also sometimes pronounced Daigen no hō. The ritual is performed with Āṭavaka in the role of honzon, and it may be considered a military cu ...

(大元帥法), which was reserved solely for the emperor. He was pardoned a year later, and subsequently became Jun-Daijin (associate minister; 准大臣). Korechika is sometimes referred to as ''Gidō-sanshi'' (儀同三司) or ''Sochi no Naidaijin'' (帥内大臣).

Career

Shōryaku was a after '' Eiso'' and before ''Chōtoku.'' This period spanned the years from November 990 through February 995. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 990 : The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events. The pre ...

2 (991): Named Sangi (参議) * Shōryaku 3 (992): Named Gon-no-

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 ...

(権中納言) * Shōryaku 3 (992): Named Gon-no-

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 ...

(権大納言) * Shōryaku 5, on the 28th day of the 8th month (994): Named

Naidaijin The , literally meaning "Inner Minister", was an ancient office in the Japanese imperial court, Japanese Imperial Court. Its role, rank and authority varied throughout the pre-Meiji period, Meiji period of Japanese history, but in general remain ...

(内大臣) *

Chōtoku was a after '' Eiso'' and before '' Chōhō.'' This period spanned the years from February 995 through January 999. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 995 : The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events. The pre ...

2, on the 24th day of the 4th month (996): Exiled to Dazaifu. * Chōtoku 3, on the 5th day of the 4th month (997): Pardoned and permitted to return to Heian-kyō *

Kankō was a after '' Chōhō'' and before '' Chōwa.'' This period spanned the years from July 1004 through December 1012. The reigning emperors were and . Change of Era * 1004 : The era name was changed to mark an event or series of events. Th ...

5, on the 16th day of the 1st month (1008): Named Jun-Daijin (准大臣) * Kankō 7, in the 28th day of the 1st month (February 14, 1010): Died at the age of 37.

Marriages and children

He was married to a daughter of Gon-no-

Minamoto no Shigemitsu (源重光の娘). They had three children. * Fujiwara no Michimasa (道雅) (''Ara-sammi'', 荒三位) (992-1054) - Sakyo-no-Daibu (左京大夫) * daughter, married to

Fujiwara no Yorimune Fujiwara (, written: 藤原 lit. "''Wisteria'' field") is a Japanese surname. (In English conversation it is likely to be rendered as .) Notable people with the surname include: ; Families * The Fujiwara clan and its members ** Fujiwara no Kamatari ...

(son of

) * Chikako (周子), Lady-in-waiting for Empress ''Shōshi'', consort of

, and married to Fujiwara no Yoshiyori

References

* Owada, T. et al. (2003). ''Nihonshi Shoka Keizu Jimmei Jiten''. Kōdansha. (Japanese) * Kasai, M. (1991). ''Kugyō Bunin Nenpyō''. Yamakawa Shuppan-sha. (Japanese) * Hioki, S. (1990). ''Nihon Keifu Sōran''. Kōdansha. (Japanese) 974 births 1010 deaths Fujiwara clan Regents of Japan Heirs apparent who never acceded {{Japan-noble-stub