was a Japanese noble and scholar of the late

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 grandson of the ''

sadaijin The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the ini ...

Isonokami no Maro was a Japanese statesman of the Asuka period and early Nara period His family name was Mononobe no Muraji, later Mononobe no Ason and Isonokami no Ason. He attained the court rank of and ''sadaijin'', and posthumously . In 672 Maro supported ...

and son of the ''

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 ...

'' Isonokami no Otomaro. Yakatsugu himself reached the court rank of and the position of ''

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 ...

'', and was posthumously awarded the rank of .

Life

In 751, Yakatsugu was promoted from to and appointed . In 757, he was promoted to and appointed

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 ...

Sagami province was a province of Japan located in what is today the central and western Kanagawa Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kanagawa''" at . Sagami Province bordered the provinces of Izu, Musashi, and Suruga. It had access to the Paci ...

, in 759 the governor of

Mikawa province was an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Mikawa''" in . Its abbreviated form name was . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces. Mik ...

, and in 761 the governor of

Kazusa province was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. The province was located in the middle of the Bōsō Peninsula, whose name takes its first ''kanji'' from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa province ...

. In 761 he was also appointed vice-envoy to

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

China, but in the next year was replaced by

Fujiwara no Tamaro 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 ...

without making the voyage over. In 763, he was appointed vice-minister in the

Shikibu-shō The was one of eight ministries of the Japanese imperial court. History It was established by the Taihō Code of early 8th century. The ministry was replaced in the Meiji period. The ministry was renamed ''Mombushō'' for a brief number of yea ...

. Yakatsugu plotted with

Fujiwara no Yoshitsugu was a Japanese statesman, courtier, and politician of the Nara period. He was the second son of the founder of the Shikike branch of the Fujiwara, Fujiwara no Umakai. His original name was . He was the maternal grandfather of the emperors Heizei a ...

Ōtomo no Yakamochi was a Japanese statesman and '' waka'' poet in the Nara period. He was one of the ''Man'yō no Go-taika,'' the five great poets of his time, and was part of Fujiwara no Kintō's . Ōtomo was a member of the prestigious Ōtomo clan. Like his g ...

, and

Saeki no Imaemishi Saeki may refer to: Places * Saeki, Okayama, a former town in Wake District, Okayama, Japan * Saeki District, Hiroshima, a former district in Hiroshima, Japan * Saeki-ku, Hiroshima, a ward of the city of Hiroshima, Japan Other uses * Saeki (s ...

to overthrow the ''

daijō-daijin The was the head of the ''Daijō-kan'' (Great Council of State) during and after the Nara period and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. Equivalent to the Chinese (Grand Preceptor). History Emperor Tenji's favorite son, Prince Ōtomo, w ...

'' and power of the day, Fujiwara no Nakamaro, but their plot was discovered. In 764, Yakatsugu was demoted to an assistant minister in the Dazaifu — until nine months later, when Nakamaro led his own failed rebellion. Yakatsugu was rehabilitated, promoted to , and made governor of Hitachi province. Under

Dōkyō was a Japanese monk of the Hossō sect of Buddhism and a prominent political figure in the Nara period. Early life Dōkyō was born in Kawachi Province. His family, the Yuge no Muraji, were part of the provincial gentry. He was taught both by ...

's ensuing government, Yakatsugu was steadily promoted, rising in 765 to and , and 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 ...

'' with a promotion to '' sangi'' in the next year, 766. Later that year, he was promoted to , and in 768 to . Upon the death of

Empress Shōtoku An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...

in 770, Yakatsugu aligned with

Fujiwara no Nagate was a Japanese court noble and statesman of the Nara period. He was the second son of the founder of the Hokke House of the Fujiwara clan, the '' sangi'' Fujiwara no Fusasaki. He achieved the court rank of Senior First Rank and the position o ...

in supporting the future

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 ...

as her successor. The appreciative new emperor continued to value him, and Yakatsugu was promoted to ''

'' in 771 and ''

'' in 780, making him the third highest ranking figure in the ''

daijō-kan The , also known as the Great Council of State, was (i) (''Daijō-kan'') the highest organ of Japan's premodern Imperial government under the Ritsuryō legal system during and after the Nara period or (ii) (''Dajō-kan'') the highest organ of Jap ...

'' after '' udaijin''

Ōnakatomi no Kiyomaro was a Japanese noble of the Nara period. Born the seventh son of the ''chūnagon'' Nakatomi no Omimaro of the Nakatomi clan, he changed his name and founded the Ōnakatomi clan. He reached the court rank of and the position of ''udaijin''. ...

and ''

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 ...

Fujiwara no Uona Fujiwara no Uona (藤原魚名, 721 – August 31, 783) was a member of the Fujiwara clan in Japan and occupied the position of ''sadaijin'' "Minister of the Left" in the ancient Japanese court. He was the fifth son of Fujiwara no Fusasaki (681� ...

. During this period, he also held positions as head of the Dazaifu, ''shikibu-sho'', Ministry of the Center, and Crown Prince's Quarters. In 775, he reclaimed his family's old name of

Mononobe The was a Japanese aristocratic kin group (''uji'') of the Kofun period, known for its military opposition to the Soga clan. The Mononobe were opposed to the spread of Buddhism, partly on religious grounds, claiming that the local deities wou ...

no Ason, but in 779 he changed it back to Isonokami, now as . In 781 Yakatsugu was promoted to , but died two months later. He was posthumously awarded the rank of .

Personality

Intelligent and quick on the uptake, Yakatsugu also possessed a fine appearance. His speech and behavior were calm and elegant. A great lover of the Confucian classics and historical texts, he was familiar with a wide variety of books. He also liked to write, and was proficient in both cursive script and clerical script. He wrote '' kanshi'', and was considered a leading scholar of his day along with Ōmi no Mifune. His works are included in the '' Keikokushū''. He was also versed in Buddhism, and wrote and on the subject. He built a temple called on his former residence, and in a corner of the complex he established a library called . Here he made various texts available to the public, focusing primarily on non-Buddhist works. This is believed to have been Japan's first

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

Genealogy

*Father: Isonokami no Otomaro *Mother: Unknown *Wife: Unknown **Son: **Daughter: wife of

Notes

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Isonokami no, Yakatsugu 723 births 781 deaths People of Nara-period Japan Buddhism in the Nara period