Kamo no Yasunori (賀茂保憲) was an ''onmyōji'', a practitioner of ''

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 ...

'', during 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. ...

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 ...

. He was considered the premier onmyōji of his time. Yasunori was the son of the onmyōji

Kamo no Tadayuki The name Kamo may refer to the following: Places Japan (Note: ''kamo'' ( 鴨), is the common word for ''duck'' in Japanese, but the following names do not necessarily mean ''duck'' and are not necessarily written with that character.) * Kamo, Ni ...

(賀茂忠行). According to a tale in the ''

Konjaku Monogatarishu Konjac (or konjak, ) is a common name of the East and Southeast Asian plant ''Amorphophallus konjac'' ( syn. ''A. rivieri''), which has an edible corm (bulbo-tuber). It is also known as konjaku, konnyaku potato, devil's tongue, voodoo lily, sn ...

'', at the age of ten, Yasunori accompanied his father to an exorcism, where he was able to perceive the

demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, ...

— a sign of talent, for, unlike Tadayuki, Yasunori was capable of doing so without formal training. He later taught

Abe no Seimei was an ''onmyōji'', a leading specialist of ''Onmyōdō'' during the middle of the Heian period in Japan.Miller, Laura. "Extreme Makeover for a Heian-era Wizard". ''Mechademia 3: Limits of the Human''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Pres ...

the art of onmyōdō. Seimei became his successor in astrology and divination, while Yasunori's son succeeded him in the creation of the calendar, a lesser task. For several centuries afterward, the Abe clan controlled the government ministry of onmyōdō, while the Kamo clan became hereditary keepers of the calendar. Yasunori's second daughter became an acclaimed poet. Yasunori's death is a driving plot element in the

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

play ''

Ashiya Dōman Ōuchi Kagami Ashiya may refer to: * Ashiya, Hyōgo, Japan ** Ashiya University, Hyōgo * Ashiya, Fukuoka is a town located in Onga District, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of April 30, 2017, the town has an estimated population of 14,182 and a density of ...

'' (''A Courtly Mirror of

Ashiya Dōman Ashiya Dōman (ja. 蘆屋道満, spelled also 芦屋道満), also known as Dōma Hōshi (道摩法師) was an onmyōji who lived during the Heian period, in the reign of the Emperor Ichijō. The years of birth and death are unknown. Despite bein ...

''). In the play, he is the owner of the ''Kin'u Gyokuto Shū'', a book of divination passed down from a Chinese wizard. He intends to marry his adopted daughter to his disciple

Abe no Yasuna Abe or ABE may refer to: People and fictional characters * Shinzo Abe (1954–2022), former Prime Minister of Japan * Abe (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Abe (surname), a list of people and ...

(安倍保名), the father of Abe no Seimei, and to give the book to him, but he dies before doing so. This sets the stage for a conflict between Ashiya Michitaru (as Dōman is called in the play) and Abe no Yasuna over ownership of the book.Goff, Janet. ''Conjuring Kuzunoha from the World of Abe no Seimei''. ''A Kabuki Reader: History and Performance'', ed. Samuel L. Leiter. New York: M. E. Sharpe, 2001. 276-279. ()

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamo no, Yasunori 917 births 977 deaths Japanese mythology Japanese religious leaders Onmyōji