was a Japanese

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

, now most notable for his opprobrium of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

Life

Kiyotsura was a scholar and professor of literature, eventually becoming the

Daigaku-no-kami was a Japanese Imperial court position and the title of the chief education expert in the rigid court hierarchy. The Imperial ''Daigaku-no-kami'' predates the Heian period; and the court position continued up through the early Meiji period. The ...

and writing a biography of

Fujiwara no Yasunori was a Japanese court noble and an administrator in early Heian Period. His father was Fujiwara no Sadao from South-fujiwara clan. His first son, Fujiwara no Kiyotsura (藤原清貫), was appointed Dainagon (counsellor). Career In 855, Yasunor ...

. He also enjoyed a distinguished career in politics, as both a provincial governor and later as the State Chancellor, dying while holding this office.
In 914, Kiyotsura authored the Memorial of Opinion (Iken Fuji), the purpose of which was to make the

Emperor Daigo was the 60th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 醍醐天皇 (60)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Daigo's reign spanned the years from 897 through 930. He is named after his place of burial. Ge ...

aware of the deterioration of both the morality of the Imperial Court's nobles and of public finances. He principally blamed Buddhism for this decay, though he also condemns

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

and Court officials. The excessive expenditure of the Court on clothing and banquets was opposed to his own Confucian ideals - he implored Daigo to establish regulations on dress corresponding to Court rank, and enforce decrees through the use of the metropolitan police force.
Kiyotsura also spoke of the decreasing standard of learning; he blamed this upon the

Daigaku-ryō was the former Imperial university of Japan, founded at the end of the 7th century.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Daigaku-ryō''" in . The Daigaku-ryō predates the Heian period, continuing in various forms through the early Meiji period. ...

's financial disrepair, ascribing blame for this to the loss of rice lands. He paints a bleak picture of students starving, silent lecture halls, and overgrown courtyards. On the other hand, he admits that he is looking at but one aspect of a greater whole, and his condemnation is not entirely balanced or just.
Although Kiyotsura's suggestions were in part adopted - certain dyes' use was only allowed to those of a certain rank - these regulations were ignored.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miyoshi, Kiyotsura 847 births 918 deaths Japanese Confucianists