Minamoto No Mitsunaka
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was a Japanese
samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
and court official 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. ...
. He served as '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' and acting governor of
Settsu Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises the southeastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or . Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province. Most of Settsu's ...
''.'' His association with the
Fujiwara clan was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...
made him one of the wealthiest and most powerful courtiers of his day. He was also the predecessor of Takeda ryu.


Biography

He was born on April 29, 912, as Myoomaru (明王丸), the son of
Minamoto no Tsunemoto was a samurai and Imperial Prince during Japan's Heian period, one of the progenitors of the Seiwa Genji branch of the Minamoto clan. He was a son of Sadazumi-shinnō and grandson of Emperor Seiwa. Legend has it that Tsunemoto, in his childhood ...
. He belonged to the
Seiwa Genji The is a line of the Japanese Minamoto clan that is descended from Emperor Seiwa, which is the most successful and powerful line of the clan. Many of the most famous Minamoto warriors, including Minamoto no Yoshiie, Minamoto no Yoritomo, the foun ...
branch of the
Minamoto clan was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during the ...
, which traced its ancestry to
Emperor Seiwa was the 56th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 清和天皇 (56)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Seiwa's reign spanned the years from 858 through 876.He was also the pre ...
. He loyally (if not selflessly) served several successive
Fujiwara regents was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until ...
('' sessho and kampaku'') beginning with Fujiwara no Morotada. There is debate among scholars as to his involvement in the Anna Plot of 969 (named for the era it took place in). All agree that Mitsunaka alleged that Minamoto no Takaakira was plotting against the Emperor. However, whilst some believe that there was a genuine threat to the Emperor, and that it was Mitsunaka's warning that prevented the plot from succeeding, others view the incident as one manufactured for political gain. Takaakira was Morotada's principal rival, and his being implicated in the plot removed him as a threat; the truthfulness of the accusations levelled against Takaakira is not known. In any case, the negative consequences for Takaakira put Mitsunaka firmly in Morotada's good graces. Later, Mitsunaka would assist
Fujiwara no Kaneie was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Heian period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Kaneie" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915). He also was known as Hōkō-in Daijin and Higashi-sanjō-dono. Career Kan ...
in his plot to coerce
Emperor Kazan was the 65th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 花山天皇 (65)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Kazan's reign spanned the years from 984 through 986. Biography Before his ascension to the Chrysan ...
into taking Buddhist vows and abdicating in favor of Fujiwara's seven-year-old grandson. Mitsunaka's association with the Fujiwara clan made him one of the wealthiest and most powerful courtiers of his day. He served as the acting governor ( kokushi) of ten provinces, most notably
Settsu is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2017, the city has an estimated population of 85,290 and a population density of 5,664 people per km². The total area is 14.88 km². Surrounding municipalities *Osaka Prefecture **Higa ...
, which became the mainstay of his military and economic power. In addition, Mitsunaka inherited his father's title of '' Chinjufu-shōgun'', Commander-in-chief of the Defense of the North. The patron/client relationship between the Fujiwara and the Seiwa Genji continued for nearly two hundred years after Mitsunaka's death; indeed, the Seiwa Genji came to be known as the "teeth and claws" of the Fujiwara. Mitsunaka married the daughter of Minamoto no Suguru, from the Saga Genji branch of the Minamoto. He was the father of three sons:
Minamoto no Yorimitsu , also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He is one of the earliest Minamoto of historical note for his mil ...
(who became the hero of a large body of folklore),
Minamoto no Yorinobu was a samurai commander and member of the powerful Minamoto clan. Along with his brother Yorimitsu, Yorinobu served the regents of the Fujiwara clan, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He held the title, p ...
, and Minamoto no Yorichika. "He had many sons, all of them accomplished in the way of the warrior, except one who was a monk. His name was Genken." This monk of the
Tendai , also known as the Tendai Lotus School (天台法華宗 ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just "''hokke shū''") is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition (with significant esoteric elements) officially established in Japan in 806 by the Japanese m ...
Sect, with the aid of
Genshin , also known as , was the most influential of a number of scholar-monks of the Buddhist Tendai sect active during the tenth and eleventh centuries in Japan. Genshin, who was trained in both esoteric and exoteric teachings, wrote a number of tre ...
, was able to convert his father to Buddhism. Upon his conversion, Minamoto no Mitsunaka built a hall to atone for his sins. "What is known as Tada Temple is a cluster of halls that began to be built with this one." In his later years, Mitsunaka retired to his manor in Tada, a town in Settsu province; for this reason, he is also known as Tada Manjū. (Manjū is the Sino-Japanese reading of the characters for "Mitsunaka"). His descendants are sometimes referred to as the "Settsu Genji" or the "Tada Genji".Minoru Shinoda, ''The Founding of the Kamakura Shogunate, 1180-1185'', 39 In 987, along with 16 vassals and 30 court ladies, Mitsunaka ordained as a Buddhist monk and received the
Dharma name A Dharma name or Dhamma name is a new name acquired during both lay and monastic Buddhist initiation rituals in Mahayana Buddhism and monastic ordination in Theravada Buddhism (where it is more proper to call it Dhamma or Sangha name). The nam ...
Mankei (満慶).


In popular culture

Mitsunaka appears in the anime ''
Otogi Zoshi , is a 2002 action video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sega. It was released for the Xbox in Japan in December 2002, by Sega in North America in August 2003, and Europe in September 2003. ''Otogi'' follows former executioner R ...
'', along with fictionalized versions of a number of other historical figures.


Family

* Father: '' Chinjufu-shōgun''
Minamoto no Tsunemoto was a samurai and Imperial Prince during Japan's Heian period, one of the progenitors of the Seiwa Genji branch of the Minamoto clan. He was a son of Sadazumi-shinnō and grandson of Emperor Seiwa. Legend has it that Tsunemoto, in his childhood ...
* Mother: daughter of Tachibana no Shigefuru or daughter of Fujiwara no Toshiyuki * Children: **
Minamoto no Yorimitsu , also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He is one of the earliest Minamoto of historical note for his mil ...
**
Minamoto no Yorinobu was a samurai commander and member of the powerful Minamoto clan. Along with his brother Yorimitsu, Yorinobu served the regents of the Fujiwara clan, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He held the title, p ...


References

*Papinot, Edmond (1910). Historical and geographical dictionary of Japan. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha. {{DEFAULTSORT:Minamoto no, Mitsunaka Minamoto clan 912 births 997 deaths Year of birth uncertain People of Heian-period Japan Deified Japanese people Heian period Buddhist clergy