was a Japanese

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

, poet and politician of the early

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 was the fourth son of

Sugawara no Kiyotomo , also read as Kiyokimi, was a Japanese court noble, poet, and politician of the early Heian period. He served as Vice Minister of Ceremonial Affairs, Mayor of the Left Capital District, and Vice Governor of Harima Province (824-825), and held ...

. He reached the court rank of and the position of '' sangi''.

Life

Koreyoshi was said to be intelligent and wise from a young age, reading books and composing poetry before Emperor Saga from the age of 11. In 835 he became a top-ranked student of Chinese literature in the Daigaku-ryō, and in 839 he passed an examination for governmental service and was promoted a full three steps at once, from to . He held administrative positions in the Daigaku-ryō and as in the Ministry of the Center, and in 844 was again promoted to . In 845, he became a teacher in the Daigaku-ryō. While in this role, he also served as vice-governor of

Echigo Province was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen, Iwashiro, Kōzuke, Shinano, and Etchū Provinces. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Echigo''" in . It corresponds today to Niigata ...

and

Sanuki Province was a province of Japan in the area of northeastern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Sanuki''" in . Sanuki bordered on Awa to the south, and Iyo to the west. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō system, ...

, and as a tutor to Crown Prince Michiyasu, the future Emperor Montoku. In 850, Emperor Montoku took the throne, and Koreyoshi was promoted to . Continuing his work as a teacher, he also worked as the head of the Daigaku-ryō, , and governor of Kaga, Mimasaka,

Ise Ise may refer to: Places *Ise, Mie, a city in Japan **Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie *Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria *Ise, Norway, a village in Norway *Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan *River Ise, a tributary of the R ...

, and Bizen provinces. In 855, he was awarded the rank of . In the court of Emperor Seiwa, Koreyoshi continued his role as a teacher and now governor of

Harima Province or Banshū (播州) was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tanba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji. During the ...

, and was promoted to . Passing through a number of other positions, including as director of the '' Gyōbu-shō'', he was in 870 appointed as vice-minister of 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 ...

''. In 872, he joined 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 873 he was promoted to and in 879 to . In 880, Koreyoshi died at the age of 69.

Personality and works

The foremost scholar of his day, he was said to be friendly with the master poet

Ono no Takamura , also known as , was a Japanese calligrapher and poet of the early Heian period. Life Takamura was a descendant of Ono no Imoko who served as Kenzuishi, and his father was Ono no Minemori. He was the grandfather of Ono no Michikaze, one of the ...

and the court Confucian scholars Harusumi no Yoshitada and Ōe no Otondo. He counted many good officials and Confucian writers as his disciples. He was unconcerned with the mundanities of everyday life, instead reciting poems on the beauty of nature. As a believer in Buddhist teachings, he treated people with love, exhibited extreme filial piety, and disliked killing. On his deathbed, he requested only that a Buddhist memorial service be held for him in the early winter when the

ume ''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...

blossomed, and otherwise spoke not a word. As tutor to the Emperors Montoku and Seiwa, Koreyoshi lectured on the Wen Xuan and the Book of Han, and the imperial edicts and prayers he drew up as chief draftsman still remain today. With

Miyako no Yoshika Miyako may refer to: Places in Japan *Miyako, Iwate, a city in Iwate Prefecture *Miyako Islands ** Miyako Island ** Miyakojima, Okinawa, a city of the Miyako Islands * Miyako, Fukuoka, a town in Fukuoka Prefecture *''Miyako'' and ''Kyō no Miyako ...

and others he compiled the ''

Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku , abbreviated as Montoku Jitsuroku, is an officially commissioned Japanese history text. Completed in 879, it is the fifth text in the Six National Histories series. It covers the years 850-858, the years of reign of the 55th Japanese sovereign, E ...

''. He also participated in the compilation of the , an amendment to the Ritsuryō legal system. Personally, he wrote texts including the , , , and . A collection of his poetry was called the .

Genealogy

*Father:

*Mother: Unknown *Wife: third daughter of **Son: **Son: **Son: *Other children: **Daughter: , wife of Emperor Kōkō, mother of

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sugawara no, Koreyoshi 812 births 880 deaths 9th-century Japanese poets Japanese politicians People of Heian-period Japan