, also known as , was a Japanese statesman, courtier and aristocrat 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 Japan ...
.
[Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Mototsune" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915). ] He was the first ''
kampaku'', a regent of an adult emperor, in Japanese history''.''
Biography
He was born the third son of
Fujiwara no Nagara, but was adopted by his powerful uncle
Fujiwara no Yoshifusa
, also known as ''Somedono no Daijin'' or ''Shirakawa-dono'', was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Heian period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Nakahira" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915).
When Yosh ...
, who had no sons. Mototsune followed in Yoshifusa's footsteps, holding power in the court in the position of
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
for four successive
emperors
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 ...
.
Mototsune invented the position of ''
kampaku'' regent for himself in order to remain in power even after an emperor reached maturity. This innovation allowed the Fujiwara clan to tighten its grip on power right throughout an emperor's reign.
Mototsune is referred to as ''Shōsen Kō'' (昭宣公) (posthumous name as Daijō Daijin).
Career
* 864 (''
Jōgan 6''): Mototsune was named
''Sangi''
* 866 (''Jōgan 8''): ''
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 ...
''
* 870 (''Jōgan 12, 1st month''): He became ''
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 ...
''
* 872 (''Jōgan 14''): He was named ''
Udaijin
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 initial appearance of the ''udaijin'' in the context of a central administ ...
''
* 876 (''Jōgan 18''): He was named
''Sesshō''
* 880 (''Gangyō 4''): He was named
Daijō Daijin
* 884 (''
Gangyō 8''): Mototsune was the first to receive the title ''Kampaku''.
* 890 (''
Kanpyō 2, 14th day of the 12th month''): retire from Kampaku
* February 25, 891 (''Kampyō 3, 13th day of the 1st month''): Mototsune died at the age of 56.
Genealogy
This member of 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 ...
was the son of Fujiwara no Nagara, who was one of the brothers of Fujiwara no Yoshifusa. Mototsune was adopted as son and heir of Yoshifusa. In other words, Yoshifusa was Mototsune's uncle, and father through adoption.
He was married to a daughter of Imperial Prince Saneyasu (son of
Emperor Ninmyō
was the 54th emperor of Japan, Emperor Ninmyō, Fukakusa Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Ninmyō's reign lasted from 833 to 850, during the Heian period.
Traditional narrative
Nin ...
).
Their children were
*
Tokihira (時平) (871–909) –
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 in ...
*
Nakahira (仲平) (875–945) – Sadaijin
*
Tadahira (忠平) (880–949) –
Daijō Daijin,
Regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
[Nussbaum, "Fujiwara no Tadahira" in .]
* Yoriko (頼子) (d. 936), consort of
Emperor Seiwa
* Kazuko (佳珠子), consort of Emperor Seiwa
*
Onshi (穏子) (885–954), consort of
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.
G ...
,
and mother of
Emperor Suzaku and
Emperor Murakami
was the 62nd emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 村上天皇 (62)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
Murakami's reign spanned the years from 946 to his death in 967.
Biography
Before he ascended to ...
He was also married to Princess ''Sōshi'' (操子女王), a daughter of Imperial Prince Tadara (son of Emperor Saga).
Their children were
* Kanehira (兼平) (875–935) – Kunai-Kyō (宮内卿)
* Onshi (温子) (872–907), consort of
Emperor Uda
was the 59th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 宇多天皇 (59)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
Uda's reign spanned the years from 887 through 897.
Traditional narrative
Name and legacy
Befor ...
His other children were
* Kamiko (佳美子) (d. 898), consort of
Emperor Kōkō
was the 58th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 光孝天皇 (58)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
Kōkō reigned from 884 to 887.
Traditional narrative
Before the emperor's ascension to the Chry ...
* Yoshihira (良平)
* Shigeko (滋子), married to
Minamoto no Yoshiari (son of Emperor Montoku)
* daughter, married to Imperial Prince Sadamoto (son of Emperor Seiwa), and mother of Minamoto no Kanetada (源兼忠)
See also
*
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 t ...
*
Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku, one of the
Six National Histories of Japan; edited by Fujiwara no Mototsune.
Notes
References
*
Brinkley, Frank and
Kikuchi Dairoku. (1915). ''A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era''. New York: Encyclopædia Britannica.
* Hioki, S. (1990). ''Nihon Keifu Sōran''. Kōdansya. (Japanese)
* Kasai, M. (1991). ''Kugyō Bunin Nenpyō''. Yamakawa Shuppan-sha (Japanese)
* Kodama, K. (1978). ''Nihon-shi Shō-jiten, Tennō''. Kondō Shuppan-sha. (Japanese)
* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia''.Cambridge:
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...
. ;
* Owada, T. et al. (2003). ''Nihonshi Shoka Keizu Jinmei Jiten''. Kōdansya. (Japanese)
*
Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''
Nihon Ōdai Ichiran
, ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings.
According to the 1871 edition of the '' American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ...
''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujiwara No, Mototsune
836 births
891 deaths
Sesshō and Kampaku
Fujiwara clan
Regents of Japan
People of Heian-period Japan