Fujiwara no Tametoki
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(died 1029?) was a Japanese aristocrat, author of Japanese
waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...
and Chinese poetry of some repute, and father of
Murasaki Shikibu was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court in the Heian period. She is best known as the author of '' The Tale of Genji,'' widely considered to be one of the world's first novels, written in Japanese between abou ...
(Lady Murasaki", author of '' The Tale of Genji'', born ca. 970 or 973). Tametoki's position at the Shikibu-shō ministry was what probably became part of his daughter's historical appellation, "Murasaki Shikibu".


Life

Tametoki was well-read and an accomplished poet. Three of his ''
waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...
'' poems were selected to the ''
Goshūi Wakashū :''"The language of poetry should be like brocade and the feeling deeper than the ocean."'' -from Michitoshi's Preface The , sometimes abbreviated as ''Goshūishū'', is an imperial anthology of Japanese waka compiled in 1086 at the behest of ...
'' (1086) and one to the ''
Shin Kokin Wakashū The , also known in abbreviated form as the or even conversationally as the Shin Kokin, is the eighth imperial anthology of waka poetry compiled by the Japanese court, beginning with the ''Kokin Wakashū'' circa 905 and ending with the ''Shinshok ...
''Although says "nine.. were included in the Goshūishū" Also thirteen of his Chinese verses are in the anthology of 1010. Tametoki served as tutor to the Crown Prince Morosada, and when the prince ascended the throne as
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 ...
, he was elevated to ., amended from 'Bureau of Ceremonials' as given in Murase's book. In current version of Wikipedia it occurs under article heading: ' Ministry of Civil Services' Tametoki also simultaneously held the office of more specifically . Tametoki's position as ''kurōdo'' gained him special privileges to attend court (and thus meet with Emperor Kazan). With the resignation of Emperor Kazan in 986, Tametoki was relieved of all his posts, and devoted his time to educating his son Tametoki went without position for 10 years, in marked contrast to the man who would become Lady Murasaki's husband, who was at one time Tametoki's predecessor on the same job (secretary of Shikibe-jō and chamberlain) yet continued to gain lucrative governorships. Tametoki finally wrote a poem to
Emperor Ichijō was the 66th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 一条天皇 (66)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Ichijō's reign spanned the years from 986 to 1011. Biography Before he ascended to the Chrysanthem ...
that so moved the monarch it garnered him governorship of
Echizen Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Echizen bordered on Kaga, Wakasa, Hida, and Ōmi Provinces. It was part of Hokurikudō Circuit. Its abbreviated form ...
. Lady Murasaki accompanied Tametoki there, though she did not stay for the full four year tenure and returned after 1 or 2 years. '' Kojidan'' includes an episode that the governorship of Echizen had already gone to who had to be recalled in order to give way to Tametoki wrested the position away. This so distressed Kunimori he fell ill, and even though he was awarded
Harima 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 ...
as replacement, he never recovered and died.This is more fully discussed in :ja:藤原為時#越前守任官に関する逸話, including the relevant extract from ''Kojidan''. Tametoki was promoted to the rank of "Senior fifth rank, lower grade" (正五位下), and in 1009. Subsequently he was commissioned as 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 ...
in 1011, but his son Nobunori died in Echigo that same year, and her returned to the capital in 1014 before the full term. He became a monk at
Mii-dera , formally called , is a Buddhist temple in Japan located at the foot of Mount Hiei, in the city of Ōtsu in Shiga Prefecture. It is a short distance from both Kyoto, and Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake. The head temple of the Jimon sect ...
temple (located in what is now Ōtsu, Shiga) two years later. Scholars do not agree about the years of Tametoki's birth or death, although some give his death year as 1029.


Notes


Citations


References

* *; 607pp *; *; {{DEFAULTSORT:Fujiwara no, Tametoki Fujiwara clan 10th-century Japanese poets