Fujiwara no Tanetsugu
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was a Japanese noble of the late
Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...
. He was the grandson of the '' sangi''
Fujiwara no Umakai was a Japanese statesman, courtier, general and politician during the Nara period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Umakai" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915). The third son of Fujiwara no Fuhito, he founded the Shikike ( ...
, the founder of the
Fujiwara Shikike Fujiwara (, written: 藤原 lit. "''Wisteria'' field") is a Japanese surname. (In English conversation it is likely to be rendered as .) Notable people with the surname include: ; Families * The Fujiwara clan and its members ** Fujiwara no Kamatar ...
. He reached the court rank of and the position of ''
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 ...
''. He was posthumously awarded the rank of and the position of ''
daijō-daijin The was the head of the ''Daijō-kan'' (Great Council of State) during and after the Nara period and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. Equivalent to the Chinese (Grand Preceptor). History Emperor Tenji's favorite son, Prince Ōtomo, wa ...
''.


Life

The ''
Shoku Nihongi The is an imperially-commissioned Japanese history text. Completed in 797, it is the second of the ''Six National Histories'', coming directly after the '' Nihon Shoki'' and followed by ''Nihon Kōki''. Fujiwara no Tsugutada and Sugano no Mamichi ...
'' first mentions Tanetsugu in 766, when he was promoted from to . Two years later, in 768, he was appointed as
governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
Mimasaka Province or was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today northeastern Okayama Prefecture. Mimasaka bordered Bitchū, Bizen, Harima, Hōki, and Inaba Provinces. Mimasaka was landlocked, and was often ruled by the ''daimyō'' in Bize ...
. Thanks to the Shikike's staunch support of
Emperor Kōnin was the 49th emperor of Japan, Emperor Kōnin, Tahara no Higashi Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Kōnin's reign lasted from 770 to 781. Traditional narrative The personal name of ...
's ascension, the family was successful in his court. Tanetsugu held various positions as a provincial governor, as well as civil and military roles, and was steadily promoted through the ranks, reaching in 781. After the deaths of his uncles
Fujiwara no Yoshitsugu was a Japanese statesman, courtier, and politician of the Nara period. He was the second son of the founder of the Shikike branch of the Fujiwara, Fujiwara no Umakai. His original name was . He was the maternal grandfather of the emperors Heizei a ...
and
Fujiwara no Momokawa was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Nara period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Momokawa" in . His original name was . Career at court He was a minister during the reigns of Empress Kōken/Shōtoku and ...
, Tanetsugu came to represent the Shikike as the oldest grandson of Umakai. Along with the ascension of
Emperor Kanmu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the sco ...
in 781, Tanetsugu was promoted to . With the Emperor's deep trust, Tanetsugu was promoted quickly, joining 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 782. In 783, he was promoted to , and in 784 was made ''
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 ...
''.


Nagaoka-kyō

In 784, Kanmu wanted to move the capital away from Heijō-kyō. Tanetsugu recommended the location of Nagaoka-kyō as the spot for the new capital. By the Emperor's command, Tanetsugu inspected the site along with , , , , and
Sakanoue no Karitamaro was a samurai commander, and later ''chinjufu-shōgun'' (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North), during Japan's Nara period. Karitomo's father was Sakanoue no Inukai. In 764, Karitamaro aided in the repression of a revolt by Fujiwara ...
. Later that year, Tanetsugu was put in charge of the construction of the new capital. His appointment may have had the backing of his mother's family, the
Hata clan was an immigrant clan active in Japan since the Kofun period (250–538), according to the history of Japan laid out in '' Nihon Shoki''. ''Hata'' is the Japanese reading of the Chinese surname ''Qin'' () given to the State of Qin and the Qi ...
, whose base of operations in
Yamashiro Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai. It overlaps the southern part of modern Kyoto Prefecture on Honshū. Aliases include , the rare , and . It is classified as an upper province in the ''Engishiki''. Yamashiro Province included Kyoto its ...
was near the new capital site. Several members of the Hata clan were later promoted into the aristocracy based on their meritorious service in the construction.


Assassination

In 785, soon after the move of the capital, Tanetsugu was shot with an arrow while supervising the construction, and died the next day. Emperor Kanmu was absent at the time, visiting
Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, the ...
. was first arrested for the assassination, and after an investigation ten more people were executed, including and .
Ōtomo no Yakamochi was a Japanese statesman and '' waka'' poet in the Nara period. He was one of the ''Man'yō no Go-taika,'' the five great poets of his time, and was part of Fujiwara no Kintō's . Ōtomo was a member of the prestigious Ōtomo clan. Like his g ...
, who had died a month before the incident, was identified as the ringleader and removed from the register of past officials. Several more people were implicated and exiled. Later,
Prince Sawara (750? – November 8, 785) was the fifth son of Prince Shirakabe (later Emperor Kōnin), by Takano no Niigasa. Biography In 781 he was named heir-presumptive after his elder brother succeeded the abdicated Emperor Kōnin as the Emperor Kanmu. In ...
was disinherited from his position as crown prince and exiled to
Awaji Province was an old province of Japan covering Awaji Island, between Honshū and Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Awaji''" in . Today it is part of Hyōgo Prefecture. It is sometimes called . Awaji is divided into three municipal secti ...
, but died en route. There may have been discord between Sawara and Tanetsugu, but whether Sawara was actually involved in the assassination is not clear. A number of the officials involved in the assassination, including Takanari, were employed in the Crown Prince's Quarters. This incident, along with the fear of Sawara's vengeful ghost, contributed to the decision to move the capital again to
Heian-kyō Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180. Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mov ...
a short time later. Tanetsugu's final rank was , and he held the positions of ''chūnagon'' and director 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 ...
''. He was 49 when he died. Emperor Kanmu posthumously promoted him to and ''
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 ini ...
'', and in 809 he was granted the additional posthumous position of ''
Daijō-daijin The was the head of the ''Daijō-kan'' (Great Council of State) during and after the Nara period and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. Equivalent to the Chinese (Grand Preceptor). History Emperor Tenji's favorite son, Prince Ōtomo, wa ...
''.


Individuals punished in connection with the incident'' Nihon Kiryaku''


Genealogy

*Father: Fujiwara no Kiyonari *Mother: daughter of *Wife: daughter of **Eldest son: *Wife: daughter of **Son: *Wife: daughter of **Second son: *Wife: daughter of **Son: , possibly instead a son of Kiyonari *Wife: daughter of *Other children: **Son: **Fourth son: **Son: **Daughter: , court lady of
Emperor Heizei , also known as ''Heijō-tennō'', was the 51st emperor of Japan,#Kunaichō, Emperor Heizei, Yamamomo Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Heizei's reign las ...
**Daughter: , court lady of
Emperor Kanmu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the sco ...


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fujiwara no, Tanetsugu Fujiwara clan 737 births 785 deaths People of Nara-period Japan