was a Japanese court official during 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. ...

, and founder of the Takeda school of archery. Yoshiari was a son of

Emperor Montoku (August 826 – 7 October 858) was the 55th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 文徳天皇 (55)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Montoku's reign lasted from 850 to 858. Traditional narrative Before ...

, although he was granted the surname Minamoto which removed him from the Imperial lineage. He was a successful courtier, being appointed as a court consultant at the age of 28 and rising to the post of middle counsellor by 883. He held various positions at court including Grand Counsellor in 891, General of the Left in 893, mentor to Crown Prince Atsuhito and Inspector of Mutsu and Dewa. In 891 he was appointed Grand Counsellor. At the behest 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 Befo ...

, he was assigned to the work of compiling a National History covering the period from the reign of

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 ...

to that of Emperor Koko. This was an unusual appointment, in that custom dictated a 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 ...

should have held the post of Chief compiler; it is thought that this was an attempt by Emperor Uda to undermine the increasingly influential Fujiwara. Ordered by Emperor Uda to develop a style of mounted archery, Yoshiaki created what was to later become the Takeda school of

yabusame is a type of mounted archery in traditional Japanese archery. An archer on a running horse shoots three special "turnip-headed" arrows successively at three wooden targets. This style of archery has its origins at the beginning of the Kama ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minamoto no Yoshiari 9th-century Japanese historians People of Heian-period Japan 845 births 897 deaths