Nijō Tamemichi (二条為道 or 二条為通, 1271–1299), also known as Fujiwara no Tamemichi (藤原為道), was a Japanese courtier and ''

waka WAKA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Selma, Alabama, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Montgomery area. It is owned by Bahakel Communications alongside Tuskegee-licensed CW+ affiliate WBMM (channel 22); B ...

'' poet of the late

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

Biography

Sources

Sources for the life of Nijō Tamemichi include the anthologies collecting his poems themselves such as the ''

Shinshūi Wakashū , occasionally abbreviated as ''Shinshūishū'', a title which recollects the ''Shūi Wakashū'', is the 19th imperial anthology of Japanese waka poetry. It was finished late in 1364 CE, a year after Emperor Go-Kōgon first ordered it in 1363 a ...

'', the ''

Shokusenzai Wakashū The is a Japanese imperial anthology of waka poetry. It was finished somewhere around 1320 CE, two years after the Retired Emperor Go-Uda first ordered it in 1318. It was compiled by Fujiwara no Tameyo (who also compiled the '' Shingosen Waka ...

'', the '' Dairi Gyoe Waka'' (内裏御会和歌) and the '' Tōyōshū'' (藤葉集), as well as historical and genealogical works such as ''

Sonpi Bunmyaku is a Japanese genealogical text. Originally written by in the late 14th century, it was either 15 or 16 volumes in length. This was followed by re-edited editions eventually bringing the text to thirty volumes in length. The full title is 新編� ...

'', and diaries such as '' Towazugatari'' and ''Hare no Gyoe Burui-ki'' (晴御会部類記).

Ancestry and birth

Tamemichi was born in 1271. His father was Nijō Tameyo, and his mother was a daughter of Kamo no Ujihisa (賀茂氏久). He was Tameyo's eldest son.

Political career

At the height of his political career, he had attained the Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade, and held the position of Provisional Middle Captain of the Left (権左中将). In 1289 he was given the additional title of Provisional Vice-Governor of

Bitchū Province was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, in what is today western Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bizen and Bingo Provinces; those three provinces were settled in the late 7th Century, dividing form ...

(備中権介 ''Bichū no gon-no-suke''), and in 1293 he received the further additional titles of Provisional Assistant Master of the Consort's Household (中宮権亮 ''chūgū gon-no-suke'') and Provisional Vice-Governor of

Mino Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviated fo ...

(美濃権介 ''Mino no gon-no-suke'')

Death

He died on the fifth day of the fifth month of Shōan 1 (1299), at the age of 29 by Japanese reckoning.

Descendants

He was the father of Nijō Tamesada, who became the ancestor of the later main line of the house of Nijō.

Name

He was a member of the Nijō branch of the

Fujiwara clan The 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 ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

, so is known as both Nijō Tamemichi and Fujiwara no Tamemichi. The

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

for ''Tamemichi'' is conventionally written "為道", but some sources such as the ''Sonpi Bunmyaku'' give "為通". He may have composed one of his works under the pseudonym "Reizei Harin" (冷泉羽林).

Poetry

Tamemichi composed ''

'' poetry in the style of the

Nijō poetic school The refers to descendants of Fujiwara no Tameie's eldest son, Nijō Tameuji (1222–86). The family name took after Nijō district of Kyoto where the family had resided. This hereditary house of Japanese waka poetry is generally known for its con ...

. He took part in multiple poetry contests organized by the court. Over sixty of his poems were included in

imperial anthologies Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Impe ...

from the ''

Shingosen Wakashū The , often abbreviated as ''Shingosenshū'', is an imperial anthology of Japanese waka poetry. The title is in opposition to the previous '' Gosen Wakashū''. It was completed in 1303, two years after the Retired Emperor Go-Uda first ordered ...

'' on. He is thought to have also been the composer of the banquet song '' Natori-gawa no koi'' (名取河恋), under the pseudonym "Reizei Harin".

References

Works cited

* {{authority control 1271 births 1299 deaths Tamemichi 13th-century Japanese poets