Talking about the incredibly handsome Fujiwara no Sanesuke
Good evening. This is KUMANO.
Chapter 3 has concluded safely, and the main characters, who were initially just Seiro, Yasunori, and Tadayuki, have increased to six.
(※Yasunori's son, Kamo no Mitsuyoshi, currently only appears in flashbacks to the Heian period)
It's gradually getting more lively!
I think there will be even more characters in the future, so
please look forward to it!
Now then,
this time, I would like to
thoroughly, deeply, and meticulously delve into
the "Wise Minister of the Right" (Ufu),
Fujiwara no Sanesuke,who is an incredibly handsome man.
Born in the first year of Tentoku (957).
Fujiwara no Sanesuke
was born in the first year of Tentoku (957, during the reign of Emperor Murakami). He passed away in the first year of Eisho (1046, during the reign of Emperor Go-Reizei) at the age of 90.
His father was Sangi (Councilor) Fujiwara no Tadatoshi (※a very important person selected from those with a court rank of Fourth Rank or higher, who took on ministerial roles).
His mother was the daughter of Fujiwara no Masafumi.
He was about nine years older than Fujiwara no Michinaga.
Meanwhile, around that time in the first year of Tentoku (957), Seimei & Yasunori were:
Abe no Seimei: 37 years old, Tenmon Tokugosei (Astronomy student)?
Kamo no Yasunori: 41 years old, Onmyo-no-kami (Head of the Bureau of Yin and Yang)
It is believed they held these positions.
These two were alreadymiddle-aged men at this time.
(Unfortunately, the birth and death years of Kamo no Tadayuki are unknown, so it is unclear...)
After his birth, Sanesuke was adopted by his grandfather, the Kanpaku (Chief Advisor to the Emperor),
Saneyori.
(※Aperson who assists the Emperor and conducts government affairs, asuper important person. If the Emperor is young, they can also act on his behalf as the
de facto No. 1 figure)
It is said that Sanesuke inherited the Ono-no-miya lineage from his adoptive father Saneyori,
and at the same time inherited a vast fortune.
(※The Ono-no-miya lineage is the direct line of the Northern Fujiwara clan. By the way, Michinaga is from the Kujo lineage of the Northern Fujiwara clan.
Michinaga-kun and Sanesuke are relatives.
(Note: The 'assets' referred to here are assets in the form of historical records.
This is because it is said that Sanesuke inherited a vast amount of material from his adoptive father, Saneyori,
which contained detailed descriptions of the customs and court rituals held at the time.
Whenever there was a court event,
if Sanesuke was asked about the details,
he would check his adoptive father's diary.)
Sanesuke had his coming-of-age ceremony in the 2nd year of Anna (969) at the age of 13,
and was granted the rank of Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade.
Meanwhile, around that time in the 2nd year of Anna (969), Seimei & Yasunori were:
Abe no Seimei: 48 years old, Junior Official of the Yin-Yang Bureau
Kamo no Yasunori: 52 years old, Doctor of Astronomy and concurrently Head of the Bureau of Taxation
It is believed they were serving in these positions.
Then, in the 1st year of Ten'en (973),he married for the first time at the age of 17.
He was blessed with a daughter by his first wife in the 1st year of Kanna (985),
but unfortunately, she passed away in the 1st year of Shoryaku (990).
Furthermore, his wife also passed away in the 2nd year of Kanna (986).
In his diary entry for July 11th of the 1st year of Shoryaku (990),
he wrote about how deeply saddened and discouraged he was over the loss of his daughter.
Sanesuke hadtwo legal wives and two concubines.
As mentioned above, the first wife was...
The second wife wasPrincess Enshi
The term 'Princess' here means the daughter of an Emperor.
Princess Enshi was the granddaughter of Emperor Daigo,
and she was said to be an incredibly beautiful princess.
Initially, Princess Enshi was the wife and Empress of Emperor Kazan,
but when Emperor Kazan entered the priesthood, she stepped down, effectively becoming a divorcee.
One of the men who aggressively pursued the now-single princess was
our very own Sanesuke!!
After his aggressive pursuit, Sanesuke successfully married Princess Enshi in the 4th year of Shoryaku (993)!
Congratulations!!!
......However, Princess Enshi also passed away five years later inthe 4th year of Chotoku (998).Sanesuke was 43 at the time. ......So sad......
After that, Sanesuke never formally remarried anyone.
For that era, what a devoted man...!!!
This is someone I can support!!
Did he send tons of love letters back then!?
It was customary at the time to send letters written with waka poetry,
accompanied by flowers appropriate for the season.
This is just my personal fantasy, butSanesuke seems like he would have had excellent taste in love letters.
Now, besides his legal wives, it seems he also had concubines,
the first one being around the same time as his first wife? Maybe?
I'm not quite sure about this part...
Was the other one after Princess Enshi's death?
Later, she gave birth to a girl named'Chifuru',
whom Sanesuke doted on immensely.
It seems Sanesuke was not blessed with many sons,
so he later adopted several people, including 'Sanehira', from his relatives.
However, it appears he left all his own assets to'Chifuru',so he must have loved Chifuru-chan very much...
That part is also worth rooting for!!!
Meanwhile, around the 4th year of Chotoku (998), Seimei & Mitsuyoshi (Yasunori had already passed away...) were
Abe no Seimei, 78 years old | Daizen no Daibu
Kamo no Mitsuyoshi, 52 years old | Harima no Gon no Suke
were likely holding these positions.
Although Sanesuke-papa had such a deeply affectionate side,
he was also famous for being fond of women.
I think the mood might have suddenly turned suspicious, but
the Sanesuke described in the "Kojidan"
wascompeting with a certain nobleman for a courtesan. So it is said.
I suspect this is likely based on the period when he was aggressively pursuing Princess Enshi, but...
Besides that, Sanesuke would also pursue commoner women if they were beautiful, and
one day, a certain nobleman, wanting to tease Sanesuke, called over a commoner maid and
gave her the instruction, "If Sanesuke speaks to you while you are drawing water from the well, drop your water bucket and run away."
That was the instruction.
When the commoner woman was drawing water at the well, Sanesuke appeared as expected.
He called out to the woman he didn't recognize, and as instructed, she dropped her water bucket and ran away.
When the nobleman who gave the instruction met Sanesuke later,
"Please return the water bucket from my household."
he reportedly said.
Hearing that, Sanesuke realized that his fondness for women had been exposed to that nobleman,
and he was blushing with embarrassment... So it is said.
This, too, I think must have some kind of origin story, but
since men and women were almost never able to interact directly at the time,
personally, I don't think he was a womanizer in the modern sense of the word, but rather
Sanesuke's way of interacting with women was close to modern standards and was gentlemanly.
That is what I think.
He is not a gentleman in the name of a pervert. Definitely not.
Therefore, the Sanesuke in the novel I am writing, "-Kei-",
treats women in an incredibly gentlemanly manner.
Please be sure to read the details!!
Well, those who have read this far are amazing.
I would be happy if even a little of the charm of this handsome man named Sanesuke has been conveyed.
Also, there is still more to come!!!
From here on, it is about Sanesuke's main career history.
Sanesuke was also an incredibly capable man in his work.
Career history below
February, Ten-gen 4 (981) - August, Eikan 2 (984)
Kurodo no To, Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade, 25 years old
August, Eikan 2 (984) - June, Kanna 2 (986)
Kurodo no To, Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade, 28 years old
November, Eien 1 (987) - February, Eiso 1 (989)
Kurodo no To, 31 years old
Sangi in Eiso 1 (989), 33 years old
Gon Chunagon in Chotoku 1 (995), Junior Third Rank, 39 years old
Chunagon in Chotoku 2 (996), 40 years old
Kebiishi Betto as of Chotoku 2 (996)
(An important person who managed the police at the time)
Gon Dainagon and concurrently Udaisho in Choho 3 (1001), Junior Second Rank, 45 years old
Dainagon in Kanko 6 (1009), Senior Second Rank, 53 years old
Udaijin in Chian 1 (1021), 65 years old
Junior First Rank in Choryaku 1 (1037), 81 years old
Passed away in Eisho 1 (1046), 90 years old
He advanced up to this point.
Straight on the super-elite path.
(I apologize if I made any mistakes!)
His title, which could be called his epithet,
"Kenjin Ufu" (The Wise Minister of the Right)is a combination of "Kenjin" (wise man), which represents his competence, and "Udaijin" (Minister of the Right).
Sanesuke's diaryShoyukiis an abbreviation for
the diary of the Minister of the Right of Ononomiya.
It is also said that it is sometimes called
Yafuki
as an abbreviation for
the diary of the Minister of the Right of Ononomiya.
His diary covers approximately 63 years, from
the second year of Teigen (977) at age 21 to the first year of Chokyu (1040) at age 84.
What a diligent man...
However, this path to success was by no means smooth,
and he was a person who faced his fair share of hardships.
For example, in his career history mentioned above,
December 983 - August 984: Kurodo no To (Head Chamberlain) to Emperor Enyu
August 984 - June 986: Kurodo no To to Emperor Kazan
November 987 - February 989: Kurodo no To to Emperor Ichijo
Sanesuke served as Kurodo no To* for three generations of emperors, but...
(If we were to compare it to modern times, it is like being a close aide to the Emperor,
the highest-ranking person in the agency called the Kurodo-dokoro.
Abe no Seimei also belonged to the Kurodo-dokoro as an onmyoji.
He was also Seimei's boss.)
From June of the second year of Kanna (986) during the Kazan era,
until November of the first year of Eien (987) during the Ichijo era when he served as Kurodo no To again,
there is a gap of about one year.
This was because he was removed from his post as Kurodo no To byFujiwara no Kaneie,
who is also Michinaga's father.
Damn you, Michinaga
...no, wait,
Damn you, Kaneie
Kaneie had a terrible relationship with Emperor Enyu,
and Sanesuke, who was on good terms with Emperor Enyu, suffered the consequences,
and was removed from his post as Kurodo no To, perhaps out of spite?
However, that is the super-competent Sanesuke for you.
Perhaps there was no one else in the Kaneie camp who could replace Sanesuke,
so he made a brilliant comeback.
You're cool, Sanesuke!!!
It must have been a bitter decision for Kaneie as well.
Sanesuke might have been thinking
Serves you right
in his heart!
But Sanesuke's hardships continued.
In his diary,
Sanesuke, who is usually calm and collected, criticizes Michinaga severely,
but he rarely shows hisfurious emotions and feelingstowards Fujiwara no Michitsuna (Michinaga's older half-brother) in his diary.
That is because Fujiwara no Michitsunaseems to have been an incredibly incompetent person...
Nevertheless, thanks to the support of his older half-brother Michinaga, he was a Chunagon as of the second year of Chotoku (996), but the following year he suddenly overtook Sanesuke, who was also a Chunagon, and was appointed Dainagon.
Normally, the custom is to be promoted in the order of Chunagon -> Gon Dainagon -> Dainagon, but Michitsuna-kun skipped the Gon Dainagon position and became a Dainagon all of a sudden.
This kind of promotion that ignores the hierarchy is apparently called "transcendence," and it was a phenomenon that was quite disliked by the nobles of the time.
Upon learning that Michitsuna was being promoted, Sanesuke wrote in his diary,
thoroughly trashing Michitsuna as an "idiot" and "incompetent," and even going so far as to intentionally miswrite his name as "Michinawa."
He must have been quite irritated...
Furthermore, in September of the third year of Chian (1023), Sanesuke accidentally fell and injured his cheek.
Nowadays, this would be considered a minor injury, but since proper treatment methods hadn't been established at the time, one wrong move could lead to complications or, in the worst case, death.
Sanesuke would struggle with this wound for a while...
(He even went so far as to call in an Onmyoji to divine what he should do.
Moreover, the treatment wasto smear pomegranate peel on his face.
Afolk remedy that is truly surprising.
And the fact that it actually healed him is amazing. Maybe it was the placebo effect?
)
Therefore,"Kei"also features Sanesuke with
a scar on his face from that injury.I've given him that setting.
A man with a scar on his face is cool, isn't he...
After that,
upon hearing that another noble, who had been delighted to receive the report of Sanesuke's injury, had carelessly injured his own cheek in the same way,
he dismissed it by saying,
"The consequences of rejoicing in someone else's misfortune have come back to haunt him."
He spews venomous insults at Michitsuna.
He coldly dismisses the noble who laughed at his own injury.
He must have been the type to hold a grudge.
・A devoted husband who loves his daughter
・Which turned into a fondness for women
・A person who has experienced his fair share of hardships
・Sharp-tongued in his diary
・A somewhat spiteful person who holds grudges
There is no doubt that this man had a rather eccentric personality.
However, in reality, he never lost his cool composure,
and remained a
cool-headed and capable man.
The fact that he served as the Head of the Kurōdo-dokoro for three generations of Emperors is the best proof of this.
There was also an instance during a meeting about a certain ceremony where,
while Michinaga's opinion was being fiercely opposed by other court nobles,
Sanesuke was the only one who took Michinaga's side.
He wasn't exactly
"a die-hard anti-Michinaga"
from head to toe, I suppose.
He was also caught between Emperor Sanjo and Michinaga, who had a hostile relationship...
His surroundings must have been very lively.
Amidst all that, Fujiwara no Sanesuke lived a long, long life of 90 years.
Now you too are a Sanesuke fan!!!
The end was a bit rushed, but...
That's all.
This was a fan talk by a die-hard Fujiwara no Sanesuke otaku.
Below are the references.
A book that summarizes a part of the Shōyūki. It's quite thick, but the author's one-line comments are interesting, so I recommend it if you want to know about Sanesuke's life easily.
One volume out of 16 in total. It contains the complete modern Japanese translation of the Shoyuki.
If you record almost every day for about 63 years, it's bound to reach this much...
I only have one volume so far, but I want the whole set. I want money.
When you try to increase the resolution of Sanesuke,
the man whose resolution also inevitably increases along with him
"Damn you, Michinaga"
Abe no Seimei and Kamo no Yasunori
Fujiwara no Sanesuke and Fujiwara no Michinaga
I feel a somewhat similar sense of emotional resonance.
Someone, please understand me... I beg you...