Fujiwara no Akisue

• Period: Heian Period
• Occupation: Poet
• Family: Fujiwara no Akisuke (son) Fujiwara no Kiyosuke (grandson)
• Birth: 1054AD
• Death: 1122AD

Fujiwara no Akisue

Fujiwara no Akisue (藤原 顕季) was a member of the Fujiwara Clan and founder of the Rokujo House of Poetry¹², living in the Heian Period from 1054-1122AD.² He was raised by the wet nurse of Emperor Shirakawa, leading to them being rather close, helping Akisue to gain a considerable amount of power.¹ He was the father of Fujiwara no Akisuke² and grandfather of Fujiwara no Kiyosuke¹ .

During his life he held the positons of shuri-taiyū and Rokujo shuri-taiyū.²

Due to his close connection to Emperor Shirakawa he gained access to his private collections and made a copy of a portrait of Kakinomoto no Hitomaro. After this he began a ceremony known as the Hitomaro Eigu which acted to honor this poet. This ws undertaken inside of Akisue’s home.

He later would give this portrait, as well as his private collection of poetry to his son Akisuke; the portrait eventually being handed down to his grandson Kiyosuke.¹

Footnotes

1. MacMillan, P. (2018) ”One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each: A Treasury of Classical Japanese Verse”. St. Ives: Penguin Classics.
2. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.

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