Fujiwara no Sanesada

24/03/2023| Eli| 0 Comment| 1:14 am

- Period: Heian Period / Kamakura Period
- Occupation: Minister of the Left / Waka Poet
- Family: Fujiwara no Shunzei (uncle)
- Birth: 1139AD
- Death: 1191AD

Fujiwara no Sanesada

Fujiwara no Sanesada (藤原実定) was a member of the Fujiwara Clan. Living from 1139-1191AD he was the nephew of Fujiwara no Shunzei.

His career was setback due to the Taira Clan, however, after there demise he was made Minister of the Left in 1189 and he was also known to have be renowned as a poet and musician.

Two years later he then falls ill, taking the tonsure and dying soon after.

Literarily we can find 78 of his poems in the Imperial Anthologies, and he also left a private collection of poetry and a diary.

One of his poems (No.81) can be found in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu and goes as follows:¹

Japanese text²	Romanized Japanese¹	English translation¹
ほととぎす鳴きつる方を眺むればただ有明の月ぞのこれる	Hototogisu nakitsuru kata o nagamureba tada ariake no tsuki zo nokoreru	I look out to where the little cuckoo called, but all that is left to see is the pale moon in the sky of dawn.

Footnotes

1. MacMillan, P. (2018) ”One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each: A Treasury of Classical Japanese Verse”. St. Ives: Penguin Classics.
2. Suzuki, H. et al. (1997) ”Genshoku: Ogura Hyakunin Isshu”. Tokyo: Bun’eidō.

	Check out the Japan Archives, our Japanese History Podcast. Instagram (Japan): @japan_archives
	Check out our Gaming Channel on Youtube. Instagram (Minecraft): @mycenria
	Find the website useful? Please consider donating to help up keep the website running.