Fujiwara no Tadahira

20/09/2019| Eli| 0 Comment| 10:27 pm

Hear about Fujiwara no Tadahira on Episode 20 of our Podcast, the Japan Archives.

- - Period: Heian Period
  - Occupation: Sadaijin, Sesshō, Waka Poet.
  - Family: Fujiwara no Mototsune (father) Fujiwara no Saneyori (son) Fujiwara no Morosuke (son) Fujiwara no Morotada (son) Fujiwara no Morouji (son) Fujiwara no Tokihira (brother) Fujiwara no Nakahira (brother) Fujiwara no Kanehira (brother) Fujiwara no Raishi (sister) Fujiwara no Baishi (sister) Fujiwara no Onshi I (sister) Fujiwara no Onshi II (sister) Fujiwara no Sanekata (great-grandson)
  - Birth: 880AD
  - Death: 949AD

Fujiwara no Tadahira

Fujiwara no Tadahira (藤原忠平) was a member of the Fujiwara Clan, more specifically the Hokke Branch of this clan.

He was the great-grandfather of the poet Fujiwara no Sanekata ¹ and son to Fujiwara no Mototsune.³ ⁴ He lived from 880 to 949, and was known after his death as Teishinko (Lord Upright and Faithful)¹ and also was known by the name Ko-ichijō daijō-daijin³. He took over from his brother (Tokihira) to lead the hokke branch of the Fujiwara Clan and also held the position of Chancellor of the Realm.

During his life he held the position of Sadaijin (Minster of the Left) during the reign of Emperor Daigo, and became sesshō (regent) during the reign of Emperor Suzaku ¹ in 931, Dajō daijin in 936 and kampaku in 941. Under the orders of Emperor Daigo he was instructed to aide in copiling the Engi Shiki which he did until 927AD.³

His legacy includes seven poems within the Gosenshū, and an additional six in the imperial waka anthologies. He is also noted to have left a journal entitled the Teishinkō-ki.

One of his poems is included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, his is the 26th in the sequence and reads:¹

Japanese text²	Romanized Japanese¹	English translation¹
小倉山峰のもみぢ葉心あらば今ひとたびのみゆき待たなむ	Ogurayama mine no momijiba kokoro araba ima hitotabi no miyuki matanan	Dear mapels of Mount Ogura, if you have a heart, please wait for another visit so that His Majesty may enjoy your lovely autumn colors.

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.
3. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.
4. Brinkley, F. (1915) “A History of the Japanese People from the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era.” New York: The Encyclopaedia Britannica Company.

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