Fujiwara no Yoshifusa

- Period: Heian Period
- Occupation: dajō daijin, sesshō
- Family: Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu (father) Fujiwara no Akirakeiko (daughter) Emperor Seiwa (grandson) Fujiwara no Mototsune (adopted son) Fujiwara no Yoshiyo (brother) Fujiwara no Junshi (sister) Fujiwara no Nagara (brother) Fujiwara no Yoshisuke (brother) Fujiwara no Yoshikado (brother) Fujiwara no Koshi (sister)
- Birth: 804AD
- Death: 872AD
Fujiwara no Yoshifusa
Fujiwara no Yoshifusa (藤原 良房) also went by the names of Somedono no Daijin and Shirakawa-dono. He was a memeber of the Fujiwara Clan (more specifically the Hokke Branch) living from 804-872AD and was the son of Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu, grand-father of Emperor Seiwa, brother to Fujiwara no Junshi12 and the father of Fujiwara no Akirakeiko.1 He would adopt his brothers son Fujiwara no Mototsune during his lifetime.2
Marrying the daughter of Emperor Saga in 814 together they had his daughter Akirakeiko whom he married off to his nephew Emperor Montoku, the son of his sister Junshi.1 The marriage of Junshi to Emperor Montoku was arranged by him.2
He lived through the Jōwa conspiracy of 842AD.
That marriage led to Yoshifusa’s grandson Emperor Seiwa being born (850AD) after which he appoints himself as sesshō due to Seiwa being a minor.1 The appointment occurred in 866AD after the Ōtemmon Conspiracy2, and this in turn started the tradition of having sesshō for Emperors who were minors.1 Yoshifusa was the first person not of the Imperial House to hold this title establishing this post for his family and Regency Government dominated by the Fujiwara Clan for 300 years.2
In 857 he was given the title of dajō daijin1, and so managed government affairs for the young Emperor.2
His marriage alliances established the clans dominion over central government.2
Footnotes
1. Louis Frederic, translated by Kathe Roth (2002) “Japan Encyclopedia”. London: Harvard University Press.
2. Kodansha. (1993) ”Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia”. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.
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