Denryaku: Shōtoku 2 {1098} 2.2

承徳二年二月二日 Shōtoku 2 {1098} 2.2
Translated by Niels van der Salm

Morozane, Moromichi, and Tadazane go to Uji for Yorimichi’s memorial service.

Second day. Kanoto mi. ¹ Clear weather. During the Hour of the Dragon {7–9 a.m.}, Ōtono ² [Fujiwara no Morozane] ³ set out for Uji. ⁴ Lord Viceroy ⁵ [Fujiwara no Moromichi] ⁶ likewise went there. As for the accompanying senior nobles, Minister of Civil Affairs ⁷ [Minamoto no Toshiaki] ⁸ and myself were among the entourage of Ōtono. The superintendent ⁹ Fujiwara no Kinzane, ¹⁰ the middle councilor of second rank ¹¹ [Fujiwara no Tsunezane], ¹² and the senior controller of the left ¹³ [Fujiwara no Suenaka] ¹⁴ were in the entourage of the Lord Viceroy. Around the Hour of the Snake {9–11 a.m.} {the Viceroy} made his appearance. ¹⁵ A short while later, the head (taifu) of the Queen-Consort's ¹⁶ Household [Minamoto no Morotada] ¹⁷ and the lecturer-reader Kengō arrived. ¹⁸ On the [back] it states: "During the Hour of the Ram {1–3 p.m.}, the ceremony was concluded. Shortly afterwards returned home. Around the Hour of the Dog {7–9 p.m.} I returned to the Kyōgoku Residence. ¹⁹ Around the Hour of the Rat {11 p.m.–1 a.m.} there was a fire. ²⁰ It was the house of Sir [Takashina no] Tameaki ²¹ on {the intersection of} Second Avenue ²² and Oil Street. ²³

1. The eighteenth day of the cycle. ↩

1. Tadazane uses the term Ōtono to refer to his grandfather. Technically used to refer to ministers (daijin 大臣), the term—which literally parses as Grand Lord—is also used by heirs to refer to the head of their household (Nihon kokugo daijiten s.v. おおとの ad 2.2) and carries affectionate overtones, such as in The Tale of Genji where a distinction is made between minister and Ōtono to reflect Genji's (or the reader's) proximity to the Minister. See Royall Tyler, The Tale of Genji (Penguin Classics, 2001), 1164, quoted in the Glossary of Historical Terms. ↩

1. Fujiwara no Morozane (1042–1101), Tadazane's grandfather. ↩

1. Uji, a short distance south of Kyoto on the main road to the old capital at Nara, had been particularly associated with the Fujiwara clan since the time of Fujiwara no Michinaga 藤原道長 (966–1027), and is the site where the famous Fujiwara villa-repurposed-as-temple known as Byōdōin 平等院 is situated. This temple, which was instituted by Michinaga's son Fujiwara no Yorimichi 藤原頼通 (992–1074) in 1052, is where the Denryaku editors assume the party are headed. Yorimichi, who was Morozane's father, passed away on the 2nd day of the 2nd month: Morozane, Moromichi, and Tadazane are thus most likely attending some sort of memorial service at Byōdōin (国史大辞典, and compare 大日本史料, vol. 3.5, 34–5). ↩

1. Representing the original term kanpaku 関白, the Viceroy was a kind of acting head of state who during this time in Heian court history led the Heian government in the sovereign's stead. Contrasting to the sesshō 摂政 or Regent (who ruled on behalf of the sovereign when he was a minor), the kanpaku was acting head of state to an adult sovereign. The current sovereign was Horikawa Tennō 堀河天皇 (1079–1107), who at this point was 20 years old (inclusive counting). ↩

1. Fujiwara no Moromichi (1062–1099), Tadazane's father. ↩

1. The Minister of Civil Affairs (minbukyō 民部卿) oversaw the affairs of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, one of the eight government ministries under the Ritsuryō Code system. The Ministry of Civil Affairs was tasked with the civil administration of provincial affairs, and the provinces providing the main source of income for the court as well as court finances. For details about the structure about the Heian court bureaucracy, see the Memo on Late Heian Bureaucracy by Professor Onoe Yōsuke 尾上陽介 (Tokyo Historiographical Institute). ↩

1. Minamoto no Toshiaki (alt. Toshiakira, 1044–1114) was a high-ranking courtier, who had been on the Council of State since 1075. Toshiaki was a close associate of Tadazane, and would play a significant role in the power struggle surrounding the accession of Toba Tennō 鳥羽天皇 by arranging to deny Fujiwara no Kinzane the position of Regent (sesshō). On Fujiwara no Kinzane, see the note below. (国史大辞典, 日本人名大辞典) ↩

1. The function of bettō was generally that of head or supervisor; various institutions were led by supervisors that were labelled bettō. Often they would be court-appointed superintendents at a temple or shrine, but the term was also applied to the head of the Royal Police (kebiishi 検非違使), the supervisor of large aristocratic households, and of shōen estates, among other functions. (日本国語大辞典). According to Kugyō bunin 公卿補任, the bettō post held by Kinzane was that of Head of the Royal Police. ↩

1. Fujiwara no Kinzane (1053–1107) was a high-ranking courtier, who had been on the Council of State since 1080. As uncle to Toba Tennō 鳥羽天皇 Kinzane would get on less than cordial terms with Tadazane around the time of the new sovereign's accession, but it is unclear whether the relationship between Tadazane and his immediate relatives was already cool at this time. ↩

1. Middle Councillor (chūnagon 中納言) was one of the posts on the Council of State. At this moment in time, six people held the position of Middle Councillor at the Second Rank, with an additional three individuals at Third Rank (公卿補任). The Denryaku editors assume this Middle Councillor to refer to Fujiwara no Tsunezane. ↩

1. Fujiwara no Tsunezane (1068?–1131?) was a high-ranking courtier, who held a post on the Council of State as Middle Councillor. Unlike the other second rank middle councillors, he did not occupy any simultaneous posts at this moment, making him the most likely candidate for this identification (see 公卿補任). Not much seems to be known about Tsunezane's affiliations. ↩

1. Controllers (benkan 弁官) were responsible for the communication between the Council of State and the various ministries and offices of the Ritsuryō State. There were two Controller's Offices (Left and Right), with the Left Controller's office responsible for the crucial "left" Ministries: Residential Palace Affairs, Personnel, Civil Affairs, Popular Affairs. For details, see the Memo on Late Heian Bureaucracy by professor Onoe Yōsuke 尾上陽介 (Tokyo Historiographical Institute). ↩

1. Fujiwara no Suenaka (1046–1119) was a high-ranking courtier, who held a post on the Council of State as Junior Councillor (国史大辞典). Additionally, alongside holding a number of other key posts, he oversaw construction works at the Fujiwara family temple at Kōfukuji, suggesting his high standing within the Fujiwara clan (公卿補任). ↩

1. This phrase renders the original owashitsuku 御座着, which is a very uncommon phrase that appears only once in the entire Denryaku diary and is not found in any of the other texts that are currently searchable through the Kokiroku Full Text Database 古記録フルテキストデータベース (22 July, 2022). Professor Onoe Yōsuke suggests that the expression may reflect the fact that the young Tadazane at this stage may still have been quite unfamiliar with the composition of kambun, resulting in occasional unorthodox formulations such as these. Similarly, the inversion of subject and verb in the following 頃之被参中宮大夫 may be glossed, in accordance with the word order, as 参らるるは、中宮の大夫, but was more likely intended as 中宮の大夫参らる. ↩

1. The current Queen-Consort (chūgū 中宮) is Tokushi, princess of the blood (Tokushi or Atsuko naishinnō 篤子内親王). She was the principal consort of the current sovereign, Horikawa Tennō 堀河天皇 (日本人名大辞典). ↩

1. Minamoto no Morotada (1054–1114) was a high-ranking courtier, who held a post on the Council of State Provisional Senior Councillor (gon dainagon 権大納言). Holding senior second rank he was the third in rank after the Viceroy Fujiwara no Moromichi and Minister of the Left Minamoto no Toshifusa (公卿補任). ↩

1. Kengō was the name of a lecturer, the person in charge of the ceremony attended by these nobles in Uji. Although no mention is made of a memorial service, as noted above, the lecture was most likely in commemoration of the passing of Tadazane's great-grandfather Yorimichi. ↩

1. The location of the Kyōgoku residence is unclear, although it was likely on the Higashi Kyōgoku Ōji 東京極大路, which glosses as the East Capital's Outernmost Street, representing the easternmost north-west street on the capital's original checkerboard layout. ↩

1. This event is also recorded in Chūyūki (see 大日本史料 3.5, 34). ↩

1. Takashina no Tameaki (1059–1103) was a lower-ranking courtier who mainly held posts as a provincial governor (zuryō 受領). Chūyūki mentions that at the time of the fire, Tameaki held the post of governor or Tanba province 丹波國, just west of the capital. ↩

1. The Avenues were large east-west thoroughfares, counted from First Avenue at the north boundary of the capital's original checkerboard layout, through to Ninth Avenue at the southern boundary. Second Avenue passed in front of the Suzaku Gate, the main gate to the palace compound. Chūyūki in fact mentions the fire's proximity to the palace (岩波日本史辞典 maps). ↩

1. Oil Street (Abura kōji) was one of the north-south streets. It is the third kōji street east of the palace compound, meaning that Tameaki's house would have been close to the palace and located in an area dotted with major residences. Tadazane probably took special note of this event because of the danger implied by this fire, rather than the importance of Tameaki. ↩

Original text 原文

二日、辛巳、天晴、辰時大殿[藤原師実]令参於宇治給、関白殿[藤原師通]同参給、御共公卿、民部［卿］［源俊明］・予在大殿御共、別当［藤原公実］・二位中納言［藤原経実］・左大弁［藤原季仲］、関白殿御共也、巳刻許御坐着、頃之被参中宮大夫［源師忠］、講師賢豪、書［裏］云、未刻事了、頃之還御、戌時許帰京極殿、子刻許有火事、二条油小路為章［高階］朝臣家也、

Kundoku 訓読
二日、辛巳かのとのみ、天晴れ。 辰たつの時、大殿おほとの［藤原師実ふぢはらのもろざね］、宇治うぢに参まゐらしめ給たまふ。関白殿かんぱくどの［藤原師通ふぢはらのもろみち］、同じく参り給ふ。御共おともの公卿くぎやうは、民部［卿］みんぶきやう［源俊明みなもとのとしあき］・予、大殿の御共に在り。別当べつたう［藤原公実ふぢはらのきんざね］・二位中納言にゐのちうなごん［藤原経実ふぢはらのつねざね］・左大弁さだいべん［藤原季仲ふぢはらのすゑなか］は、関白殿の御共なり。巳みの刻ばかりに御坐おはしに着つく。頃之しばらくして参らるるは、中宮ちうぐうの大夫だいぶ［源師忠みなもとのもろただ］。講師かうじは賢豪けんごう。 書しよ［裏うら］に云はく、未ひつじの刻、事了をはりぬ。頃之還御かんぎょす。戌いぬの時ばかりに京極殿きやうごくどのに帰る。 子ねの刻ばかりに火事有り。二条にでう、油小路あぶらこうぢの［高階たかしな］為章ためあき朝臣の家なり。