Denryaku: Shōtoku 2 {1098} 2.3

承徳二年二月二日 Shōtoku 2 {1098} 2.3
Translated by Niels van der Salm

Tadazane's daughter Taishi's hair is cut. Courtiers come to express gratitude to Tadazane.

Third day. Mizunoe uma. 1 Clear weather. I did not go out. Around the Hour of the Monkey (3–5 p.m.) Young Lady [Taishi's] 2 hair was cut. 3

After that, the Viceroy’s son, middle captain 4 [Fujiwara no Iemasa], 5 visited me to convey his gratitude. 6 The superintendent's son, junior captain 7 [Fujiwara no] Sanetaka, 8 and assistant commander of the [Gate Guards] 9 [Fujiwara no] Saneyuki, 10 accompanied him and likewise expressed their gratitude. Together, we chatted, and we made conversation.

  1. The nineteenth day in the cyclical cycle. ↩

  1. Fujiwara no Taishi 藤原泰子 (alternatively Fujiwara no Yasuko, 1095–1155) was Tadazane's third daughter, born of Minamoto no Shishi 源師子, daughter of the Minister of the Right Minamoto no Akifusa 源顕房. She would become the queen-consort to retired monarch Toba in 1134, and is often referred to as Kaya-no-in 高陽院 (国史大辞典). ↩

  1. It is possible that this refers to one of the ceremonial moments where a young child's hair was cut, known as kamisogi 髪削. Whereas the regular age for boys to be thus given their ceremonial haircut was the age of five, girls would undergo the ceremony at age four (日本国語大辞典). Since Taishi was born in 1095, she would be considered four years old this year by the traditional count: 1 year old (or: the first year of life) at birth, and one additional year for each subsequent New Year. It is not made explicit who did the actual cutting, though like with the capping ceremony (genpuku or uikōburi 元服) it is not impossible that this was considered the task (or privilege) of high-ranking individuals—possibly even Tadazane himself. ↩

  1. The post of middle captain (chūjō 中将) was, alongside that of junior captain (shōshō 少将), was one of the adjunct positions with Palace Bodyguards (konoe-fu 近衛府). The post of middle captain was considered appropriate for fourth-rankers and below, but the post was also regularly awarded to courtiers of the third rank who were already members of the Council of State. This does not seem to be the case for Iemasa, however, whose name is not encountered in Kugyō bunin for Shōtoku 2 (1098). ↩

  1. Although Fujiwara no Iemasa 藤原家政 was apparrently not important enough to warrant an entry in Kokushi daijiten or Nihon jinmei daijiten, he is in fact found in Sonpi bunmyaku as the second son of Fujiwara no Moromichi 藤原師通 (who was the actual Viceroy at this point) making Iemasa and Tadazane half-brothers (Sonpi bunmyaku, vol. 1, 9, 55–56 in the 1903–1904 Yoshikawa Kōbunkan edition). ↩

  1. It is to be assumed that this act of conveying gratitude—the character 慶 used carries celebratory overtones—should be interpreted as Iemasa acknowledging that Tadazane helped him secure some fortuitous result, such as the appointment to a post. This interpretation may be extended to the other two individuals who joined Iemasa in conveying gratitude. ↩

  1. See above, in the note on the post of middle captain. Given that Iemasa is accompanied by two members of the guards—both this junior captain and the assistant commander of the Gate Guards—their appearance together might suggest that Iemasa's accompaniment was chosen not only on grounds of personal affiliation (Sanetaka and Saneyuki were full brothers, as is stated in Sonpi bunmyaku, vol. 6, 20), but perhaps also due to considerations of a more official nature. ↩

  1. Like Iemasa, Fujiwara no Sanetaka 藤原実隆 did not earn his own entry in Kokushi daijiten or Nihon jinmei daijiten, but Sonpi bunmyaku (vol. 6, 8) lists a Sanetaka as son of Fujiwara no Kinzane 藤原公実, who had a second son named Saneyuki (see below). Kinzane is also encountered in the previous entry (1098/2/2) as "the superintendent." According to Kugyō bunin, Kinzane was the head of the Royal Police (kebiishi 検非違使). Sanetaka would end his career as Middle Councilor, but it is unclear which rank he held at this point in time. As a junior captain, however, who were typically appointed from among the fifth-rankers or below (日本国語大辞典), he was at this stage not counted among the senior nobles yet, a fact that can be corroborated via Kugyō bunin. ↩

  1. The manuscript has hyōe no suke 兵衛佐, but the editors suggest that this may be a mistake for emon no suke 衛門佐, which we follow here. The hyōe 兵衛 (palace guard) was one of the original guards divisions in the Ritsuryō system, but its significance waned in the wake of re-organisations of the guards that came into effect towards the end of the eighth century (国史大辞典). One of these was the introduction of the konoe 近衛 (palace bodyguards), which might explain the editors' choice to amend the text. Suke was the title of any of a number of adjunct positions in the court's offices, with the character 佐 used specifically in military contexts, viz. for the vice-heads of both hyōe and emon. ↩

  1. Unlike his two companions, Fujiwara no Saneyuki 藤原実行 (1080–1162) is a more well-established name in the annals of Heian history, ending his career at the first rank and occupying the post of Head of Council of State (daijō daijin 太政大臣). At this stage, however—he was only 19 years old by traditional count—his status was still rather insignificant, and he would not be counted among the senior nobles for another seventeen years. ↩

Original text 原文
三日、壬午、天晴、不出行、申時許芟姫君［藤原泰子］御髪、次関白殿中将［藤原家政］為慶所来也、別当息少将実隆・兵衛〔衛門〕佐［藤原］実行等相伴、同申慶、相逢言談、為会釈也、

Kundoku 訓読
三日、壬午みづのえうま、天晴れ。出行しゅっこうせず。

申さるの時ばかり姫君ひめぎみ［藤原泰子ふぢはらのたいし］の御髪みぐしを芟かる。

次に関白殿かんぱくどのの中将ちうじやう［藤原家政ふぢはらのいへまさ］、慶よろこびの為に来たる所なり。別当の息そく、少将せうしやう［藤原］実隆さねたか・兵衛ひょうえ〔衛門えもん〕の佐すけ［藤原］実行さねゆきら相あひ伴ともに、同おなじく慶びを申す。相逢あひて言談げんだんす。会釈ゑしやくと為すなり。