Denryaku: Shōtoku 2 {1098} 2.9

承徳二年二月九日 Shōtoku 2 {1098} 2.9
Translated by Dario Minguzzi

Ninth day, tsuchinoe ne. ¹ The weather was clear. Because the ridgepole was being raised at Kōfukuji, ² the Viceroy progressed to Nara. I wore an abbreviated formal court dress (ikan) ³ and went to the Viceroy [at the Nijō residence]. We immediately set out. Those who went along with him were Provisional Senior Counselor [Fujiwara no] Ietada, Superintendent Kinzane, Provisional Middle Counselor Tsunezane, the former Senior Assistant Governor of Dazaifu [Fujiwara no] Nagafusa, Senior Controller of the Left Suenaka, and myself. Next came lower officials of the Council of State in attendance. They were Junior Counselor [Fujiwara no] Kanesue, Junior Controller of the Left [Fujiwara no] Arinobu, Junior Council Secretary [Miyoshi no] Nobusada, Senior Scribe of the Left [Ozuki no] Suketoshi, with lower officials of the Board of Controllers (kajō) and miscellaneous servants (meshitsukai) as is customary. On the back: The royal intimates (tenjōbito) ⁴ were Senior Controller of the Right cum Head of the Royal Secretariat [Minamoto no] Mototsuna, Head of the Stables [Minamoto no] Morotaka, Middle Captain of the Inner Palace Guards of the Left [Fujiwara no] Tadanori, Head of the Stable of the Right [Fujiwara no] Kanezane, Middle Captain of the Right [Fujiwara no] Akizane, Middle Captain of the Left Iemasa, Junior Captain of the Left Sanetaka, Provisional Assistant General of the Palace Gate Guards of the Left cum Chamberlain and Controller [Taira no] Tokinori, Junior Captain of the Inner Palace Guards of the Left [Fujiwara no] Toshitada, Governor of Wakasa Province [Fujiwara no] Atsukane, Second-level Manager of the Ministry of Civil Affairs [Minamoto no] Yukinobu, and Third-level Manager in the Royal Secretariat [Minamoto no] Moriie. All senior nobles and below wore abbreviated court dress. Next came all the various courtiers of the fourth, fifth, and sixth ranks, about thirty people; next were my eight outriders [Takashina no] Shigenaka, [Minamoto no] Morimasa, Nagazane, Munesuke, [Fujiwara no] Morokuni, Tamezane, [Tachibana no] Tokikane, and [Minamoto no] Ieshige. They all wore abbreviated formal dresses, while the outrider retainers of the Viceroy wore semi-formal dresses (hōko). Then, around the Hour of the Rooster {between 5-7 p.m.}, we arrived at the Saho residence. ⁵ All the people in attendance arrived as well and everyone immediately retired to their resting places. Then, around the Hour of the Dog {between 7-9 p.m.} there was the offering of gifts to the shrine deities. ⁶ The Kasuga envoy, Head of the Office of the Kamo Priestess Lord Fujiwara no Korenobu, and the Isagawa Envoy [Fujiwara no] Munenaka each carried a dedication prayer (kōmon). ⁷ The author was Lord [Fujiwara no] Masaie. ⁸ During the offering of gifts various people, me included, did not join.

1. The twenty-fifth day of the cycle. ↩

1. Kōfukuji, located in the former capital of Nara, was the clan temple (ujidera) of the Fujiwara clan. ↩

1. Ikan (literally “robe and cap”) was an lighter configuration of the more formal sokutai (装束) court dress. ↩

1. The “royal intimates”(tenjōbito) were those courtiers who had been granted access to the private residence of the sovereign. According to sources such as Emperor Uda’s Kanpyō goyuikai 寛平御遺誡 (Admonishments of the Kanpyō era, late ninth century) and Minamoto no Takaakira’s Saikyūki 西宮記 (Record of the Western Residence, mid-tenth century), the quota for royal intimates was initially fixed at thirty people, although later it was gradually raised to one hundred people. ↩

1. The Saho Residence was located in Nara, although its precise location is uncertain. The time of its original construction is also unknown. From the Nara period, the residence was connected to the Fujiwara clan. ↩

1. The “offering of gifts to the deities” (hōbei) consisted in the offering of objects such as cloth, garments, paper, and utensils to shrines. The offering would normally take place upon decree. ↩

1. Dedication prayers (kōmon) were official documents in which communications and requests to the gods were registered. They were usually drafted in the senmyō register. ↩

1. Fujiwara no Masaie (1026-1111) was a Kidendō scholar and the great-grandson of Arikuni 有国 (943-1011), also a Kidendō scholar (Masaie’s father Ietsune 家経 and grandfather Hironari 広業 were Kidendō scholars) as well. Masaie belonged to the Hino branch of the Northern Fujiwara House. He was appointed Professor of Letters (monjō hakase) in Jiryaku 1 (1065) and superintendent (bettō) of the Kangaku-in in Jōryaku 4 (1080). ↩

Original text 原文
九日、戊子、天晴、依興福寺上棟之事、有令下奈良給事、着衣冠、参関白殿（二条殿）、即出御、被参人々権大納言家忠（藤原）・別当公実・権中納言経実・前大弐長房（藤原）・左大弁季仲・予等也、次御前政官少納言懐季（藤原）・左少弁有信（藤原）・少外記信貞（三善）・左大史祐俊（小槻）・官掌・召使等如常、

裏、殿上人右大弁頭基綱（源）・馬頭師隆（源）・左近衛中将忠教（藤原）・右馬頭兼実（藤原）・右中将顕実（藤原）・左中将家政・左少将実隆・左衛門権佐兼蔵人弁時範（平）・左近少将俊忠（藤原）・若狭守敦兼（藤原）・民部大輔行信（源）・蔵人尉盛家（源）、上達部以下衣冠、次諸大夫四位・五位・六位卅人許、次予之前駈八人、重仲（高階）・盛雅（源）・永実・宗佐・師国（藤原）・為実・説兼（橘）・家重（源）是也、衣冠、殿前駈之諸大夫布袴、次酉時許参着佐保殿、又人々同、即各々退下宿所、次戌刻許有奉幣事、春日使斎院長官藤原朝臣惟信、率川使宗仲（藤原）、各有告文、作者正家（藤原）朝臣、奉幣間人々弁〔并〕予不参会云々、

Kundoku 訓読
九日、戊子つちのえね、天晴れ。興福寺の上棟の事に依り、奈良に下らしめ給う事有り。衣冠を着し、関白殿［二条殿］に参る。即ち出御す。参らるる人々は權大納言家忠［藤原］・別当公実・權中納言經実・前大弐長房［藤原］・左大弁季仲・予などなり。次に御前の政官は少納言懐季［藤原］・左小弁有信［藤原］・少外記信貞［三善］・左大史祐俊［小槻］、官掌かじょう・召使等は、常の如し。 裏、殿上人は右大弁頭基綱［源］・馬頭師隆［源］・左近衛中将忠教［藤原］・右馬頭兼実［藤原］・右中将顕実［藤原］・左中将家政・左少将実隆・左衛門権佐蔵人弁時範［平］・左近少将俊忠［藤原］・若狭守敦兼［藤原］・民部大輔行信［源］・蔵人尉盛家［源］。上達部以下［は］衣冠［なり］。次に諸大夫、四位、五位、六位卅人許り、次に予の前駈ぜんく八人、重仲［高階］・盛雅［源］・永実・宗佐・師国［藤原］・為実・説兼［橘］・家重［源］是なり。衣冠なり。殿の前駈の諸大夫は、布袴ほうこ。次に酉とり時許り佐保殿に参着す。又、人々同じ。即ち各々宿所に退下す。次に、戌いぬ刻許り奉幣ほうべいの事有り。春日の使、斎院の長官かみ藤原朝臣惟信、率川いさがわの使宗仲［藤原］、各告文有り。作者正家［藤原］朝臣。奉幣の間、人々並び予参会せずと云々。