Taiki: Kōji 2 {1143} 10.22 Entry
康治二年十月二十二日条
Translated by Yumi Kodama and Tanya Kostochka
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Forty-second day of the sexegenery cycle. ↩
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9-11 AM. ↩
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This entry describes part of a trip that Yorinaga, his father Fujiwara no Tadazane, Tadazane’s primary wife Minamoto no Shishi took to Shitennōji, a major monastic complex in present-day Ōsaka. The lodgings refer to visitor quarters inside of the monastic complex. ↩
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Throughout this entry, Yorinaga refers to Minamoto no Shishi as kita no mandokoro 北政所 which means the primary wife of a high ranked official. In this case, it refers specifically to Fujiwara no Tadazane’s primary wife. ↩
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Zenkō 禅閤 is the polite form of address for a regent who has taken the tonsure but did not leave their home, that is, did not go to stay at a temple. ↩
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Fujiwara no Tadazane 藤原忠実 (1078-1162) was Yorinaga’s father ↩
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Hosshinnō 法親王 is a dharma prince, someone who was registered as part of the royal house only after he took the tonsure. ↩
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Kakuhō 覚法 was the son of Monarch Shirakawa and Minamoto no Shishi. ↩
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Rokujidō 六時堂 is literally “Six Times Hall” because prayers were held there six times a day. ↩
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Jikidō 食堂 refers to a building in the monastic complex that serves as a dining hall for the monks but also typically has Buddhist images inside. ↩
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Kōdō 講堂 is the building where sutras would be read and sermons given. ↩
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Here, tō 塔 refers to the five-story pagoda at Shitennōji, which is said to contain six grains of the Buddha’s ashes and six hairs from the head of Prince Shōtoku. The number six symbolizes the six realms of rebirth in Buddhism and Prince Shōtoku’s wish for the spiritual attainment of beings in all these realms (shitennoji.or.jp). ↩
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The name Shōryōin 聖霊院 literally means Temple of the Sacred Spirit. In this case, the “sacred spirit” refers specifically to Prince Shōtoku and the temple is often referred to simply as taishiden 太子殿, which means Prince Hall. ↩
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Here, Yorinaga writes Mantōin 万塔院 which literally means the Hall of Ten Thousand Towers. This is a homonym of the name of the hall 万灯院 (mantōin) which literally means the Hall of Ten Thousand Lanterns. It is quite likely that Yorinaga meant the latter even though he wrote the former. ↩
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Edō 画堂 is the picture hall at Shitennōji that displays paintings of scenes from the life of Prince Shōtoku on its walls. ↩
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“Lord” here points to Tadazane’s social station and “Novice” to his status as someone who has taken the tonsure. ↩
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This priest was in charge of temple business as well as taking care of clerics and noble guests (Ikumi Kaminishi, Explaining Pictures: Buddhist Propaganda and Etoki Storytelling in Japan (Honolulu, University of Hawai’i Press, 2006), 25). ↩
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A painting depicting numerous scenes from the life of Prince Shōtoku. Paintings like this appeared in many forms, including pictures painted on walls/sliding doors, hanging pictures, or picture scrolls. (日本国語大辞典). Kaminishi suggests that this version was painted on the walls/sliding doors of the Shitennōji Picture Hall (Ikumi Kaminishi, Explaining Pictures: Buddhist Propaganda and Etoki Storytelling in Japan (Honolulu, University of Hawai’i Press, 2006), 24). ↩
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The various scenes from Prince Shōtoku’s life were not arranged in a linear fashion in these paintings and so, a wooden stick was used to tap whatever scene the monk was describing. This tip of this pointer was sometimes covered in cotton to mitigate wear and tear on the painting (Ikumi Kaminishi, Explaining Pictures: Buddhist Propaganda and Etoki Storytelling in Japan (Honolulu, University of Hawai’i Press, 2006), 25). ↩
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This was either Minamoto no Shishi or Fujiwara no Tadazane. ↩
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Along with the Picture Hall, this hall is a part of the Temple of Prince Shōtoku’s Spirit. ↩
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It is customary to pay obeisance to Buddha three times, but because Prince Shōtoku is not a Buddha, Yorinaga did not do it a third time. ↩
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According to the Nihon Shoki, this constitution was authored by Prince Shōtoku and adopted by Suiko, the reigning monarch of the time. Rather than a list of laws, it is more focused on the virtues of a good ruler. So, in this prayer, Yorinaga wishes to be able to embody these virtues as a ruler. ↩
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Here, Yorinaga uses a compound phrase hatsuranhansei 撥乱反正 which appears in the Commentary of Gongyang (One of the three commentaries on The Spring and Autumn Annals). It means “dispel the chaos of the world and return it to its proper order.” ↩
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The Western Gate of Shitennōji is sometimes called the Pure Land Gate because it is said to be the Eastern Gate of Amida Buddha’s Pure Land—a paradise where your needs are all fulfilled and it is much easier to achieve enlightenment than in our world. ↩
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Nembutsu is a term referring to the call to Amida Buddha, namu amida butsu 南無阿弥陀仏. Before he became a Buddha, Amida made a vow that anyone who calls on him would be reborn in his Pure Land. Only a few decades after this entry takes place, Hōnen would go on to argue that the nembutsu ought to be the only practice of Pure Land Buddhism but in Yorinaga’s time, it was simply one of many practices. ↩
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It is not clear whether he’s seeing the ocean for the first time ever or if he is seeing the ocean coming from Shitennōji for the first time. Because Kyoto is relatively far from the ocean, it is possible that he had never seen the ocean but this is not made explicit here. ↩
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The Turtle Well features a large turtle-shaped basin. Water flows into it from a spring under Shitennōji’s main hall. ↩
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Although “compassion” is the most common translation for jihi 慈悲, it also has the broader meaning of “benevolence” or “good will.” This sort of compassion is an important virtue of the Bodhisattva, a being who postpones enlightenment in order to help other beings escape from suffering. ↩
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The Buddhist law and secular or “royal” law are frequently brought up together to signal the totality of laws that govern proper conduct. ↩
Taiki: Kyūan 3 {1147} 1.18 Entry
久安三年正月十八日条
Translated by Yoshiko Kainuma
If he was not too sick and was going to plan the progress, then he should certainly have gone to the Archery Matches. Saying he is sick and not going to the Archery Matches is being greedy for promotion. Visiting the Court to plan the royal visit to Kasuga on the same day {as the Archery Matches} is favoring the self and forgetting the official. It lacks loyalty and respect. It should not appropriate for the way of courtiers. Is not this expressed in the Book of Odes? 3 “Look at the rat; even it has limbs. But a man observes no propriety. {If a man observes no propriety, why does he not quickly die?} 4 " This is exactly like this poem says.
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The archery matches are one of the annual rites at court and was held on the eighteenth of the first month. ↩
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In general, three levels of organizers were appointed for planning court ceremonies: 1) nobles-in-charge (行事上卿); 2) controllers (行事弁); 3) secretaries (行事史). This entry seems to present that Saneyoshi arbitrarily proceeded to plan the date of the visit to Kasuga Shrine. It is probably because Kasuga Shrine is the tutelary deity of his clan, the Fujiwara. ↩
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The following poem is in the Book of Odes, China’s oldest poetry collection. ↩
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This poem emphasizes the importance of propriety for humans, stating that even a tiny rat has a body; If, however, a man does not observe propriety, he is not a human and is thus he does not deserve to live. By quoting this poem, Yorinaga severely criticizes Saneyoshi’s behavior, especially as a courtier. For more detail regarding this issue, see Yanagawa Hibiki, Fujiwara no Yorinaga -’Akusafu’ gakumon to gensetsu (Waseda Daigaku Shuppankai, 2018). ↩
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この条の登場人物:久安3年在、藤原頼長 (1120-1156) 28歳;藤原公能(1115-1161)34歳;藤原宗輔 (1077-1162)71歳;藤原実能 (1096-1157) 52歳。(新訂増補国史大系『公卿補任』第一篇参照)。この条で頼長が指弾する実能は白河、鳥羽、崇徳各天皇の外戚であり、頼長の正妻、幸子の実父である。また、宗輔は賭弓の上卿を勤めていた。 ↩
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四府奏(しふそう):四府(左近衞府、右近衞府、左兵衛府、右兵衛府)の総称;奏杖 文書を挟んで貴人の御前に差し出す杖。白木または黒塗りで、長さ約1.5--2m。ふづえ、ふばさみ、ふみばさみ。(『日国』抜粋) ↩
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幔門(まんもん):庭上に幔柱を立てて張り巡らす幔と幔との間の出入口。(『日国』抜粋) ↩
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賭弓(のりゆみ):公家の年中行事の一つ。射礼の翌日、正月十八日、天皇が弓場殿に出御、左右の近衞府、兵衛府の舎人が弓を射るのをご覧になり、勝った方には賭物を賜い、負けた方には罰酒を課した。(『日国』抜粋) ↩
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『本朝世紀』の同日条(久安三年正月十八日条 )には、「右大将実能卿覧射手奏」とあり、実能は賭弓に参入していたと思われる。(新訂増補国史大系『本朝世紀』黒板勝美 編 吉川弘文館 2003年 521頁) ↩
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春日行幸:藤原氏の氏神である春日社への行幸。二月二十二日に行われる(『本朝世紀』同上 531-533頁)。 ↩
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階(かい):官位、位階、階級などの等級。の差を示す。(『日国』抜粋) ↩
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忠(ちゅう):通常は忠誠心などの意味だが、頼長にとっての忠は、いわゆる朝廷に毎日出仕するなどの、勤務に対する勤勉さを意味していたことが指摘されている。(小島小五郎『公家文化の研究』国書刊行会 1981年 39-46頁) ↩
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相鼠有体、人而無礼、人而無礼、胡不遄死。『毛詩』の「相鼠」より引用。{『毛詩』は『詩経』の異称。漢の毛亨が伝えた書であるところからいう。} 鼠ですら体はあるのに、人間のくせに礼が無い。人間なのに礼が無ければ、すぐに死んだほうがまし。の意。〈柳川響『藤原頼長―「悪左府」学問と言説―』早稲田大学出版会、2018年16-17頁.石川忠久『新釈漢文体系100 詩経』明治書院、1997年146-147頁 参照). ↩
Jitsuya Nishiyama: Taiki Character List
Taiki Character List
By Jitsuya Nishiyama
USC Kambun Workshop 2019
Fujiwara no Yorinaga (1120-1156)
藤原頼長(ふじわらのよりなが)
One of the highest-ranking officials at the imperial court in the late Heian period. His father, Fujiwara no Tadazane, favored him over the regent and his brother Fujiwara no Tadamichi. When his father disowned his brother Tadamichi, Yorinaga became the clan head of the Fujiwara in 1150 and then he became document examiner (nairan no senji) in the following new year. This created serious tension between Yorinaga and Tadamichi. After losing the favor of Ruling Retired Monarch Toba, Yorinaga conspired with Junior Retired Monarch Sutoku, who was dissatisfied with his brother's succession of the throne, causing the Hōgen Rebellion. Yorinaga was injured by a stray arrow in battle and died in Kizu of Yamashiro province. His diary is called Taiki. He was an outstanding scholar of Chinese classics and history, but had an abrasive character. (See Kadokawa kogo daijiten).
Fujiwara no Narisuke, dates unknown.
藤原成佐(ふじわらのなりすけ)
Narisuke's family did not traditionally contain Chinese scholars, but Narisuke seems to have been a frequent visiting scholar of the Regency house. As seen in Taiki, he served in close attendance to Yorinaga as his teacher and a fellow scholar. Yorinaga praised Narisuke's talent and highly regarded him. See Hashimoto Yoshihiko, Fujiwara no Yorinaga (Tokyo: Yoshikawa kōbunkan, 2012), 41-42. According to an entry in Sonpi bunmyaku, Yorinaga studied under Narisuke around 1142. Later, Yorinaga assigned Narisuke as his household official (Kyūan 3 2.5 Entry, Taiki), and later strongly recommended him to become a provisional deputy commissioner of ceremonial (式部権少輔) skipping over twelve senior officials. (See Taiki and Honchō seiki).
Ruling Retired Monarch Toba (1103-1156, r. 1107-1123)
鳥羽法皇(とばほうおう)
After Horikawa passed away, Toba succeeded the throne under the Ruling Retired Monarch Shirakawa. After the death of Shirakawa in 1129, Toba ruled for the three eras of Sutoku, Konoe, and Goshirakawa, for 28 years in total. After the early death of Konoe, Toba enthroned Go Shirakawa, and this caused Hōgen rebellion. Toba was familiar with music and the classics, and so devoted to Buddhism that he visited Kumano Grand Shrine twenty-two times. He was enthusiastic about founding temples and completed Rokushō Temple. (See Kadokawa kogo daijiten).
Junior Retired Monarch Sutoku (1119-1164, r. 1123-1142)
崇徳上皇(すとくじょうこう)
Sutoku was the 75th monarch and the first prince of Toba. After the death of Ruling Retired Monarch Toba, Sutoku fought with Goshirakawa. He lost in the Hōgen Rebellion and was sentenced to exile in Sanuki province. His mother was Taikenmon’in, or Shōshi. His name was Akihito. He was enthroned at the age of 5. Sutoku was enthusiastic about waka poetry and ordered to compile Shikashū or repeatedly called for submitting one hundred poems. Junior Retired Monarch Toba forced Sutoku to yield his throne to Konoe. After Konoe passed away, he was dissatisfied with the enthronement of Go Shirakawa, who was his younger brother. So, Sutoku conspired with Fujiwara no Yorinaga to cause the Hōgen Rebellion. But, he lost in battle and was sent exile to Matsuyama in Sanuki province and passed away in grief. (See Kadokawa kogo daijiten).
Kita no Mandokoro (1070−1149)
北政所(きたのまんどころ)
Kita no Mandokoro was an office for managing domestic affairs in the family of the regent's line of the Fujiwara clan, which was located in the northern part of their residence. It also referred to the primary wife of the regent family. (See Kadokawa kogo daijiten). In Taiki, it refers to Fujiwara no Shishi, who was the wife of Yorinaga’s father Fujiwara no Tadazane. For Yorinaga, she was his mother-in-law. Her name can also be read “Moroko” and “Motoko.” (See Nihon jinmei daijiten).
Fujiwara no Tadamichi (1097-1164)
藤原忠通(ふじわらのただみち)
Tadamichi was considered to be first-class in his day at poetry, music, and calligraphy. His calligraphy was particularly well-known as a superior model for others to imitate, and his powerful calligraphy was called “The Hosshō Temple School.” This calligraphy school was highly regarded not only by aristocrats but also by warriors after the Kamakura period. He wrote a collection of Chinese poetry, Hosshōji kanpaku gyoshū; a collection of Japanese poetry, Tadamichi shū; and a diary, Hosshōji kanpakuki. (See Kokushi daijiten). In Hōgen monogatari, Yorinaga criticized Tadamichi's skills in poetry and calligraphy and stated that poetry was a pastime when one had time to kill, further saying that it was not necessary in court politics. Yorinaga may not have been good at poetry because there was an occasion that his teacher Narisuke composed a poem on his behalf. However, Yorinaga had some experience in Chinese poetry composition appropriate as a family member of the regent line. See Yanagawa Hibiki, Fujiwara no Yorinaga (Tokyo: Waseda University Press, 2018).
Taikenmon’in (1101-1145)
待賢門院(たいけんもんいん)
The dharma name of Fujiwara no Shōshi, the wife of Toba. Her father was Fujiwara no Kinzane. In 1118, she became the wife of the monarch and gave birth to both Sutoku and Go Shirakawa. See Digital daijisen. She received her dharma name in 1124. She was devoted to Buddhism and founded Enshō Temple and Hōkonkō Temple in Ninna Monastery. She became a nun in 1142. She died in 1145 at the age of 45. (See Nihon jinmei daijiten).
Fujiwara no Michinori (1106-1160)
藤原通憲(ふじわらのみちのり)
One of the highest-ranking officials at court and scholars of the late Heian period. The eldest son of Fujiwara no Sanekane. He gave up on his court career when he was a junior counselor. He took the tonsure, left government with a few words, and left home. He became cloistered when 39 years old in 1143 or 1144. (See Kokushi daijiten). He served in close attendance to Junior Retired Monarch Toba and Go Shirakawa. After he won the Hōgen Rebellion, he was an active politician. Later, when there was a conflict between Michinori and Fujiwara no Nobuyori, he was captured by Nobuyori's side in the Heiji Rebellion and was killed in 1159 at the age of 54. He was well-read with multiple skills and edited Honchō seiki and Hōsō ruirin. His dharma name was Shinzei. (See Nihon jinmei daijiten).