Who was this person?
A mid-Heian aristocrat under whom Fujiwara regency rule reached its peak. He married four daughters to emperors or crown princes and became regent for his grandson the emperor. He is known for the poem "this world, I think, is my world, like the full moon" and built Hōjō-ji late in life.
| Name | Fujiwara no Michinaga (藤原道長) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 966 – 1027 |
| Period | Heian period |
| Also known as | Midō Kanpaku |
| Main achievements |
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Born the fifth son of Fujiwara no Kaneie; his mother was Tokihime. With elder brothers Michitaka and Michikane, he was not expected to inherit.
His father Kaneie secretly led Emperor Kazan to take vows, enthroned his grandson Ichijō and became regent (Kanna Incident). The 20-year-old Michinaga took part along with his brothers.
He married Rinshi, daughter of Minister of the Left Minamoto no Masanobu. Her family's wealth and connections became a great support to him.
In an epidemic, his brother Michitaka the chancellor and then Michikane died one after another. Strongly backed by his sister Senshi, Emperor Ichijō's mother, the 29-year-old Michinaga prevailed over his nephew Korechika to lead the government.
Korechika and his brother Takaie had arrows shot at the retired Emperor Kazan and were banished from the capital (Chōtoku Incident), making Michinaga's position secure.
He made his daughter Shōshi consort (chūgū) of Emperor Ichijō—unprecedented, since Teishi was already empress, giving one emperor two official wives. One of Shōshi's ladies was Murasaki Shikibu.
Shōshi gave birth to Prince Atsuhira (later Emperor Go-Ichijō), to Michinaga's delight. The celebrations are described in Murasaki Shikibu's diary. Michinaga himself kept a diary, the Midō Kanpakuki.
With his grandson's enthronement as Emperor Go-Ichijō, he became regent, but the next year handed the post to his son Yorimichi and guided politics from behind.
His third daughter Ishi became Go-Ichijō's consort, so three daughters were consorts to three emperors. At the banquet he recited, "This world, I think, is mine, like the full moon with nothing missing," as recorded in the diary of Fujiwara no Sanesuke.
Suffering from chest ailments and other illness, he took Buddhist vows and devoted himself to building Hōjō-ji, a great temple evoking the Pure Land.
He died at 61, holding a cord tied to the hand of an Amida Buddha statue while chanting, it is said. He built the height of regency politics; his diary Midō Kanpakuki is listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World.
A. A mid-Heian aristocrat under whom Fujiwara regency rule reached its peak. He married four daughters to emperors or crown princes and became regent for his grandson the emperor. He is known for the poem "this world, I think, is my world, like the full moon" and built Hōjō-ji late in life.
A. Period: Heian period. Born in 966, died in 1027.
A. In 1018, at a banquet celebrating his third daughter Ishi becoming consort of Emperor Go-Ichijō, according to Fujiwara no Sanesuke’s diary Shōyūki.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Murasaki ShikibuFujiwara no Yorimichi
Sakanoue no TamuramaroSaichōKūkaiSugawara no MichizaneSei ShōnagonMurasaki ShikibuFujiwara no YorimichiTaira no Kiyomori
People of the Heian period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.