Who was this person?
A Heian scholar and statesman. Favoured by Emperor Uda, he rose to Minister of the Right and in 894 advised suspending embassies to Tang China. Amid rivalry with Fujiwara no Tokihira he was exiled to Dazaifu, where he died; he was later enshrined as Tenjin, god of learning.
| Name | Sugawara no Michizane (菅原道真) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 845 – 903 |
| Period | Heian period |
| Also known as | Kankō, Tenjin |
| Main achievements |
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Born to a family of scholars, son of Sugawara no Koreyoshi; both his grandfather Kiyotomo and his father served the court as scholars.
At 10 he composed a Chinese poem on plum blossoms in moonlight, astonishing those around him. Under his father's strict guidance he devoted himself to poetry and study.
At 17 he became a monjōshō, an elite student of literature; he later passed the difficult state examination and advanced as a scholar.
He became a monjō hakase, one of the highest academic posts, and trained many students at his family's private school.
He became governor of Sanuki (Kagawa). Though sorry to leave the capital, he saw the poor at close hand and recorded their hardships in poems.
When a quarrel over the wording of an edict between the emperor and Fujiwara no Mototsune stalled government, he sent Mototsune a letter from Sanuki that helped settle it, it is said.
Back in the capital he was favored by Emperor Uda, who wished to curb Fujiwara power, and became head chamberlain.
Named ambassador to Tang China, he urged that the mission be halted because Tang was in turmoil and the voyage dangerous; no more embassies were sent.
He rose to Minister of the Right, extraordinary for a scholar's family, serving alongside Minister of the Left Fujiwara no Tokihira. The next year he presented his collected works, the Kanke Bunsō, to the emperor.
Accused of plotting against the emperor, he was suddenly demoted to Dazaifu (Shōtai Incident), and his children were sent away too. Before leaving he bade farewell to his garden plum: "When the east wind blows, send me your scent, plum blossoms; though your master is gone, do not forget the spring."
He lived in a shabby residence at Dazaifu, suffering from illness, and died at 58. His last poems were collected in the Kanke Kōshū. After his death disasters struck the capital and people feared his wrath. He was enshrined as Tenjin at Kitano Tenmangū and elsewhere, and is loved as the god of learning.
A. A Heian scholar and statesman. Favoured by Emperor Uda, he rose to Minister of the Right and in 894 advised suspending embassies to Tang China. Amid rivalry with Fujiwara no Tokihira he was exiled to Dazaifu, where he died; he was later enshrined as Tenjin, god of learning.
A. Period: Heian period. Born in 845, died in 903.
A. He was a brilliant scholar and poet, and after his death a string of disasters in Kyoto was blamed on his angry spirit, so he was enshrined as Tenjin. Over time he came to be worshipped widely as the god of learning.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Sakanoue no TamuramaroSaichōKūkaiSei ShōnagonFujiwara no MichinagaMurasaki 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.