Fujiwara no Sukemasa

Letter Rirakujō ( National Treasure )

Shikashi ( 詩 懐 紙 )

Fujiwara no Sukemasa ( Japanese 藤原 佐理 , or in respectful reading Fujiwara no Sari ; born 944 ; died August 19, 998 ) was a Japanese court official and calligrapher of the Heian period . Together with Fujiwara no Yukinari and Ono no Michikaze , he is one of the three great calligraphers of his time.

life and work

Sukemasa was a son of Fujiwara no Atsutoshi, who died when Sukemasa was four years old, so that he was raised by his grandfather, the regent Fujiwara no Saneyori . In 978 he became imperial advisor ( 参議 sangi ), then governor of Sanuki Province ( 讃 岐 国 司 Sanuki no kokushi ). In early 991 he was appointed Deputy Governor General of Dazaifu ( 大 宰 大 弐 dazai no daini ) in northern Kyushu until he was recalled in 995. In the last year of his life he served as Minister of War. He held the third, real court rank ( 正 三位 shō-san-mi ).

In addition to poems that he wrote at the age of 25, five authentic writings have survived from his hand, of which the writing “A letter when leaving the capital” ( 離 洛 状 , Riraku-jō ) is perhaps the best. On the way to his new post in Dazaifu, he wrote this letter while he was in Nagato Province . It is dated the 19th day of the 5th month and is addressed to his nephew Fujiwara no Sanenobu, whom he asked to forward apologies to Fujiwara no Michitake, a distant cousin. - Michitake held the highest civilian office in the government at the time, but Sukemasa did not get around to saying goodbye to him before leaving. Of the surviving writings of Sukemasa, this is certainly the best and most characteristic. While the appearance is very Chinese, as each character is shaped with expression, the speed of the brushstroke shows a fresh, personal vitality.

As one can see from other writings, Sukemasa seems to have been a fairly independent and cheerful person. And although the Japanese national consciousness had reached its first peak in the Heian period, it seems to have preferred the Chinese taste. But because he was so against his time, he aroused a certain degree of rejection and even hostility that resulted in his never being given a high position. If he hadn't been such an excellent calligrapher, he would probably have been forgotten.

Remarks

1. ↑ Here stands raku ( 洛 ), literally "settlement" for the capital, namely Kyōto.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Owned by Hatakeyama Kinenkan .
2. ↑ Japanese yūsokuyomi ( 有 職 読 み ). The Japanese name reading was replaced by a Sino-Japanese on reading .
3. ↑ 古谷 稔 : 藤原 佐理 . In: 朝日 日本 歴 史 人物 事 典 at kotobank.jp. Retrieved December 9, 2017 (Japanese). 

literature

• Tazawa, Yutaka: Fujiwara no Sukemasa . In: Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art. Kodansha International, 1981. ISBN 0-87011-488-3 .

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . So Fujiwara is the family name, Sukemasa the first name.