A Servant Girl

Fujiwara no Yoshitsune 藤原良経 (1169-1206)

Yoshitsune was born into the elite of his society, being the son of Regent and Prime Minister Fujiwara no Kanezane 藤原兼実 (1149-1207); his mother was the daugher of Fujiwara no Sueyuki 藤原 季行 (1114-1162) who himself reached Junior Third Rank and the position of Senior Assistant Governor General of Dazaifu. Unsurprisingly, he had a glittering court career, although not without some upsets (he was subject to house arrest with his father for a period in 1196), eventually becoming Prime Minister himself in 1204 at Junior First Rank. Two years later, however, he was murdered in his bed by persons unknown, possibly offended by his relations with the shogunate in Kamakura, although that remains speculation. As a poet, Yoshitsune was lauded for his skill, frequently exchanging Japanese poems with his uncle, Jien 慈円, and Teika, although he was equally skilled in the composition of Chinese poetry, too, and his calligraphy was much prized by his contemporaries. He was accorded the great honour of being asked to write the kana preface to the Shinkokinshu anthology, and his death at a relatively young age was much lamented in poetic circles, with Emperor Gotoba remarking his work ‘had quality at its heart; he was capable of anything.’

Yoshitsune has the following poems in the Roppyaku-ban Uta Awase: