Miyako no Yoshika
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Miyako no Yoshika | |
|---|---|
 A nineteenth century portrait of Miyako no Yoshika from Zenken Kojitsu by Kikuchi Yōsai. | |
| Native name | 都良香 |
| Born | 834 |
| Died | 879 |
| Occupation | lesser private secretary (from 870), professor of literature (from 875) |
| Language | Japanese, Chinese |
| Period | Heian |
| Genre | kanshi, waka |
| Notable works | Toshi Bunshū, Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku |
| Children | Miyako no Arinaka |
Miyako no Yoshika (都良香; 834–879[1][2]) was a Japanese poet, scholar and court official active in the Heian period. He was responsible for the civil service examination of Sugawara no Michizane and later acted as one of the compilers of the Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku. Many documents prepared by him, as well as a number of his poems, were collected in a volume known as Toshi Bunshū (都氏文集), which only survives in fragments. He became the subject of a number of legends describing his encounters with supernatural beings, such as the oni of Rashōmon and the goddess Benzaiten, as well as with pursuit of immortality.
Early life
Yoshika was a son of Miyako no Sadutsugu (都貞継) and a nephew of Miyako no Haraaka (都腹赤),[1] an official and poet active during the reign of emperor Saga.[3] According to Robert Borgen, Yoshika's family was "hardly eminent" overall, but his uncle served as a professor of literature from 821 to 829 and might have influenced his early career.[4] In 860 Yoshika began studying in the Shikibu-shō.[1] According to Ōe no Masafusa he showed exceptional skill as a student.[5] After completing his studies he was appointed to various administrative positions in the provinces of Aki and Harima.[1]
Appointment as a lesser private secretary
In 870 Yoshika became a lesser private secretary (少内記, shōnaiki).[1] His duties included preparing draft documents for the emperor, as well as conducting university entrance and civil service examinations.[4]
Yoshika served as the examiner of Sugawara no Michizane.[6] While according to a legend present in many historical biographies of Michizane Yoshika first met him at a banquet he organized, during which he declared that his archery skills are a sign he will perform well in his upcoming examination, there is no evidence such an event ever occurred.[7] While it was considered customary in contemporary China for the relationship between an official and his former examiner to be cordial, in Japan this was uncommon, and typically the examiner and his examinees belonged to different scholarly circles, and there was no expectation of loyalty developing between them based on successful examination.[8] In his evaluation of Michizane's essays submitted as a part of this procedure Yoshika critically evaluated what he saw as insufficiently rigorous sourcing of cited Buddhist texts, improperly identified Chinese names, as well as numerous grammatical errors, and granted him the lowest passing grade permitted by the ritsuryō code.[9] However, Borgen stresses that Yoshika's judgment was not unusually harsh, and awarding low passing grades to candidates was the norm through the entire ninth century and did not mean the examiners saw them as unskilled.[10] In his evaluation, Yoshika also praised Michizane's style despite his objections.[11] They subsequently shared the same offices multiple times.[8] In 871 they have been entrusted with determining together if emperor Seiwa should follow his late grandmother's wish to not be mourned to the full extent expected by tradition.[12] However, according to Borgen they were not on friendly terms, possibly because Michizane's dissatisfaction with Yoshika's harsh evaluation of his examination answers.[8]
Ki no Haseo studied under Yoshika for a time.[13] It has been argued that he was his main disciple.[14] According to the Gōdanshō, he sided with Yoshika when he voiced opposition to Fujiwara no Sukeyo's bid to become the first member of the Fujiwara clan to take the civil service examination; they feared that as a well established noble clan, the Fujiwaras will be able to gain control over the academy, displacing scholars from less prestigious families.[15]
Later career
In 872 Yoshika took part in the reception of an embassy from Balhae.[1] He also studied esoteric Buddhist doctrine in Tō-ji.[1] In 875 he was appointed to the position of a professor of literature and subsequently took part in the compilation of Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku.[4] While it is agreed he was a major contributor, he died before it was completed.[1]
Descendants
According to the Gōdanshō, a late Heian collection of anecdotes and poetry commentaries by Ōe no Masafusa and Fujiwara no Sanekane, Yoshika had a son named Arinaka (在中) who became a poet and scholar like him, but the dates of his birth and death are unknown.[16]
Works
Through his courtly career Miyako no Yoshika composed poetry.[1] Anecdotes preserved in the Gōdanshō, Kokon Chomonjū and Jikkinshō indicate he was particularly renowned for his kanshi (poems composed in Chinese), though he also wrote waka.[14] His style was influenced by Bai Juyi,[17] a Chinese poet whose works were transmitted in Japan in the middle of the ninth century.[18] Yoshika's kanbun writings were compiled into a collection known as Toshi Bunshū (都氏文集), which originally consisted of six volumes, though only three survive today.[19] Most of the remaining sections are compilations official documents,[20] such as examination questions and evaluations, while most of the poems have been lost.[2] However, examples of Yoshika's poetry are preserved in collections such as Honchō Monzui, Fusōshū, Wakan Rōeishū and Kokin Wakashū.[14]
Two other of Yoshika's works, Shinsen Saku (神仙策; "Plan of the Immortals") and Fujisan-ki (富士山記; "Records of Mount Fuji"), reflect his interest in legends about Daoist immortals.[21] The latter work describes Mount Fuji as the dwelling of female immortals.[22] It is also the oldest description of its crater[23] and might indicate that it has already been climbed in the Heian period.[24]
