Miyabi Historical Figure

*Miyabi no Kuni* (雅の国), the Country of Elegance is where historical figures of the **Heian Period** live.

## **Abe no Seimei**

In our world Abe no Seimei was an onmyouji, basically a Japanese sorcerer. He has sometimes been referred to as the Japanese Merlin. There is a shrine in Kyoto called Seimei Shrine dedicated to him.

After Abe no Seimei died many legends arose, such as that he was half kitsune (fox spirit). He advised the court on matters of the occult and was said to be especially good at finding lost objects and determining the gender of unborn children. He made a lot of other predictions based on astrology which often turned out correct. A common symbol of magic, the pentagram, is in Japanese called Seiman, or the seal of Abe no Seimei.

Some of the most famous stories of Abe no Seimei include his rivalries with Ashiya Doman, particularly a story where they tried to divine what was in a closed box but Doman cheated, having a person place 15 mandarins in the box and then "divining" that they were there. Seimei magically transformed the mandarins into rats and claimed there were 15 rats, thus winning the contest.

Other places you can see Abe no Seimei used as a character:

* *Heike Monogatari* (minor character, old Japanese tale)
* *Shaman King* (Hao Asakura is directly based on Seimei, manga, anime, games)
* *Shonen Onmyouji* (about his descendant and he features, manga, anime)
* *Onmyouji: Abe no Seimei* (drama)
* Folktales from Japan ep83 (anime)
* *Sousei no Onmyouji* (anime, manga)
* *Miyako: Tsukiyomi no yume* (otome game)
* and a lot lot more

## **Fujiwara no Teika**

In our world Fujiwara no Teika was a renowned poet, critic and scholar, one of those featured in and the actual compiler of the Hyakunin Isshu (a famous collection of 100 poems).

Teika was born to a side-branch of the Fujiwara clan that tended to specialize in poetry. Teika himself grew to be considered one of the greatest masters of waka poetry. He gained the favor of the retired emperor Go-Toba after a poetry contest. Go-Toba assigned Teika to help compile an imperial anthology of poetry and was later requested to compile another by a different retired emperor, making him the first to compile two such works.

Teika and Go-Toba grew different views of poetry as they became older and this ended in petty arguments and Teika's banishment from court for over a year. Teika's style and ideas however dominated classical Japanese poetry for centuries.

Other places you can see Fujiwara no Teika used as a character:

* *Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi* (manga, anime)

## **Ariwara no Narihira**

In our world Ariwara no Narihira was a courtier and famous waka poet. He is one of those featured in the Hyakunin Isshu (a famous collection of 100 poems).

Narihira is especially known for his many love affairs which inspired the famous Tale of Ise. He was said to be a great lover and the majority of his poetry is about his various affairs. One of his most famous ones and the namesake for the Tale of Ise was with a high priestess of the Ise Grand Shrine, the daughter of an emperor.

Other places you can see Ariwara no Narihira used as a character:

* *Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi* (manga, anime)
* *Ayakashi: Ghost Guild* (game)
* Icchibanketsu -ONLINE- (game)

## **Ki no Tsurayuki**

In our world Ki no Tsurayuki was a courtier, poet and writer, one of those featured in the Hyakunin Isshu (a famous collection of 100 poems).

In addition to his poetry Tsurayuki held some offices, including being the provincial governor of Tosa. One of his better known works is also called the Tosa Diary, written only using kana (not common at the time as most things were written using Chinese characters).

Tsurayuki is also mentioned in the Tale of Genji as being ordered by an emperor along with many female poets to write waka poems for his decorative panels.

Other places you can see Ki no Tsurayuki used as a character:

* *Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi* (manga, anime)

## **Sadaakira**

In our world Sadaakira was better known as Emperor Yozei, 57th emperor of Japan.

Sadaakira ascended to the throne at only 7 years old. He was known for his violent, sadistic disposition, beginning as a child by setting dogs and monkeys to fight and growing into using people as sport for his amusement. One example is that Sadaakira ordered men to climb into a high tree and sent other men with long spears to poke them down until they fell to their deaths.

Because of his violence Sadaakira was deemed unfit to rule and his advisers gathered to depose him. He lived in retirement until 80 years old, continuing his sadistic abuse with acts such as strangling women with the strings of instruments and riding his horse over people until his death.

Other places you can see Sadaakira used as a character:

* *Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi* (manga, anime)

## **Fujiwara no Michinaga**

In our world Fujiwara no Michinaga was a regent at the height of Fujiwara power.

Michinaga had two older brothers so he wasn't much in the limelight until both of them died. He then entered court at 15 and quickly became one of the most influential Fujiwara there ever was. He used the traditional Fujiwara family method of marrying his daughters to emperors and ruling as regent. He even maneuvered it so that the emperor could have two empresses when his rival's daughter was empress and one of Michinaga's daughters, empress Shoshi, became the first 'secondary' empress. This is the same empress the famous Murasaki Shikibu (author of Tale of Genji) was a court lady with.

Michinaga eventually retired to become a priest but continued to influence court through his successor well beyond his retirement.

Other places you can see Fujiwara no Michinaga used as a character:

* *Garo: Guren no Tsuki* (anime)
* *Hime no Tame nara Shineru* (side, manga)

## **Taira no Kiyomori**

In our world Taira no Kiyomori was a great warrior and the leader of the Taira (also known as the Heike) clan.

The two greatest samurai clans of the time, the Taira (Heike) and the Minamoto (Genji) were originally allies and together took down the Hogen Rebellion. They later became rivals, their first large fight known as the Heiji Rebellion, where the two sides supported different emperors and when Kiyomori left his home on a trip his enemies struck while he was away. Kiyomori still managed to come out victorious.

The animosity between the two clans culminated in the Genpei Wars, lasting 5 years and ending in the most famous battle in the history of Japan, the Battle of Dan no Ura, where the Minamoto defeated the Taira. Kiyomori, however, died from illness during the first year of the war and so did not live to see his clan's downfall.

Other places you can see Taira no Kiyomori used as a character:

* *Tale of Heike* (famous old warrior epic)
* *Tale of Heiji* (old warrior epic)
* *Taira no Kiyomori* (drama)
* *Taira no Kiyomori* (film)
* *Warriors Orochi* (game)
* *Phoenix* (vol9, manga)
* *Ikemen Koisen Taira no Kiyomori* (otome game)
* &more more more

## **Kiso Yoshinaka**

In our world Kiso Yoshinaka, aka Minamoto no Yoshinaka, was a general during the Genpei Wars and technically the first shogun.

The Genpei Wars were a 5 year long battle between the two greatest samurai families of the time, the Taira (Heike) and the Minamoto (Genji) families. Yoshinaka changed his name from Minamoto to Kiso after the mountains close to where he was raised. He fought in this war alongside his best friend since birth, Imai Kanehira and these two feature in the Tale of Heike. He also had a rivalry with his cousin Minamoto no Yoritomo and was married to a famous female samurai, Tomoe Gozen.

Yoshinaka received the title Asahi Shogun from the emperor after victories in battle, even though the real shogunate was not formed until the end of the Genpei Wars with Yoritomo as its first shogun. Yoshinaka in fact plotted to start his own government and burned a cloistered emperor's palace but Yoritomo stopped this by hunting him down and killing him.

Other places you can see Kiso Yoshinaka used as a character:

* *Tale of Heike* (famous old epic)
* *Toukiden 2 (game)*
* Namco x Capcom (game)

## **Funya no Yasuhide**

In our world Funya no Yasuhide was a known poet, one of those featured in the Hyakunin Isshu (a famous collection of 100 poems).

Besides his waka poetry Yasuhide is known for his relationship with Ono no Komachi, one of Japan's most famous female poets who is known for her various love affairs.

Other places you can see Funya no Yasuhide used as a character:

* *Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi* (manga, anime)

## **Murasaki Shikibu**

In our world Murasaki Shikibu was the author of the Tale of Genji and one of the best known women in Japanese history.

Murasaki was of the Fujiwara family and born into nobility. At the time women usually did not learn classical Chinese, that was a language used by men while women wrote in the more simple kana. However Murasaki listened in on her brother's Chinese lessons and picked it up much better than he did, making her stand out among female poets and authors.

Murasaki married and had a daughter but was widowed only 2 years into her marriage. She then became a court lady to Empress Shoshi, daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga. Murasaki taught the empress Chinese, something that angered many male court members. Her writing earned her fame and both the Tale of Genji and her diary tell us much about life at court in ancient Japan.

Other places you can see Murasaki Shikibu used as a character:

* *Chouyaku Hyakuninisshu: Uta Koi* (manga, anime)
* *Kimi no tame nara shineru* (manga)
* *Ayakashi: Ghost Guild* (game)
* See also: a million versions of *The Tale of Genji*