Kino Natsui

Date of birth and death unknown. A bureaucrat in the early Heian period. Son of Ki Yoshimine, his mother was from the Ishikawa clan. In 850 (Kasho 3), he became Shonaiki, and thereafter, as Ushoben and Uchuben, he walked the path of a practical bureaucrat, and gained the trust of Emperor Montoku. In 858 (Ten'an 2), he was transferred to Sanuki no Kami, but because he ruled well, his term was extended by two years at the request of the peasants, and although he was sent many farewell gifts when he left Sanuki, he is said to have accepted nothing but paper and a pen. In 865 (Jogan 7), he was appointed Higo no Kami, but the following year, he was implicated in the crimes of his half-brother Ki Toyoki in the Otenmon Incident and exiled to Tosa Province. It is said that when he left Higo, the people blocked his path and wept. This demotion symbolized the downfall of the noble Ki clan, who had direct ties to the Emperor. He was an upstanding and capable official who was on friendly terms with Michizane Sugawara and Tadaomi Shimada, studied calligraphy under Takamura Ono, and was a skilled practitioner of medicine in Tosa, providing relief to the people with medicinal herbs. He also excelled at the game of Go.

[Muneyoshi Sato]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年未詳。平安初期の官僚。紀善岑(よしみね)の子で、母は石川氏。850年（嘉祥3）に少内記になり、以降、右少弁、右中弁として実務官僚の道を歩み、文徳(もんとく)天皇の信任を得た。858年（天安2）讃岐守(さぬきのかみ)に転出したが、善政を行い、百姓の願いにより任期が2年延ばされ、讃岐を去るにあたっては多くの餞別(せんべつ)が送られたが、紙筆以外は受けなかったという。865年（貞観7）肥後(ひご)守に任ぜられたが、翌年の応天門の変で異母弟紀豊城の罪に連坐(れんざ)して土佐国に流された。肥後を去るときに民衆は路(みち)を遮って慟哭(どうこく)したという。この左遷は、天皇と直結した良官能吏の没落を象徴する事件であり、以後名族紀氏も没落する。菅原道真(すがわらのみちざね)、島田忠臣らとも親交のあった清廉な能吏であり、書を小野篁(たかむら)に学び、土佐では薬草で民を救済するなど医療もよくしたほか、囲碁にも優れていた。

［佐藤宗諄］

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