Kanezane Kujo

A politician in the early Kamakura period. He was known by titles such as Tsukinowa Kanpaku and Gohoshoji Nyudo Kanpaku. He was the third son of Kanpaku Fujiwara Tadamichi. His mother was Kaga no Tsubone, daughter of Fujiwara Nakamitsu. He was the Minister of the Right from 1166 (Nin'an 1). He became regent in 1186 (Bun'ei 2) and was Kanpaku from 1190 (Ken'kyu 2) until 1191 (Ken'kyu 2).

Kanezane's political career can be divided into three periods. The first period was from age 16 to age 34, when he was under the Taira government. The Taira, who initially sought to cooperate with the court noble government, formed a blood relationship with the regent Konoe Motozane, and tried to extend the same tentacles to his younger brother Matsudono Motofusa and Kanezane. However, as the conflict between the Imperial Court and the military intensified, the Taira's power became more dictatorial, and they exiled Regent Motofusa, inflicting an unprecedented humiliation on Kanezane. Kanezane, who lived with the pride of being a regent, was careful to avoid contact with the Taira as much as possible. As a result, Kanezane remained as Minister of the Right throughout his life, and his desire to become regent was thwarted. However, the political experience he gained during this period of obscurity became the driving force behind his future leaps. The Heike government showed signs of decline with the death of Kiyomori, collapsed under the attack of Minamoto no Yoshinaka, and was put to an end by the new government of Yoritomo. The task of settling this catastrophe in the capital and rebuilding the court politics was expected of Kanemichi, who was the oldest in terms of insight, ability, and age, in the eyes of the public. Kanemichi, who feared for the samurai family between Kiyomori and Yoshinaka, was thus placed in a position where he had no choice but to bet on Yoritomo, which happened to result in Kanemichi coming to power. After the fall of the Heike, Kanemichi's full cooperation in Yoritomo's pursuit of his younger brother Yoshitsune firmly connected the two men. Kanemichi then became regent with the support of Yoritomo. Thus, he achieved his long-held desire and began the second period of his government. It was the arrival of an era of restored peace. As a historic project symbolizing this situation, the Imperial Court put all its efforts into the restoration of Todaiji Temple. Upon its completion, Yoritomo went to Kyoto to pay his respects, and on that occasion Yoritomo and Kanezane spoke to each other and solidified their alliance. However, Kanezane's position became the subject of suspicion, and being seen as a traitor to the Imperial Court was what distressed Kanezane the most. Although he was able to make the daughter Empress Gotoba, he was unable to give birth to an imperial prince, and his hopes of maternal relatives in politics were dashed. Meanwhile, Minamoto no Michichika, who represented the anti-samurai forces within the Imperial Court, supported the Konoe family, rivals of the Kujo family, and succeeded in a coup to overthrow Kanezane in 1196. Kanezane thus left politics at the age of 48, entering his third period, his period of seclusion. Kanezane lost his eldest son Yoshimichi early on, and later his second son Yoshitsune. In his later years, he enjoyed the growth of Yoshitsune's son Michiie, and devoted himself only to his descendants and his future. On the other hand, his faith in Buddhism, which he had always been familiar with, deepened with age, and he invited Honenbo Genku, who established the teachings of Senju Nembutsu at that time, to his residence to hear his teachings. It is said that Kanezane's request was the catalyst for the creation of Genku's main work, Senchaku Hongan Nembutsu Shu. The "Illustrated Guide to the Life of Honen Shonin" tells the story of these events. In his later years, he built a house called Gekkinen next to Hossho-ji Temple. He died on April 5, 1231. Kanezane's diary, called Gyokuyo, is 66 volumes long, and one volume of Yanagihara's version remains. The articles span 40 years and vividly depict the period of change in which he lived, making it one of the most highly regarded of the many diaries of court nobles.

[Muneharu Taga]

"The Kamakura Period, Part 2" by Ryusuku (1957, Shunjusha)" ▽ "The Moonlit Regent Kujo Kanezane" by Hidaka Shigetaka (1965)" ▽ "The Fujiwara Clan's Family Temple and Its Inner Temple" by Sugiyama Shinzo (1968, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)" ▽ "The Gyokuyo Index - A Study of Fujiwara Kanezane" by Taga Sojun (1974, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鎌倉前期の政治家。月輪関白(つきのわかんぱく)、後法性寺入道(ごほうしょうじにゅうどう)関白などの称がある。関白藤原忠通(ただみち)の三男。母は藤原仲光(なかみつ)の女(むすめ)加賀局(かがのつぼね)。1166年（仁安1）より右大臣。86年（文治2）摂政(せっしょう)となり、91年（建久2）から96年まで関白。

　兼実の政治的生涯は3期に分かつことができる。第1期は16歳から34歳まで、平氏政権下にあったときである。初め公家(くげ)政権との協調に努めた平氏は、摂政の近衛基実(このえもとざね)と血縁を結び、同じ触手を弟松殿基房(まつどのもとふさ)、兼実にも及ぼそうとした。しかし公武対立の激化に伴い独裁化してゆく平氏権力は摂政基房を追放して未曽有(みぞう)の屈辱を与えた。摂関家の誇りに生きた兼実は極力平氏との接触を警戒した。その結果、兼実は終始右大臣にとどまることとなり、摂関就任の念願は阻まれた。しかし、この雌伏の間に彼が得た政治の体験は将来の飛躍の原動力となった。平氏政権は清盛(きよもり)の死に衰兆を示し、源義仲(よしなか)の進攻に崩壊し、頼朝(よりとも)の新政権にとどめを刺された。この都の破局の収拾と公家政治の再建の仕事は、衆目のみるところ、いまや摂関家中、見識、実力、年齢において最長老であった兼実にもっぱら期待された。清盛、義仲において武家を危ぶんだ兼実は、かくして頼朝に賭(か)けるほかない立場に置かれたが、それがたまたま兼実を政権の座につける結果をもたらした。平家滅亡後、頼朝の弟義経(よしつね)追及に対する兼実の全面協力が2人を確実に結び付けたのである。兼実はここに頼朝の支持によって摂政となった。かくて年来の宿望を達成して彼の政治の第2期が開ける。それは平和回復の時代の到来であった。この情勢を象徴する歴史的事業として朝廷は東大寺復興に全力をあげた。その完成に際して頼朝も上洛(じょうらく)して敬意を表したが、その機会に頼朝と兼実とは相語って盟約を固めている。しかし一方、兼実のこの立場は疑惑の的となり、朝廷への反逆者をもって目せられることは兼実をもっとも苦しめた。またその女子を後鳥羽中宮(ごとばちゅうぐう)とすることができたが、ついに皇子の誕生なく外戚(がいせき)政治の望みも断たれた。一方、朝廷内部の反武家勢力を代表する源通親(みちちか)は九条家の競争者近衛家を擁して、1196年兼実打倒の政変に成功。兼実はかくて48歳で政界を去り、第3期すなわち隠棲(いんせい)期に入る。兼実は早く長男良通(よしみち)を失い、のちには次男良経(よしつね)に先だたれ、晩年は良経の子道家(みちいえ)の成長を楽しみつつ子孫と没後のみに心を砕く身となった。一方つとに親しんできた仏教の信仰は年とともに深く、当時専修(せんじゅ)念仏の教えを開いた法然房源空(ほうねんぼうげんくう)を邸に請(しょう)じて法を聞き、源空の主著『選択(せんちゃく)本願念仏集』成立も兼実の請が機縁となったという。『法然上人(しょうにん)行状絵図』はこれらの経緯を伝えている。晩年、法性寺の傍らに月輪殿を営んで住んだ。建永(けんえい)2年4月5日没。兼実の日記は『玉葉(ぎょくよう)』といい66巻、ほかに柳原本1巻が現存している。記事は40年にわたり、彼の生きた変革期を活写して、数多い公家日記中で高く評価されるものの一つである。

［多賀宗隼］

『龍粛著『鎌倉時代　下』（1957・春秋社）』▽『日高重孝著・刊『月輪関白　九条兼実』（1965）』▽『杉山信三著『藤原氏の氏寺とその院家』（1968・吉川弘文館）』▽『多賀宗隼著『玉葉索引――藤原兼実の研究』（1974・吉川弘文館）』

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