Mr. Sato - Satouji

Japanese: 佐藤氏 - さとううじ

The Hidesato lineage of the Fujiwara clan, whose ancestor was Tawara no Fujita Hidesato, is a leading branch of the Fujiwara clan of warriors. Starting with Hidesato's grandson Saemon-no-jo Kinkiyo, who was the sixth generation from Hidesato, his son Suekiyo, and grandson Yasukiyo, all became Saemon-no-jo, and so the family name Sato was derived from the "sa" (left) in Saemon-no-jo and the "fuji" (fuji) in Fujiwara. A famous member of this family is the poet Saigyo. He had the common name Sato Yoshikiyo, and was originally Saemon-no-jo, too, as a warrior on the northern side of Emperor Toba. Saigyo's family was the custodian of Tanaka-sho in Kii Province for generations, and during the Genpei War, Saigyo's brother Nakakiyo and his son Yoshikiyo were active in the military.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

田原藤太秀郷を祖とする秀郷流藤原氏の武士の一流。秀郷から数えて6世の孫の左衛門尉公清をはじめとして，その子の季清，孫の康清らがみな左衛門尉になったため，左衛門尉の左と藤原の藤をとって佐藤というようになったという。この一族出身で有名な人に歌人の西行がいる。彼は俗名佐藤義清，はじめはやはり左衛門尉で，鳥羽院の北面の武士であった。西行の家は代々紀伊国田仲荘の預所になっていて，源平争乱期には西行の兄の仲清とその子能清が武力をふるって活躍している。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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