Aoto Fujitsuna

Date of birth and death unknown. A samurai in the mid-Kamakura period. Son of Fujimitsu. Born to a concubine and with no land, he became a monk at the age of 11, studied under a teacher of both Confucianism and Buddhism, and devoted himself to his studies. Ten years later, he returned to secular life and took the name Saburo Fujitsuna. Saemon-no-jo. His active role as a councilor during the time of regent Hojo Tokiyori is recorded in the Kochoki, but Fujitsuna's name does not appear in the Azuma Kagami or Kanto Councilor's Records. He was wealthy, owning several dozen territories, but he lived frugally and donated to the poor. He did not bow to authority in lawsuits and conducted fair trials. There is a famous story from "Taiheiki" about a man who bought a 50-mon torch to search for a 10-mon coin he had dropped in the Nameri River in Kamakura in the middle of the night. The story also appears in the kabuki play "Aotozoshi Hana no Nishikie" (commonly known as "Benten Kozo") by Kawatake Mokuami.

[Tanabe Hisako]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年不詳。鎌倉中期の武士。藤満の子。妾腹(しょうふく)の子で所領もなく、11歳で出家、儒仏兼学の師につき、学問に励み、10年後に還俗(げんぞく)して三郎藤綱と名のる。左衛門尉(さえもんのじょう)。執権北条時頼(ときより)の時代に評定衆(ひょうじょうしゅう)として活躍したことが『弘長記(こうちょうき)』に記されているが、『吾妻鏡(あづまかがみ)』『関東評定衆伝』には藤綱の名はみえない。数十か所の所領を知行し富んでいたが、自らは質素に暮らし、貧者に施したという。訴訟に際しても権力に屈せず公正な裁判を行った。夜中、鎌倉の滑川(なめりかわ)に落とした銭10文を、50文の松明(たいまつ)を買って探させた話（『太平記』）は有名である。河竹黙阿弥(かわたけもくあみ)作の歌舞伎(かぶき)狂言『青砥稿花紅彩画(あおとぞうしはなのにしきえ)』（通称『弁天小僧』）にも登場している。

［田辺久子］

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