Prince Tomohito

Japanese: 智仁親王 - としひとしんのう

Year of death: 4/7/1629 (5/29/1629)
Year of birth: Tensho 7.1.8 (1579.2.3)
Imperial family of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods. The first head of the Katsura family, one of the four princely families. The sixth son of Imperial Prince Sanehito (Yokoin). His mother was Shinjo Tomon'in. He was the younger brother of Emperor Goyozei. His posthumous name was Keikoin. He was initially adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but when Hideyoshi gave birth to a son called Tsurumatsu, he established an imperial family and was called Hachijonomiya. In 1591, he was proclaimed prince, came of age, and was appointed Minister of Ceremonies, and in 1601, he was promoted to the rank of ichibin. From a young age, he loved waka and renga, and in 1596, he received commentary on The Tales of Ise and other works from Hosokawa Yusai, who taught him. He received critiques for his waka poems and studied the poetry of the Nijo family. It is well known that in 1600, Yuusai, who was surrounded by troops from Ishida Mitsunari and holed up in Tango Tanabe Castle (Kyoto Prefecture), taught the Kokinshu to him. In 1625, he bestowed the Kokinshu on Emperor Gomizunoo, which became the basis for the Imperial transmission that was passed down in court society in the early modern period. He often held waka and renga poetry gatherings in his pavilion, and was also an enthusiastic collector of waka and other classical works and made new copies. Many copies written by the prince and poems written in his own hand remain. Katsura Imperial Villa, now considered a representative example of Japanese architectural beauty, was a villa built by the prince in the early Genna period (1615-16) and completed by the second prince, Prince Tomotada.

(Mariko Soma)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：寛永6.4.7(1629.5.29)
生年：天正7.1.8(1579.2.3)
安土桃山・江戸初期の皇族。四親王家のひとつ桂宮の初代。誠仁親王(陽光院)の第6皇子。母は新上東門院。後陽成天皇の弟に当たる。法号桂光院。はじめ豊臣秀吉の猶子となるが,秀吉に鶴松が誕生したため宮家を創立,八条宮と称した。天正19(1591)年親王宣下を受け,元服,式部卿に任ぜられ,慶長6(1601)年一品に叙せられた。若年より和歌・連歌を好み,文禄5(1596)年『伊勢物語』などの講釈を細川幽斎より受け,師事する。和歌の批点を受け,二条家系の歌学を学んだ。慶長5(1600)年,石田三成方の軍勢に囲まれ丹後田辺城(京都府)に籠城の幽斎より,古今伝授を受けた話は著名。寛永2(1625)年後水尾天皇に古今伝授を授け,近世初期の宮廷社会に継承される御所伝授の基となった。自亭でしばしば和歌や連歌の会を催し,また和歌などの古典作品の集書や新写も熱心に行った。親王の筆による写本や自筆の詠草が数多く現存する。現在,日本建築美の代表とされる桂離宮は,親王が元和初期(1615～16)に創設した別邸で,2代智忠親王によって完成された。

(相馬万里子)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

<<: Collection of writings by Toshi

>>: Urban Agriculture