Minamoto no Toru - Minamoto no Toru

Japanese: 源融 - みなもとのとおる

Year of death: August 25, 7th year of Kanpei (September 17, 895)
Year of birth: 822
A nobleman in the early Heian period. Known as Kawara Sadaijin. He was the eighth son of Emperor Saga, and his mother was Ohara Masashi. After coming of age, he became the son of his brother-in-law, Emperor Ninmyo. He was given the surname Minamoto and became a commoner (the so-called Saga-Genji clan), and in 856 he was appointed councillor. At the time, there were four Saga-Genji clan members among the nobles, and they had a lot of influence. In 872 he became Sadaijin, but when the lower-ranking Fujiwara no Mototsune became regent, he left politics and lived a refined life. He lived in Kawara-in, which he built near the Kamo River within the capital, as well as villas in Uji and Saga outside the capital. The villa in Saga was called Seikakan (present-day Seiryoji). Regarding Kawara-in, there is a story in the Konjaku Monogatarishu that the ghost of Toru appeared to Emperor Uda, who later inherited the throne, and complained, but he gave in to reason and disappeared. The Noh play "Toru" was created based on this legend. The poem "Michinoku no shinobumojizuri dare yue ni wararesomenishi warenarakuni" is included in the Hyakunin Isshu. He is said to be one of the models for Hikaru Genji (the protagonist of The Tale of Genji). <References> Yamanaka Yutaka, Heian Jinbutsu Shi

(Oboriya Hisashi)

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

Japanese:

没年：寛平7.8.25(895.9.17)
生年：弘仁13(822)
平安初期の公卿。河原左大臣と称される。嵯峨天皇の第8皇子で母は大原全子。元服後,義兄の仁明天皇の皇子となる。源の姓を賜り臣籍に下り(賜姓源氏,いわゆる嵯峨源氏),斉衡3(856)年参議に任じられた。このとき公卿の顔ぶれに嵯峨源氏が4人もおり賜姓源氏の力が大きかった。貞観14(872)年左大臣となるが,下位の藤原基経が摂政となったことで政界を去り,風流生活を送る。その場となったのが京内の鴨川近くに営んだ河原院をはじめ京外の宇治や嵯峨の別業(別荘)であった。嵯峨のそれは棲霞観(現在の清凉寺)と呼ばれた。河原院については,のちにゆずりうけた宇多上皇に融の亡霊が現れて怨みを述べたが,道理に服して消え去ったといった話が『今昔物語集』にある。能の「融」はこうした伝説を下敷きに作られたものである。「みちのくのしのぶもぢずり誰ゆゑに乱れそめにし我ならなくに」が百人一首にとられている。光源氏(『源氏物語』の主人公)のモデルのひとりに挙げられている。<参考文献>山中裕『平安人物志』

(朧谷寿)

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