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Mido Kanpaku-ki
The Diary by a Man of Power in Heian era
Date:20, Jun, 2018
Investigated and Written by Misaka Youhei
About our introductory articles


Hello, everybody. I am pleased that you are here with me now. Today I am talking about "Mido Kanpaku-ki" written by Fujiwara-no Michinaga, the power in Heian era. It is his diary written while he was 33 to 56 years old.

I suppose that you don't know about Heian era so much because we were never there. It is usual that you don't know much. There are, of course, some classical essays which tell you how it was at the time, like the Diary of Lady Murasaki. I am never denying them at all, but they hardly mention about political things. Sometimes, we desire to know how it was on those in power at the time. When you long to, taking "Mido Kanpaku-ki" would almost bring you to the right place.

I am giving you some episodes about Fujiwara-no Michinaga.

Fujiwara-no Michinaga he is, I suppose, very famous for supporting Lady Murasaki. She wrote the Tale of Genji. It made a big hit, which made Michinaga find her. He brought her to the Court as a teacher of his beloved daughter. Some researchers said that he was a model of Hikaru Genji, the main character of the Tale of Genji. But nothing proves. Others said that Ariwara-no Narihira was the model. Nothing gives us the correct answer except interviewing with Lady Murasaki, the author.

He was a man of great power at the time as composed a tanka like this. "The world is mine, there is no lack on my life. It is like a full moon." It tells us how powerful he was and that he was in the seventh heaven. By the way, the diary doesn't include the tanka. When held was a party for some noblemen including Michinaga, he got so drunk and composed it. Unfortunately, one of his rivals, Fujiwara-no Sanesuke heard it. He kept the tanka by Michinaga in his diary. Good grief. If Michinaga is here with us now, he may say "I am so surprised at survival of the tanka. Why? I was so drunk when I composed it. Why? I am so ashamed. Forget it, please!"


About Mido Kanpaku-ki

・Written by Fujiwara-no Michinaga
・Established in 1021 (about)





 

The Diary of Lady Murasaki
What Do The Two Years Tell You?

Makura-no Soshi
The First Essay in the World, by Sei Shonagon