Konoe Nobutada
Encyclopedia
was a Momoyama period Japanese courtier known as a poet, calligrapher, painter and diarist. Having no legitimate son, he adopted his nephew Nobuhiro
as his heir. Other names he is known by are Nobumoto (信基) and Nobusuke (信輔) in his early life, and Sanmyakuin (三藐院), his title in his late period.
In Japanese calligraphy
he is distinguished as one of the Kan'ei Sanpitsu (寛永三筆) or "Three Brushes of the Kan'ei period", named in imitation of the Heian period
Sanpitsu
.
by a lady of waiting whose name is unknown. 1577 he held his genpuku
and was named Nobumoto. Oda Nobunaga
led the ceremony and gave one letter of his name 信 (Nobu) to the young noble. Later he changed his name Nobusuke. In 1580 he was appointed to naidaijin, in 1585 sadaijin
respectively. He held the position of sadaijin until 1591.
In 1585 he got into troubles with kanpaku Nijō Akizane
in relation to Toyotomi Hideyoshi
and his planned appointment to sadaijin, the position Nobusuke held at the time of the dispute, today known as kanpaku sōron (関白相論). The court meant to appoint Nobusuke to kanpaku succeeding to Nijō Akizane who had been appointed to this position this year. Generally this succession seemed inevitable but those two disagrees in details. Both issued their opinion of letters to the court and the dispute was not settled at the court. Then both visited Hideyoshi to justify each of their opinions. Consequently, Hideyoshi asked for kanpuku position instead of sadaijin which the court had originally meant to give him. For enabling this appointment, since only males of Sekke was considered to be eligible to kanpaku position, Hideyoshi also asked for adoption to Konoe Sakihisa
, the father of Nobutada and the contemporary family head of the Konoe, with a promise that Nobusuke would succeed to Hideyoshi as kanpaku. This promise however didn't come true and Toyotomi Hidetsugu
, a nephew of Hideyoshi was appointed to kanpaku in 1591. In this year in disappoitment Nobutada resigned from sadaijin and entered into his retirement.
and was exiled to Bonotsu in Satsuma province
, Kyūshū
. He stayed there for three years. In September 1596 he received the imperial permission to return to Kyoto
and held his sadaijin position again. In 1605 he was appointed to kanpaku finally.
Konoe Nobuhiro
, Ōzan as a monk, was a kugyō or Japanese court noble of the Edo period . He was born as the fourth son of Emperor Go-Yōzei. His mother was Empress Dowager Chūka, Konoe Sakiko in birth...
as his heir. Other names he is known by are Nobumoto (信基) and Nobusuke (信輔) in his early life, and Sanmyakuin (三藐院), his title in his late period.
In Japanese calligraphy
Japanese calligraphy
is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language. For a long time, the most esteemed calligrapher in Japan had been Wang Xizhi, a Chinese calligrapher in the 4th century but after the invention of Hiragana and Katakana, the Japanese unique syllabaries, the distinctive...
he is distinguished as one of the Kan'ei Sanpitsu (寛永三筆) or "Three Brushes of the Kan'ei period", named in imitation of the Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
Sanpitsu
Sanpitsu
The term Sanpitsu or "three brushes" is used in Japanese to refer to a group of three famous Heian period calligraphers:*Emperor Saga 嵯峨天皇, 786–842.*Kūkai 空海, 774–835.*Tachibana no Hayanari, 橘逸勢 c...
.
Family and early life
He is a son of Konoe SakihisaKonoe Sakihisa
, son of regent Taneie, was a court noble of Japan. His life spanned the Sengoku, Azuchi-Momoyama, and early Edo periods. He served as kampaku-sadaijin and daijō daijin, rising to the junior first rank. He was kampaku during the reign of Emperor Go-Nara. Nobutada was his son.Sakihisa was active in...
by a lady of waiting whose name is unknown. 1577 he held his genpuku
Genpuku
or genbuku was an historical Japanese coming-of-age ceremony. The etymology is atypical; in this case means "head" and means "wearing". The ceremony is also known as , , , , and ....
and was named Nobumoto. Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga
was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...
led the ceremony and gave one letter of his name 信 (Nobu) to the young noble. Later he changed his name Nobusuke. In 1580 he was appointed to naidaijin, in 1585 sadaijin
Sadaijin
, most commonly translated as "Minister of the Left", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Sadaijin in the context of a central...
respectively. He held the position of sadaijin until 1591.
In 1585 he got into troubles with kanpaku Nijō Akizane
Nijo Akizane
, son of regent Nijō Haruyoshi, was a Japanese kugyō of the Azuchi-Momoyama period and the early Edo period. He held a regent position kampaku two times, once in 1585, and again from 1615 to 1619. He married a daughter of daimyo Oda Nobunaga and the couple adopted Kujō Yukiie's son, who became...
in relation to Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
and his planned appointment to sadaijin, the position Nobusuke held at the time of the dispute, today known as kanpaku sōron (関白相論). The court meant to appoint Nobusuke to kanpaku succeeding to Nijō Akizane who had been appointed to this position this year. Generally this succession seemed inevitable but those two disagrees in details. Both issued their opinion of letters to the court and the dispute was not settled at the court. Then both visited Hideyoshi to justify each of their opinions. Consequently, Hideyoshi asked for kanpuku position instead of sadaijin which the court had originally meant to give him. For enabling this appointment, since only males of Sekke was considered to be eligible to kanpaku position, Hideyoshi also asked for adoption to Konoe Sakihisa
Konoe Sakihisa
, son of regent Taneie, was a court noble of Japan. His life spanned the Sengoku, Azuchi-Momoyama, and early Edo periods. He served as kampaku-sadaijin and daijō daijin, rising to the junior first rank. He was kampaku during the reign of Emperor Go-Nara. Nobutada was his son.Sakihisa was active in...
, the father of Nobutada and the contemporary family head of the Konoe, with a promise that Nobusuke would succeed to Hideyoshi as kanpaku. This promise however didn't come true and Toyotomi Hidetsugu
Toyotomi Hidetsugu
was a nephew and retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi who lived during the Sengoku period of the 16th century of Japan.A practitioner of the shudō tradition, Hidetsugu had a number of Wakashū...
, a nephew of Hideyoshi was appointed to kanpaku in 1591. In this year in disappoitment Nobutada resigned from sadaijin and entered into his retirement.
Late life
In 1594 Nobutada got an anger of Emperor Go-YōzeiEmperor Go-Yozei
was the 107th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Go-Yōzei's reign spanned the years from 1586 through 1611, corresponding to the transition between the Azuchi-Momoyama period and the Edo period....
and was exiled to Bonotsu in Satsuma province
Satsuma Province
was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. Its abbreviation is Sasshū .During the Sengoku Period, Satsuma was a fief of the Shimazu daimyo, who ruled much of southern Kyūshū from their castle at Kagoshima city.In 1871, with the...
, Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. He stayed there for three years. In September 1596 he received the imperial permission to return to Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
and held his sadaijin position again. In 1605 he was appointed to kanpaku finally.