Imperial Prince Akinari (昭登親王)
Imperial Prince Akinari (998 - May 23, 1035) was a member of the Imperial Family in the Heian period. He was born the second prince of Emperor Kazan and TAIRA no Hirako, a daughter of Taira no Suketada, the governor of Wakasa Province.
There were complicated circumstances behind his birth. Prior to his birth, his father had become a priest, and his mother Hirako was a person of low birth. Given such complicated circumstances, in which his father Emperor Kazan had Imperial Prince Kiyohito with Hirako's birth mother (namely, the grandmother of Prince Akinari), he and Prince Kiyohito were reared as children of their grandfather, the retired Emperor Reizei. Thus, the two imperial princes became the talk of town, calling Imperial Prince Kiyohito, the 'Oyabara no Miko' (Imperial Prince born from the grandmother) and Imperial Prince Akinari, the 'Musume bara no Miko' (Imperial Prince born from the daughter).
He was given the title of Imperial Prince on May 25, 1004, along with Imperial Prince Kiyohito. It is told that FUJIWARA no Michinaga, a Sadaijin (minister of the left) who gained supremacy in the administration, had a negative stance about giving the title to Akinari and Kiyohito due to their complicated background, but reluctantly followed Emperor Kazan's wish. On September 23, 1011, he celebrated his coming of age by appointing FUJIWARA no Sanesue as the kakan no yaku (the role of placing a crown on the head of the boy when he becomes an adult) and became the Shihon Imperial Prince (fourth-ranked Imperial Prince) in line with the enthronement of Emperor Sanjo. "Shoyuki" (the diary of FUJIWARA no Sanesuke) recorded that Imperial Prince Akinari's residence burned down in a fire on March 30, 1025. He was the Hyobukyo (Minister of Hyobusho Ministry of Military) at that time. He subsequently became the Nakatsukasa-kyo (Minister of the Ministry of Central Affairs), but he died during his term of service.