Fujiwara no Kanesuke (藤原兼輔)
FUJIWARA no Kanesuke (877 - March 21, 933) was a mid-Heian period court noble and poet. His father was FUJIWARA no Toshimoto. His mother was of the Ban clan (her name is unknown). FUJIWARA no Kiyotada was his son, and Murasaki Shikibu his great-granddaughter. He reached the Jusanmi (Junior Third Rank), simultaneously holding the positions of Chunagon (vice-councilor of state) and Uemon no kami (Chief of the Right Gate Guard), and because his residence was located along the Kamo-gawa River bank (also known as "Tsutsumi"), he was called the Tsutsumi Chunagon. He excelled at composing waka poetry and music, and is counted among the 36 Immortal Poets.
His daughter Soshi served as a Koi (second rank lady-in-waiting) to Emperor Daigo; Soshi gave birth to Imperial Prince Noriakira. Along with his cousin--and wife's father--Sanjo Udaijin (Minister of the Right), or in other words FUJIWARA no Sadakata, he is considered one of the foremost poets of his generation, and regularly hosted gatherings of poets such as KI no Tsurayuki and OSHIKOCHI no Mitsune at his home.
At the beginning of his political career in 898, he only achieved the low-ranking position of a junior third rank official in Sanuki Province, but after Emperor Daigo--to whom he was related by marriage--ascended to the throne he gained appointments of greater importance; in 903 he was appointed Uchikuranosuke (assistant chief of the inner palace warehouses), promoted to Kuroudo (Imperial Secretary Officer) in 909, further promoted to Kurudo gashira (Chief of the Imperial Secretariat) in 917, followed by Sangi (Royal Advisor) in 921, Chunagon (vice-councilor of state), Jusanmi (Junior Third Rank), in 927, and finally in 930 held the posts of both Chunagon and Uemon no kami (Chief of the Right Gate Guard).
His poems were included in the 'Kokinshu' and the other imperial waka anthologies mentioned below.
His personal poetry anthology is called the 'Kanesuke collection.'