Takatsukasa Kanehiro (鷹司兼熙)
Kanehiro TAKATSUKASA (January 17, 1660 - December 24, 1725) was a kuge (court noble) and Kanpaku (chief adviser to the Emperor) in the early part of the Edo period. He played a central role in the government of the Imperial court mainly in the eras of the Emperor Reigen and the Emperor Higashiyama.
Biography
He was born as the first son of Fusasuke TAKATSUKASA (Juichii Kanpaku (Junior First Rank, the chief adviser to the Emperor)) in Kyoto. His mother was Takeko OE, a daughter of Hidenari MORI. Sukenobu TAKATSUKASA (a master of tea ceremony) and Sanesuke SAIONJI were his brothers. He celebrated his attainment of manhood in 1665 and was raised to the peerage of Shogoinoge (Senior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade), Sakone no shosho (Minor Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards), and promoted to Jusanmi (Junior Third Rank) rapidly in the following year and raised to the peerage of Kugyo (the top court officials). In 1670 he was assigned to Gon Chunagon (provisional vice-councilor of state). In addition, he was assigned to Gon Dainagon (provisional chief councilor of state) in the following year. In 1676 he was concurrently assigned to Sakone no daisho (Major Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards) and was promoted to Junii (Junior Second Rank) in the following year. Moreover, in 1681 he was promoted to Naidaijin (minister), and was assigned to naiben (a kugyo who supervised many matters inside Jomei Gate at sechie (Imperial Court Ceremony)) of Toka no sechie (Imperial Court Ceremony) in 1682. In 1683 he was promoted to udaijin (minister of the right). In 1684 he was promoted to Shonii (Senior Second Rank) and was assigned to kotaishi-moriyaku (a retainer of Imperial prince) in 1687. In 1690 he was assigned to sadaijin (minister of the left). In addition, in 1703 he was assigned to Kanpaku concurrently with sadaijin, and became uji no choja (the head of the clan) of the Fujiwara clan. In 1704 he resigned only sadaijin. In 1705 he was promoted to Juichii (Junior First Rank). In 1707 he resigned Kanpaku. In 1725 he died. He was 67 years old.
The Descriptions in the Fiction
He appeared in the Taiga-dorama (NHK Historical Drama) Genroku Ryoran (Genroku profusion) which dealt with the Genroku Ako Incident (Chushingura, or the Treasury of Loyal Retainers) as a disgusting fellow who bullied Kozukenosuke KIRA, hatamoto (a direct vassal of the shogun) of bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun), who visited Kyoto for a negotiation to make Keishoin to be conferred to the Juichii, with Motohiro KONOE and his son Iehiro KONOE, who were Kanpaku and sadaijin. In that drama, Kira was blamed for failed negotiations with the Imperial court by Yoshiyasu YANAGISAWA after he had returned to Edo, and shifted the blame onto Takuminokami ASANO.