Minamoto no Yorisada (源頼定)
MINAMOTO no Yorisada (977 - July 10, 1020) was a court noble in the mid-Heian period. Murakami-Genji (Minamoto clan).
He was born between his father, Imperial Prince Tamehira (952－1010), who had titles of the Fourth Imperial Prince, Ippon rank (First Order of an Imperial Prince), and Shikibu kyo (Minister of the Ministry of Ceremonial) and his mother, the daughter of MINAMOTO no Takaakira, who had the title of Sadaijin (Minister of the Left). He had an older maternal sister, Princess Enshi (972-998), who was first the nyogo (consort) of Emperor Kazan and later remarried to FUJIWARA no Sanesuke.
His father, Imperial Prince Tamehira, was a member of the unfortunate imperial family, who felt dejected after losing his mother, FUJIWARA no Anshi, who had the title of Chugu (Empress), and maternal grandfather, FUJIWARA no Morosuke, early and was forestalled by his younger brother Imperial Prince Morihira (later became Emperor Enyu), who was appointed by uncles who feared that Takaakira would control the government as a maternal relative, despite being the direct maternal younger brother to Emperor Reizei. All of his sons left the imperial position to be a subject; Yorisada was the second son.
He successively held Danjodai (the Censors) and Konoe-fu (the Palace Guards) posts when he was a young man. He was conferred Shoshiinoge (Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade) on February 10, 990 and received the title of danjo-daihitsu (senior assistant President of the Board of Censors) on October 2, 992, and was admitted to the court on January 4, 994. He had a good relation with the Nakanokanpaku family, and was punished by Imperial ordinance in relation to the demotion of FUJIWARA no Korechika, who had the title of Naidaijin (Minister of the Center), and FUJIWARA no Takaie, who had the title of Chunagon (vice-councilor of state). They were eventually forgiven, and Yorisada was assigned the post of Ukone no chujo (Middle Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards) on November 18, 998.
He became a Sangi (Councilor) on April 23, 1009 and attained the Shosanmi Rank (Senior Third Rank) on December 21, 1016. He also held the additional posts of Kageyu no kami (Secretary of the Office of Investigators of the Records of Outgoing Officials) and Sahyoe no kami (Captain of the Left Division of Middle Palace Guards), Kebiishi Betto (Secretary in the Office of Police and Judicial Chief) on May 23, 1020, but become a priest on July 7 of the same year due to illness, and passed away on 10th of the same month when he was 44 years old. Among his children, there was a Kajin poet, MINAMOTO no Sadasue, who had the rank of Jugoinojo (Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade) and the title of Ukone no shosho (Minor Captain of the Right Palace Guards).
Yorisada was called 'Miya no chujo' and 'Minamoto no chujo' in "Makura no soshi (The Pillow Book)," and was presented as the representative of the 'handsome nobles.'
It could be seen in "Okagami" (the Great Mirror) and "Eiga Monogatari" (A tale of flowering fortunes) that he impregnated FUJIWARA no Suishi, who was the Nyogo (court lady) of Emperor Sanjo while he was the Imperial Prince, and the Imperial Prince, who became suspicious, ordered his paternal older brother FUJIWARA no Michinaga to inspect Suishi. He also secretly slept with FUJIWARA no Genshi, who had the title of Jokyoden Nyogo, who had seemingly been faithful to her husband, Emperor Ichijo, after his death; FUJIWARA no Akimitsu, who was the father of Genshi and had the title of Udaijin (Minister of the Right), became angry and cut off her hair with his own hands and disowned her, but Genshi eloped to Yorisada within the darkness of the night and gave birth to two daughters with him. It is certain that he was a young nobleman who dominated that era as a person with elegant aestheticism.