Ichijo Naganari (一条長成)
Naganari ICHIJO (year of birth and death unknown) was a kuge (court noble) who lived near the end of the Heian period. He was also called FUJIWARA no Naganari. He was famous as the father in law of MINAMOTO no Yoshitsune.
He was a person of the Michitaka line of the Northern House of the Fujiwara clan (Minase line). The highest official court rank was Okura-kyo (Minister of the Treasury) and he was famous concerning the name of Ichijo Okura-kyo because his residence was located on Kitaoji street, but he had no relationship with the later Ichijo clan which was Sekkan-ke (family that produced regents). In addition, he had no relationship with Yoshiyasu ICHIJO who was Gon Chunagon (a provisional vice-councilor of state) (Nakamikado-ryu - the Nakamikado line) and the husband of the sister of MINAMOTO no Yoritomo) and Tadayori ICHIJO (Kai-Genji (Minamoto clan)) in those days.
Biography
His father was FUJIWARA no Tadayoshi (藤原忠能) who was Sangi (councilor) known as In no Kinshin (the retired Emperor's courtier) of the Emperor Shirakawa and the Emperor Toba, and Naganori was his second son. His mother was the daughter of FUJIWARA no Nagatada who was Sangi and her sister married FUJIWARA no Mototaka who was also In no Kinshin of Emperor Toba and she gave birth to FUJIWARA no Tadataka.
In historical materials, it was the first appearance when he was admitted to the court of Bifukumonin as an official of Hyoe-fu (Headquarters of the Middle Palace Guards) in Jugoinojo (Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade) in 1149. In 1152 he was assigned to Kaga no kuni no kami (Governor of Kaga Province) in Jushiinoge (Junior Forth Rank, Lower Grade) in 1152 and transferred to Tajima no kuni no kami (governor of Tajima Province) at the end of that year. In 1157 he was assigned to Okura-kyo and conferred to Shoshiinoge (Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade) during the same year.
He had no child before he married Tokiwa gozen (the mother of Zenjo ANO, Gien and MINAMOTO no Yoshitsune) who had been a concubine of MINAMOTO no Yoshitomo as a second wife, ordered by TAIRA no Kiyomori. Their legitimate child Yoshinari ICHIJO was later conferred to Jusanmi (Junior Third Rank) and became a vassal of Yoshitsune who was his maternal half-brother, but Naganori himself could not became Kugyo (top court official) although he was promoted to Okura-kyo in Shoshiinoge. According to "Sonpi Bunmyaku" (a text compiled in thefourteenth century that records the lineages of the aristocracy), Naganari was kogogu no suke (person who is in charge of the matters concerning the empress).
An episode
It is said that Yoshitsune was protected by FUJIWARA no Hidehira in Hiraizumi of Mutsu Province in his childhood because of Naganari's support. FUJIWARA no Motonari (a brother of FUJIWARA no Nobuyori, a boss of Yoshitomo, Yoshitsune's father. His daughter gave birth to FUJIWAWA no Yasuhira), who was Hidehira's father-in-law, was a son of FUJIWARA no Tadataka, who was the maternal cousin of Naganari so that they were relatives.