Yanagiwara Sukeakira (柳原資明)
Sukeakira YANAGIWARA (1297 – September 3, 1353) was a court noble in the period of the Northern and Southern Courts and the founder of the Yanagiwara family. Shonii (Senior Second Rank) Dainagon (chief councilor of state). He was the fourth son of Gon Dainagon (provisional chief councilor of state) Toshimitsu HINO, who was the regent for the In no cho (Retired Emperor's Office) of Emperor Gofushimi.
He took the family name 'Yanagiwara' because he lived in a house called the 'Yanaiwara-dono.'
He was appointed Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade) in 1301, and after being appointed as kurodo (Chamberlain) to Emperor Hanazono in 1317 at the age of 21, he worked exclusively for the Jimyo-in line (imperial lineage from Emperor Gofukakusa to Emperor Gokomatsu) Emperors and Daijotenno (retired Emperor). After being Benkan (Oversight Department: division of the daijokan responsible for controlling central and provincial governmental offices), Sadaiben (Major Controller of the Left), and Sangi (Royal Advisor), he climbed to the position of Shosanmi (Senior Third Rank) Chunagon (vice-councilor of state) under Emperor Kogon, but after the decline of the Kamakura bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun), promotional job assignments were made invalid by the reinstated Emperor Godaigo and therefore he became a strong opponent of the Kenmu Restoration. When Emperor Komyo ascended the throne under Takauji ASHIKAGA, he was reinstated as Gon Chunagon (provisional vice-councilor of state) and later played an active role as a skilled administrative bureaucrat of the Northern Court. In 1337, he was promoted as Gon Dainagon. He retired in 1346, but two years later he became In no betto (chief administrator of the Retired Emperor's Office) for the Retired Emperor Komyo, and after the Kanno Disturbance, for Emperor Suko.
He died in 1353 and his cause of death was said to have been caused by dysentery.