Ichijo Yoshiyasu (一条能保)
Yoshiyasu ICHIJO (born in 1147, birth date unknown - November 30, 1197) was a Court noble who lived from the end of the Heian period to the early Kamakura period. His father was FUJIWARA no Michishige (Director of Tanba Province). His mother was a daughter of FUJIWARA no Kinyoshi (Udaijin, or the Minister of the Right). His wife was Bomon Hime (to be called the shitsu (wife) of Yoshiyasu ICHIJO), who was the daughter of MINAMOTO no Yoshitomo and also a sister of MINAMOTO no Yoritomo born from the same mother. There was no direct relationship between Yoshiyasu and the Ichijo family that later rose as a line of regents and advisors (Sanetsune ICHIJO, who was the originator of the regent and advisor Ichijo family, was in the female line and was Yoshiyasu's great-great-grandson). His children were Takayoshi ICHIJO, Sanemasa ICHIJO, Nobuyoshi, Soncho, the wife of Michikata NAKANOIN, the wife of Kintsune SAIONJI, and the wife of Yoshitsune KUJO.
Biography
His paternal grandmother was Ichijo, who was a nanny of Imperial Princess Muneko, an older sister of Emperor Goshirakawa who was born to the same mother; therefore, Yoshiyasu was close to Cloistered Emperor Goshirakawa and Josaimonin. Also, his mother was from the Tokudaiji family which was in the line of the Kanin ryu that had power in the Imperial Court at that time.
In 1153, Josaimonin conferred him a peerage, and in 1157, he was appointed to the Director of Tanba Province at the age of 11, but around the same time, his father died. He was not appointed to a provincial governor for a while possibly because of his father's early death.
He then served Grand Empress Dowager FUJIWARA no Tashi, from the Tokudaiji family in the maternal line, as Taikotaigo (Grand Empress Dowager) gon no suke, and at the same time, he was given an office by Josaimonin that his paternal grandmother was working for; therefore, he was close to both the Tokudaiji family and Josaimonin, but the Taikotaigo office was only the official post that he was appointed to.
Meanwhile, he married Bomon Hime (shitsu (wife) of Yoshiyasu ICHIJO), who was the daughter of MINAMOTO no Yoshitomo and also a sister of MINAMOTO no Yoritomo born from the same mother. Note that it has been pointed out that the maternal side of Bomon Hime was close to Josaimonin.
In 1180, the Jisho-Juei War started.
Although it is not clear what he was doing during the beginning of the Jisho-Juei War, according to "Gukansho" (Jottings of a Fool), around 1183, he escaped from Yoshinaka KISO who had control over the capital, and according to "Azuma Kagami" (Eastern Mirror), in 1184, he was staying in Kamakura with TAIRA no Yorimori.
When the Taira clan was destroyed and Yoritomo assumed power, Yoritomo fully trusted Yoshiyasu because of the family relationship. To Yoritomo, the wife of Yoshiyasu was the only sibling still living and born to the same mother (MINAMOTO no Mareyoshi, Yoritomo's younger brother born to the same mother, died young in a war, and MINAMOTO no Yoshitsune was his younger brother but born to a different mother). As a result, through the influence of Yoritomo, Yoshiyasu was promoted unusually fast from the Director of Sanuki Province to Samanokami (Military Administrator), Uhyoenokami (Captain of the Right Division of Middle Palace Guards), Sangi (Councilor), Sahyoenokami (Captain of the Left Division of Middle Palace Guards), Kebiishi no Betto, (the Superintendent of the Imperial Police), Gonchunagon (Provisional Middle Councilor), and Junii (Junior Second Rank).
Also, when Yoritomo's built Shochojuin Temple, the family temple dedicated to his father, Yoshiyasu went with Yoritomo to the site of construction for a preliminary inspection, and when the temple was completed, he and his wife, the sister of Yoritomo, attended the ceremony.
When he went back to the capital, he somehow came to play a role in the local agency for the bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) and Kyoto, and he led a search for Yoshitsune and his family members who had conflicts with Yoritomo.
He served Emperor (and later Cloistered Emperor) Goshirakawa and was treated as an important person, and his wife and daughter became nanny to Emperor Gotoba. He was appointed to the Director of Kyoto by Yoritomo who fully trusted him, and also built a large network within the Imperial Court and the bakufu, coming to hold political power by marrying his daughters off to Yoshitsune KUJO (the son of Kanezane KUJO) and Kintsune SAIONJI, and also by becoming an in-law of Kanemasa KAZANIN and Michichika TSUCHIMIKADO.
In August 1194, he fell ill and entered priesthood, giving himself the Buddhist name, Horen. On November 30, 1197, he died at the age of 51.
Note that Yoritsune KUJO was appointed to be the 4th Shogun since he was a great-grandson of Yoshiyasu"s wife, who was Yoritomo's sister born to the same mother.