Kanroji Chikanaga (甘露寺親長)
Chikanaga KANROJI (1424 - September 20, 1500) was a kuge (court noble) living from the middle of the Muromachi period to the Sengoku Period (Period of Warring States) (Japan). He was the head of the Kanroji family which was Kajuji line of the Northern House of the Fujiwara clan and produced many practical kugyo (a Court noble). After becoming a priest, he was called Renku. His one character name was 'ki' (鬼). Sanetaka SANJONISHI was his nephew. Nobutane NAKANOMIKADO was his son-in-law.
1425 (some say in 1426): Chikanaga KANROJI was born as a child of Fusanaga KANROJI, then To no ben (a chief of officials of the dajokan (Grand Council of State)), also referred as Kurodo no to (Head Chamberlain) Sadaiben (major controller of the left). 1441: Permitted to access to the imperial court, and got the rank Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade). 1443: There is a well known story that he guarded Emperor Gohanazono with his own sword when a surviving retainer of the Southern Court intruded into Dairi (the Inner Palace) and tried to rob the Three Sacred Treasures of the Imperial Family (Kinketsu Incident).
1444: The title of Ushoben (Minor Controller of the Right) was given to him; in 1446, Kurodo (Chamberlain) and Gon Uchuben (provisional Middle Controller of the right) were given, and he was promoted to Shogoinojo (Senior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade). After that, he got promoted even higher to Jusanmi (Junior Third Rank) and the title of Gon Chunagon (a provisional vice-councilor of state) was given to him. 1456: Promoted to Shosanmi (Senior Third Rank) and was appointed Mutsu no kuni and Dewa no kuni Azechi (local inspector of Mutsu and Dewa Province), and he remained in the post until 1493, so he was called Azechi no chunagon. And he served for long as Kamo-denso (Kamo-jinja shrine messenger to Emperor).
The fires of the Onin War burned down his house, so he evacuated to Kaju-ji Temple, Kurama-dera Temple, or somewhere else in 1470, but he was burned out of even those places by the fires, and his family collection of documents and diaries was also lost in the fire (incidentally, the Kajuji line, whose direct descendant is the KANROJI family, was a line that many family members assumed practical work, and they put the documents and diaries on record in detail out of necessity, so people called them 'Family of the Diary.')
In October of the same year, he returned to Kyoto and went to work at court again. In the year before, his rank became as high as Shonii (Senior Second Rank), but later he resigned from Gon Chunagon in 1465, he firmly refused to assume the new title.
He was an expert of Yusoku kojitsu (court and samurai rules of ceremony and etiquette), so many top court officials asked him for advice and they often recommended him for a higher rank, but he firmly refused it and said, 'it is futile to be an officer of a higher rank.'
1477: Under the order of Emperor Gotsuchimikado, he enlarged the chronicle "Kodaireki" (a chronicle from the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties till the Muromachi period) written by Kinkata TOIN, and presented it to the emperor.
1492: Chikanaga agreed to assume Gon Dainagon (a provisional chief councilor of state) on the strong recommendation of the people around him including his heir Motonaga KANROJI, but in the following year, when Emperor Gotsuchimikado determined to abdicate from the throne because the emperor resented Meio Coup, Chikanaga remonstrated with the emperor, and right after that, Chikanaga himself resigned from all his posts and became a priest. His Homyo (Buddhist name) was Renku. 1500: Died in Mino Province. Died at the age of 77. Besides Motonaga, he had another child Harufusa MADENOKOJI.
His diary "Chikanaga kyo ki" still exists today and serves as valuable historical material from that age. He also left many manuscripts of documents, and among others, the existent manuscripts of "Kikki," the diary of Tsunefusa YOSHIDA, and "Entairyaku," the diary of Kinkata TOIN, were both mostly handwritten by Chikanaga.
Official Record
1441: Jugoinoge
1444: Ushoben
1446: Kurodo, Gon no Uchuben, Shogoinojo (Senior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade)
1448: Jushiinoge (Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade), then Jushiinojo (Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade)
1450: Gon Sachuben (Provisional Middle Controller of the left), Sachuben (middle controller of the left), Kurodo no to, Shoshiinoge (Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade)
1451: Shoshiinojo (Senior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade)
1452: Udaiben (Major Controller of the Right), Sangi (councilor), Jusanmi
1453: Gon Chunagon
1456: Shosanmi, Mutsu no kuni Dewa no kuni Azechi
1465: Junii (Junior Second Rank), resigned Gon Chunagon
1469: Shonii
1492: Gon Dainagon
1493: Resigned Gon Dainagon and Mutsu no kuni Dewa no kuni Azechi
Became a priest.