Fujiwara no Kunimichi (藤原邦通)

FUJIWARA no Kunimichi (dates of birth and death unknown) was a government official in the early Kamakura Period. He was the initial Yuhitsu (amanuensis) of MINAMOTO no Yoritomo. He was mostly called Yamato hogandai or Fuji hogandai Kunimichi.

He had wide knowledge, was familiar with yusoku kojitsu (studies in ancient court and military practices and usages), and had versatile talents for writing, painting, fortune-telling and others. He appeared first in the article dated June 22, 1180, of "Azuma Kagami", immediately before Yoritomo raised an army. The article dated August 4 says that he left Kyoto and traveled, and served Yoritomo by recommendation of Morinaga ADACHI. He visited the residence of Kanetaka YAMAKI for a feast immediately before the attack by Yoritomo, made a pictorial map of the topography of the surrounding area and brought it back so that Yoritomo and others worked out a plan of operations based on the map.

In the early Yoritomo's age, he served as Yuhitsu (amanuensis), bugyonin (a magistrate for political operations and ceremonies of the Imperial Court), cortege and others, wrote the first public administration documents at Mandokoro-kissho-hajime (the ceremony announcing the start of new official works) in the article dated October 6, 1184. The first Kumonjo betto (director of the Secretariat) was OE no Hiromoto (former Hiromoto NAKAHARA). He became less popular as Yuhitsu (amanuensis) after FUJIWARA no Toshikane served MINATOMO no Yoritomo.

Kyori who were permitted to participate in the memorial service held in Shochojuin on October 24, 1185, were only two, Hiromoto and Kunimichi, who were recognized to have the same position or the next position to Hiromoto, and when he presented chrysanthemum and zekku (a form of Chinese poem) to Yoritomo on September 9, 1186, Yoritomo was impressed by its fineness and ordered him to present his poem every year, which indicates that he was trusted by Yoritomo.

[Original Japanese]