Fujiwara no Yoshio (藤原薩雄)
FUJIWARA no Yoshio (year of birth and death unknown) was a noble in the Nara period. He was the 6th son of FUJIWARA no Nakamaro, the Grand Minister (EMI no Oshikatsu). It is said that his mother was TOMO no Inukai no Musume but the truth is unknown. FUJIWARA no Chiyo was his daughter.
He accompanied FUJIWARA no Kiyokawa in 752 as an exchange student and a Kentoshi (Japanese envoy to Tang Dynasty China),. It is guessed that he came back in April, 756, and was promoted from having no rank to Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade). In 758, he and his father were given the name FUJIWARA no Emi Ason. When the Fujiwara no Nakamaro's War occurred in 764, his family members were executed one after another. It is believed that because he was an exchange student with the Kentoshi (Japanese envoy to Tang Dynasty China), which was highly respected in the society at that time, he was able to avoid execution, and was instead exiled to Oki Province. After he was pardoned and released in 772, he regained his position as Fujiwara no Ason, Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade), and returned to politics. Six years later he was promoted to Jugoinojo (Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade). Having held positions such as Governor of Tajima Province and Head of Kazusa Province, he also held positions in the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Civil Administration, the Bureau of Education and the Bureau of Imperial Attendants. He was assigned as the head of Divination in 791. "Todaiwajo Toseiden" (Eastern Expedition of the Great T'ang Monk) written by OMI no Mifune, includes a Gogon Chinese-style poem mourning Jianzhen, who died in May, 763.
In "Sonpi Bunmyaku" (a Japanese genealogical text), there is a hypothesis that FUJIWARA no Yoshio (薩雄), who is said to be a brother to Yoshio (刷雄), are in fact the same person. Koyu SONODA claims that "Shoku Nihongi" (Chronicles of Japan II) has false information for the following reason: In the year 758, it would have been extremely unusual for FUJIWARA no Yoshio as an exchange student Kentoshi to be promoted to Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade) from no rank, for this would mean that he was promoted ahead of his four older brothers (The older brothers were promoted one rank from Shorokuinojo [Senior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade] to Jugoinoge). For that reason, there is a theory that Yoshio(薩雄), who, according to "Shoku Nihongi" (Chronicles of Japan II), was honored in July 759 with Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade), and promoted from Shorokuinojo (Senior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade), is the one and the same person as Yoshio(刷雄). Yoshio's father, Nakamaro, changed his name to 'EMI no Oshikasu' in 758. According to Toshiko YOSHIKAWA, it was likely that during his early Buddhist training, Yoshio was given the Chinese character 薩 for his name, which relates to 菩薩 (Bodhisattva). However, if it was true that he was deprived of his new name during the Rebellion of Emi no Oshikatsu and forced to use his former name, the theory that the two are the same person would be possible.