Kazanin Ieatsu (花山院家厚)

Ieatsu KAZANIN (April 23, 1789-September 28, 1866) was a high-rank Court noble in the late Edo period. He served three-generation emperors, Emperor Kokaku (the 119th), Emperor Ninko (the 120th), and Emperor Komei (the 121st), and his official court rank culminated at Juichii Udaijin (Junior First Rank, the Minister of the Right). His father was Udaijin Yoshinori KAZANIN. His mother was a daughter of Shigetaka HACHISUKA, takumi-no-kami (the head of Bureau of Skilled Artisans). Ukone no shosho (Minor Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards) Ieatake KAZANIN, Chamberlain Ieamasa KAZANIN, Sakone gon no chujo (Acting Middle Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards) Ienori KAZANIN, and Ume (Masanori ASUKAI) were among his children.

He was conferred an official court rank in 1792. Ieatsu was on express track of promotion as the head of seigake (the second highest family status for court nobles) and worked as jiju (a chamberlain) and Ukone no shosho (Minor Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards). In 1798, he was conferred Jusanmi (Junior Third Rank) Ukone no Gon no chujo (Provisional Middle Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards) and joined the realm of kugyo (high-rank Court nobles). After working as Toka no sechie Geben (a Kugyo who supervised the event of toka [ceremonial mass singing and stomp dancing] called Toka no sechie held at the Imperial Court on around the fifteenth day of the first month of the year) and Gon Chunagon (a provisional vice-councilor of state), he was assigned to Togu Gon no daibu (Provisional Master of the Crown Prince's Quarters) in the spring of 1809, upon the investiture of Imperial Prince Ayahito as Crown Prince. In 1844, he was assigned to Gon Dainagon (a provisional chief councilor of state). Upon Crown Prince Ayahito's ascendance to the throne in 1817, he stepped down from the post of Togu Gon no daibu and served as shikken (chief aide) to the retired Emperor Kokaku, who abdicated and started the cloister government. In 1834, he was assigned to kone no daisho (Major Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards) and Umaryo gogen (Inspector of the Right Division of Bureau of Horses). In 1847, he was appointed as Naidaijin (Minister of the Center). He stepped down from the post in the same year. He was given the post of Juichi (Junior First Rank) in 1848, and assigned to Udaijin and Toka no sechie Geben (a Kugyo who supervised the event of toka [ceremonial mass singing and stomp dancing] called Toka no sechie held at the Imperial Court on around the fifteenth day of the first month of the year) in 1859. In 1862, he resigned from Udaijin.

He was a connoisseur of paintings and said to have drawn many pictures of the Kano school style himself.

[Original Japanese]