Minamoto no Fusaakira (源英明)

MINAMOTO no Fusaakira (911? - 939) was a waka poet in the middle of the Heian period. He came from Uda-Genji (Minamoto clan), and he was the son of the third ranking Imperial Prince Tokiyo. Fusaakira reached Jushii (Junior Fourth Rank) and the official of Konoefu (Headquarters of the Inner Palace Guards).

His father Imperial Prince Tokiyo was involved in the Shotai Incident that Tokiyo's father-in-law SUGAWARA no Michizane was demoted, so Tokiyo became a Buddhist priest. And so, Fusaakira lived an unfortunate life in his childhood. The investiture he got at the age of 16 was Jushii, and that in the next year was jiju (a chamberlain). Trusted so much by Emperor Daigo, he was appointed to Sakone no chujo (Middle Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards), and then to Kurodo no to (Head Chamberlain) in 927.

In accordance with his father's will, Fusaakira finished compiling "Jikaku Daishi den" (The Biography of Great Teacher Jikaku). And Fusaakira's personal collection of poetry "Genji Kogusa" (a five-volume work) is said to have existed but does not any more, and dozens of his poems are left in "Fuso shu" (Chinese classics in the Heian period) and other collections.

[Original Japanese]