Minamoto no Tadashige (源忠重)

MINAMOTO no Tadashige (year of birth and death unknown) was a samurai (warriors) and government official (lower or middle ranked). He was the eldest son of MINAMOTO no Mitsumasa. His brothers included MINAMOTO no Tadataka and MINAMOTO no Tadakuni and his children included MINAMOTO no Sadamune, MINAMOTO no Sadashige, wife of FUJIWARA no Kaneyori and Naishi no Kii (Kii, maid of honor) (who is considered to be Yushi Naishinno-ke no Kii [Kii, Lady-in-Waiting to Imperial Princess Yushi]). His official court rank was Jushiinoge (Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade) and he successively filled the posts of Kebiishi (a police and judicial chief), Saemon no daijo (Senior Lieutenant at the Left Division of Outer Palace Guards), Gyobu Gon no taifu (Provisional Senior Assistant Minister of Justice), Suruga-no-kuni-no-kami (the governor of Suruga Province), Totomi no kuni no kami (Governor of Totomi Province) and Mutsu no kuni no kami (the governor of Mutsu Province).

It is said that he served the FUJIWARA no Michinaga's family as his father had done, filled the post of Zuryo (the head of the provincial governors) and was promoted to Fourth Rank. It was confirmed that he had Roto (retainers) in Mino Province to which he was considered to be related since his father's generation ("Sakeiki" [The Diary of MINAMOTO no Tsuneyori]). Furthermore, although Yushi Naishinno-ke no Kii, a female kajin (waka poet), was believed to have been Tadashige's daughter, it is also possible that she was the daughter of TAIRA no Tsunekata or FUJIWARA no Moronaga.

[Original Japanese]