Nakamikado Tsunetada (中御門経任)
Tsunetada NAKAMIKADO (1233 - February 19, 1297) was a court noble (Junii (Junior Second Rank), Gon Dainagon (provisional chief councilor of state) and Dazai Gon no Sochi (Provisional Governor-General of the Dazai-fu offices)) who lived in the middle of Kamakura period. His first name was Tsunetsugu and later he changed to Tsunetada in 1249. His father was Tametsune YOSHIDA, and his mother was Omiyain Hashitamono and he had children, Tamemasa NAKAMIKADO and Tametoshi NAKAMIKADO. He was the founder of the Nakamikado family.
He was an influential close aide of the Emperor Gosaga and assumed the position of Denso (an official in charge of communication with the emperor) already in his youth. At the age of thirty, he worked in the Emonfu (Headquarters of the Outer Palace Guards), and, then, he was transferred to Ushoben (Minor Controller of the Right). According to the custom at that time, usually a person worked as a Kurodo (Chamberlain) and would be transferred to a Benkan (Oversight Department (a division of the Dajokan responsible for controlling central and provincial governmental offices), he was promoted in the opposite direction (after assuming a position in Ushoben, he also assumed the position of the Kurodo), and, therefore, it aroused criticism in the Imperial Court that Tsunetada's promotion was unfair treatment, showing favoritism towards close aides to the retired emperor.
Since then, he played an important role as an official for practical work under the Cloister Government for the Emperor Gosaga and Kameyama and he was promoted to the Sangi (Royal Advisor) in 1269 and continued to be promoted almost every year to Gon Chunagon (a provisional vice-councilor of state) and Junii (Junior Second Rank) Dazai Gon no Sochi, and so on. In 1283, he was promoted to Gon Dainagon and, in 1283, he resigned from Gon Dainagon recommending his son, Tametoshi to Ushoben.
His resources as an official for practical work was outstanding and this is clear from the fact that he was dispatched to the Ise-jingu Shrine as an Imperial envoy to pray for 'surrender of the enemy country' in 1281 during a life-or-death situation that encompassed the nation just before Koan no Eki (the ware against the Mongolian invaders).
As can be seen from the fact favoritism was shown by the Retired Emperor Gosaga and trust by the Emperor Kameyama, who was the successor of Gosaga, in the background of his promotion, it should be noted that such the promotion was forced and various turmoil in society. At first, when he assumed the position of the Saemon no Gon no Suke (Provisional Assistant Captain of the Left Division of Outer Palace Guards), his elder brother, Tsunefuji YOSHIDA became a priest, as he was ashamed of being overtaken in promotion of an official rank and, when he became Junii (Junior Second Rank), Tadakata ANEKOJI, who was a relative, also became a priest due to the shock of being out promoted, furthermore, when he became the Gon Dainagon, he assumed the position in a form to kick Takaaki SHIJO (uncle of the Gofukakusain no Nijo) out of the position.
In addition, when his benefactor, the Cloistered Emperor Gosaga, died in 1286, as he continued to stay in his official position notwithstanding that Morochika KITABATAKE (grandfather of Chikafusa KITABATAKE) who was also a favorite retainer became a priest, his younger brother from another mother, Tsunenaga YOSHIDA (Tsunefuji's younger brother from the same mother) laid accusations towards him. Then, when the Emperor Fushimi ascended the throne in the next year and the Retired Emperor Gofukakusa started the Cloister Government, he was invited by the Retired Emperor and became a close aide notwithstanding the fact that he, as the close aide to the Retired Emperor Kameyama, was in a position to oppose to the Retired Emperor Gofukakusa.
After the Cloistered Emperor Gosaga died and the Imperial lineage was transferred (from the Daikakuji-to (Imperial lineage starting with the Emperor Kameyama) to Jimyoin-to (Imperial lineage from Emperor Gofukakusa to the Emperor Gokomatsu)), it was not rare for a court noble not to become a priest and move to the opposite side (or we can say most of court nobles acted so). However, people's unbearable emotion against the fact that even a person like Tsunetada who received exceptional favor (needless to say, that was because he had outstanding capability and there was a recognition in the Imperial Court that he was necessary regardless friend or foe) behaved so coolly was directed to Tsunetada as anger and blame.
Most probably, because of such unfavorable reputation, the Nakamikado family in Tsunetada's line fell in only three generations and, the Nakamikado family of the line of Tsunetsugu NAKAMIKADO, who was a cousin became the main stream and continued until the Meiji Restoration.
"Towazugatari" (literally, "narrated without being asked") that was written by Gofukakusain Nijo contains a long list of words for blaming which seems libels and slanders to Tsunetada. In "Masukagami" ("The Clear Mirror"), which is a book of historical stories, only an article on a waka (=tanka; a traditional Japanese poem of thirty-one syllables), 'By virtue of the kamikaze that was the result of our pray by an imperial order, surging waves were broken,' which was reportedly composed by Tameuji NIJO, who accompanied Tsunetada, on the occasion he heard about the defeat of the Yuan Dynasty, was recorded with respect to an Imperial envoy in 1281; however, there is a view that, although Tsunetada composed this waka but the author of "Masukagami" who was not satisfied with the fact that such a waka, which was filled with loyalty and patriotism, was composed by an apostate like Tsunetada, changed the composer of the waka to Tameuji.