Fujiwara no Michinaga: Powerful Statesman and Emotional Diarist
FEB 27, 2024
The statesman Fujiwara no Michinaga has a reputation for arrogance, due to a famous poem expressing self-satisfaction over his power. However, his diary reveals him as a multifaceted character.
The Path to Advancement
The powerful statesman Fujiwara no Michinaga is associated with the poem celebrating his political triumph, written in 1018, while he was in his early fifties: Kono yo o ba / wagayo to zo omou / mochizuki no / kaketaru koto mo / nashi to omoeba (This world / belongs to me— / lacking in / nothing like the / full moon). Many readers view the poem in a negative light, interpreting the pride Michinaga expresses in his power as hubris.