Fujiwara no Yamakage (藤原山蔭)
FUJIWARA no Yamakage (824 - March 24, 888) was a noble who lived in the Heian period. He was the second son of FUJIWARA no Takafusa who was from the Northern House of the Fujiwara clan. His mother was a daughter of FUJIWARA no Manatsu. He was Jusanmi (Junior Third Rank), Chunagon (vice-councilor of state) and his position was Minbukyo (Minister of Popular Affairs). He had children including FUJIWARA no Ariyori and FUJIWARA no Nakamasa. FUJIWARA no Arihira was his grandson. FUJIWARA no Toshihito was his nephew.
His name is sometimes written as '山陰' instead of '山蔭.'
After he held varioud positions in succession starting from Sama no Daijo (Senior Secretary of the Left Division of Bureau of Horses) in 854, he assumed the postion of Kurodo (Chamberlain) of the Emperor Seiwa and carried out remarkable service as his close aide and assumed the postion of the Kurodo no To (Head Chamberlain) in 875 and Udaiben (Major Controller of the Right) two years later. When the Emperor Seiwa abdicated, he made up his mind to retire, but he was persuaded by the Emperor Yozei not to resign and promoted to Jushiinojo (Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade) Sangi (Royal Advisor) in 879 and Sadaiben (Major Controller of the Left) three years later and Jusanmi (Junior Third Rank) and Chunagon in 886. It seems that he also served as Seiwain Inshi (chief official of the In no cho, or retired emperor's office) until the Retired Emepror Seiwa died.
He was known as the founder of Shijoryu Hochodo (Shijo school of kitchen knives users (chefs)). Before this time, the Takahashi clan (descendents of Iwakamutsukari no Mikoto) had managed Hochoshiki (ceremony for the use of kitchen knives), and he devised new Hochoshiki (cooking) that was different from the traditional one in accordance with the order of the Emperor Koko.
He also built and founded the Yoshida-jinja Shrine, that was one of nineteen hoheisha (Shinto shrine to which a wand of hemp and paper streamers are offered) and Soji-ji Temple, that was the twenty-second fudasho (an office in a temple where ofuda (a strip of paper or small wooden tablet, often considered talismanic, on which were written words of religious significance) were distributed to worshippers) of the Saigoku Thirty-three Kannon Pilgrimage of Shingon sect (Ibaraki City).
The Adachi clan and the Date clan descended from him.