Kamo no Mitsuyoshi (賀茂光栄)

KAMO no Mitsuyoshi (939 - July 1, 1015) was Onmyoji or Inyoka (Master of Yin yang) who lived in the Heian period. He was the oldest son of KAMO no Yasunori, and had KAMO no Tadayuki as his grandfather. He is said to have had remarkable skills as Onmyoji like his father and grandfather.

His father, Yasunori, later passed on the Rekido (the study of the calendar) of the Onmyodo (way of Ying and Yang; occult divination system based on the Taoist theory of the five elements), which was the teaching of the family, to Mitsuyoshi, and the Tenmondo (ancient horoscopy) to his favorite disciple (or junior disciple), ABE no Seimei, and thus the two main Soke (the head family or house) of Onmyodo, 'Angaryo family' (Abe family and Kamo family) were established. It seems that Mitsuyoshi, wondering why his father went so far as to divide the Onmyodo, which was the teaching of the Kamo family, in order to give the position of Soke to the Abe clan; as such, it is said that Mitsuyoshi argued with Seimei over this matter ('Zoku kojidan' (Talks of the Past, Continued)). He successively held posts such as Reki hakase (master of reki (calendar)), Tenmon hakase (master of tenmon (astronomy)), and Kazue no kami (the head of budget bureau), and one theory has it that he successively held the post of Onmyo no jo (secretary of Onmyoryo (Bureau of Divination)) although this is unlikely. He was appointed Jushiinojo (Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade) upon the zoreki senji (special permission from the Emperor regarding private era names made in China).

Ancestors

KAMO no Morimichi: Mitsuyoshi's legitimate son. Reki hakase.

[Original Japanese]