Koremune no Tadasuke (惟宗允亮)
KOREMUNE no Tadasuke (? - 1009?) was a nobleman in the mid Heian period. He was an authority of Myobodo (study of Codes) representing the period, and was given a title, Ason (the second highest of the eight hereditary titles) of Yoshimune. He was said to be a son of KOREMUNE no Munekata, but it is also said that he was a son of KOREMUNE no Kinkata (Munekata's father and KOREMUNE no Naomoto's son).
He started as a law student, and rose to the position of a professor of law in 984. Later in 990, although he had already resigned the professor's position, he was ordered to submit a kanmon (report). He was assigned to the position of Kageyushinosuke (Vice-minister of the Office of Investigators of the Records of Outgoing Officials) in 992, and Saemon no gon no suke (provisional assistant captain of the Left Division of Outer Palace Guards) in the following year, and was further ranked as Jugoinojo (Junior Fifth rank, Upper Grade) and served as Provincial Governor of Kaga Province in 996, and doubled as Junior Governor of Bitchu Province in 999. He also doubled as a position of Kebiishi (a police and judicial chief) at the time of The Chotoku Conspiracy, and took command of arresting the Minister of the Interior, FUJIWARA no Korechika. Around 998, he was given a title, Yoshimune Ason, together with KOREMUNE no Tadamasa, who was a professor of law and said to be his younger brother. Yoshimune means 'a master of Codes' (a recognized authority of the academic society).
On August 19 in 999, he gave a lecture of Codes at home. Even a scholar of Myobodo needed permission by the Emperor's decree to lecture at home, and only SANUKI no Naganao in the early Heian Period, Tadasuke's great-grandfather (or grandfather) KOREMUNE no Naomoto, and Tadasuke that time were actually permitted to do this, which shows his social prestige was exceptional, as did the grant to Yoshimune in the previous year.
In 1003, he was ranked as Shogoinoge (Senior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade), and dispatched to Dazaifu (local government office in Kyushu region) for reconciliation of the infighting of Usa hachiman-gu Shrine which happened at that time. In 1006, he was ranked as Jushiinoge (Junior Forth Rank, Lower Grade), and assigned Provincial Governor of Kawachi Province. Jushiinoge was the same rank as an Onmyoji (diviner), ABE no Seimei who died the previous year of his appointment, and considering it an unprecedented appointment for both families of that time; it was representative of the fact that his social prestige was fairly high. In the following year, he was recalled to Heian-kyo (the ancient capital of Japan in current Kyoto) from his assigned province, and joined a various debate session held at the residence of FUJIWARA no Michinaga (Tsuchimikado-dono Palace). It is said that he stayed in Ogata County, Kawachi Province after his assignment and died of disease soon after.
Though only 25 volumes currently remain out of 130 volumes of "Seiji Yoryaku" (examples of the politics in the Heian period) which he supposedly wrote at the request of FUJIWARA no Sanesuke, it is valuable to know the theories on Codes of that time and show the depth of his knowledge. Though it is said that he wrote books including 100 volumes of "Ruijuhanshu" (collection of similar objects) and a volume of "Ruijuritsuryokeikanmondosiki" (collection of code officers' dialogue and journal), they no longer remain. A part of his diary "Sogaki" (宗河記) remains, and some volumes of "Engishiki" (codes and procedures on national rites and prayers) which mention that it was written by him in the annotation, remain.
OE no Mochitoki (a grandson of a poet, OE no Chisato, and a professor of literature) who is said to have actually listened to Tadasuke's lecture at home in 999, wrote down how great his lecture was in the diary, and in later days, it was highly praised by OE no Masafusa and Sadatsugu HAMURO.