Minamoto no Suemune (源季宗)

MINAMOTO no Suemune (1049 - October 1, 1086) was a court noble who lived in the late Heian period. He was a member of Sanjo-Genji (Minamoto clan). He was a grandson of Imperial Prince Atsuakira (Ko-Ichijo-in). He was a son of Councilor MINAMOTO no Motohira. He was Jusanmi (Junior Third Rank) working at Togubo (Crown Prince's Quarters).

When Emperor Gosanjo visited Tenno-ji Temple in 1073, Suemune played the flute in gyoyu (Imperial court music) pieces on the boat and offered the Emperor a poem as a reply to one made by the Emperor. Because Imperial Prince Sanehito, who was born to Suemune's older sister, MINAMOTO no Kishi (consort of Emperor Gosanjo), was appointed to be Prince of Emperor Shirakawa, Suemune served as Togu Gon no daibu (Provisional Master of the Crown Prince's Quarters) from 1080 to 1085, when Imperial Prince Sanehito died. Suemune died on August 21, 1086, at the age of 38.

He was supposedly very good at Chinese poetry and often enjoyed creating renku (linked verses) and fushi (Chinese verses) with MINAMOTO no Toshifusa and MINAMOTO no Tsunenobu. One of Suemune's surviving poems was the one that he created at a sakumone poetry contest held at his own residence in October 1079, and it was included in "Chuyuki Shihai Kanshishu" (Collection of Old Chinese Poems in the Diary of a court official).

[Original Japanese]