Nanba Yorisuke (難波頼輔)
Yorisuke NANBA (1112 ~ 1186) was a court noble and a waka poet during the late Heian period. He was the 5th son of Dainagon (chief councilor of state), FUJIWARA no Tadanori. His mother was a daughter of Kamo Kannushi (Shinto priest), Naritsugu.
He was the ancester of both the Nanba family and the Asukai family, the 2 big schools of kemari (a ball kicking game played by court nobles in the Heian period.)
He learned kemari from his childhood as there were many good players of kemari in his mother's side of family of Kamo Kannushi, and it is said that he was especially taught by a "saintly kicker, FUJIWARA no Narimichi." His elder brother FUJIWARA no Norinaga was exiled to Hitachi Province as an aide of Emperor Sutoku at the Hogen War, and Yorisuke had to stay in his house in Higashiyama (Kyoto Prefecture) although Yorisuke was not willingly involved in the incident. Later, his ability of kemari was appreciated by Emperor Goshirakawa who loved performing arts, he was added to the aides together with FUJIWARA no Moronaga and MINAMOTO no Sukekata when the emperor retired. Yorisuke's kemari talent was appreciated as he was "second to none" and "The best kemari player in Japan."
In 1160, he became a Bungo no kuni no kami (Governer of Bungo Province.)
As his nose was big, he was called "Hana (nose) Bungo." In 1181 when Kiyomori TAIRA died, insurgencies occurred everywhere in the country and there also occurred a revolt in Yorisuke's chigyo-koku (provincial fiefdom) of Bungo. Yorisuke went down to Bungo Province to control the unstable status of his chigyo-koku ("Gyokuyo" [Diary of FUJIWARA no Kanezane]), and successfully pursuaded the local bushi (samurai), Koreyoshi OGATA. It was Koreyoshi OGATA, who was under the orders of Yorisuke, who beat back the Taira clan that were expelled from Kyoto to Kyushu in October 1183. Later, the Taira clan escaped by sea and finally reached Yashima.
He was consecutively posted to Kotaigogu no suke (assistant master of the empress dowager's household), Gyobukyo (Minister of Justice) and was finally conferred to Jusanmi (Junior Third Rank) and became a member of Kugyo (the top court officials.)
He was also active as a poet and he had relations with many poets such as MINAMOTO no Yorimasa, FUJIWARA no Kiyosuke and Jakuren.
28 of his waka poems were selected for the Chokusenshu (anthology of poems collected by Imperial command.)
His private collection of poetry is "Yorisuke shu."