Fujiwara no Tadataka explained

, first son of regent Matsudono Motofusa, was a Kugyō (high-ranking Japanese official) of the late Heian and Kamakura periods.

Despite being first-born, he was treated as if he were not, while his stepbrother Moroie inherited the male-line. Hence, he called himself, avoiding the use of the name Matsudono. In 1220, just before the Jōkyū War, he retired from politics, becoming a Buddhist monk.

In recent years scholars have suspected that he is actually the author of .[1]

Notes and References

  1. McCarty . Michael . 2020 . A Monk for All Seasons: Visions of Jien (1155–1225) in Medieval Japan . Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies . 80 . 1 . 1–36 . 10.1353/jas.2020.0002 . Project MUSE.