Tenjin-sama – The Deity of Learning
About the deity Michizane Sugawara
Michizane Sugawara was born on the 25th day of the 6th month of the Ox in the 12th year of the Jowa Era (845).
Born into a family of scholars, Michizane showed his talent from an early age and began reading books at the age of 4.5. At the age of 11, he composed his first Chinese poem, and by the time he was 15, he was leaving behind a fine body of Chinese writing, so much so that shrines and temples asked him to write votive petitions for them.
Michizane continued to study hard after this, and at the age of 18 he was selected as a student of writing, and at the age of 23 as a special student of writing (Tokugosho). In the Nara and Heian periods, universities had approximately 200 students, of whom only about 20 could become Monjosho students and two could be chosen as Tokugosho students. To become a Tokugosho, one had to pass a very difficult national examination called the Horyakushiki within seven years, for which Michizane studied very hard and became the youngest person in history to pass.
Michizane devoted himself to study throughout his life, and when he was a teenager, he told himself: "I must resent the fact that I still don't know how to work hard at my studies and spend my years under the window of my study..." (The days will fly by if I don't work harder) and when he sat for the national examinations, he told himself: "I must study hard..." (The days will fly by if I don't work harder) (When he was preparing for his national examinations, he would even say, "I must always be content with my life, I must cut down on chitchatting with my friends and stop laughing with my wife and children.
After passing the Horyakushiki, thanks to his efforts, Michizane finally began his career as a government official (a person in charge of state affairs). He was entrusted with diplomatic and clerical duties, and his honest personality earned him popularity and achievements.
He eventually became a doctor of letters, teaching writing at universities and lecturing to emperors and ministers of state. Michizane, who was able to use the language and literary skills he had developed through his dedicated efforts, also experienced a turning point in his career.
At the age of forty-two, he was appointed governor of Sanuki (now Kagawa Prefecture). Unlike his work in language and literature, this was a job of local administration, but he travelled around the region (Sanuki no Kuni) visiting farmers to see how they were living and how their rice crops were doing, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the administration of the people.
At the age of 46, Michizane was called back to the capital by Emperor Uda. The emperor placed his trust in Michizane, and within a few years he was promoted to the position of Gon Dainagon, and in the reign of Emperor Daigo he was appointed Minister of the Right, an unprecedented rise in the court. At this time, Michizane was at the height of his powers and left behind numerous works of waka poetry and Chinese poetry.
'This time, I will not even take up a stick of paper, and the autumn leaves will turn red.'
Manzan no kouyou shouki wo yaburi Manzan kouyou shouki wo yaburi Manzan kouyou shouki wo yaburi Manzan kouyou shouki wo yaburi Manzan kouyou shouki wo yaburi Manzan kouyou shouki wo yaburi Manzan kouyou shouki wo yaburi Manzan kouyou shouki wo yaburi Manzan kouyou shouki wo yaburi Manzan kouyou shouki wo yaburi Manzan kouyou shouki wo yaburi Manzan kouyouyou shouki wo yaburi Manzan kouyou shouki wo yaburi (Return to your hometown in the rain)
This is a well-known poem, selected in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, and the Chinese poem was written around the same time. However, his meteoric rise to prominence aroused the envy of the government officials, and bad rumors were spread about him. On 25 January in the first year of Engi (101), Michizane, who was 57 years old at the time, was suddenly transferred to the Dazaifu. On 1 February, he had to set out on a long journey to Kyushu without even preparing himself, and was given strict orders not to give food or horses to any of the countries along the way, and his family was to be scattered and exiled.
‘If the east wind blows, let it be warm. The plum blossoms, for they have no owner, and spring will be forgotten.’
The poem was composed in his residence, Kobaiden, at this time, and conveys the sadness of Michizane's feelings.
On 25 February 903, just two years after his imprisonment in Dazaifu, Michizane died at the age of 59 at the end of his life of sincerity and honesty.
Last year tonight, the samurai will be in a state of seiryō.
Sugawara no Michizane is enshrined throughout the country under the company names “Tenjin-sama,” “Tenmangu,” “Tenjinsha,” “Sugawara Shrine,” “Kitano Shrine,” and “Oimatsu Shrine,” in honor of his achievements and character. Tenjin-sama is revered throughout the country as the deity of learning, honesty, culture, calligraphy, entertainment, poetry, and mercy. In addition to the ancient belief in the deity of thunder, Tenjin-sama has also been loved by people as the deity of agriculture.