Letter by Konoe Nobutada
- Person
-
作者近衛信尹
- Date
-
制作年 AD16
- Title
- コノエノブタダヒツショジョウ
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
- Ref. number
- AW-CEN-001574-0000
- License
- CC BY Images license
- Creditline
-
慶應義塾（センチュリー赤尾コレクション）
- URL
- Classification
- Art
- AI Tagging
- Handwriting Font Material property Wood Writing
Konoe Nobutada (1565-1614) was a court official who lived during the Momoyama Period. He was born into nobility as the legitimate first son of Senior Regent Konoe Sakihisa (1536-1612). His initiation rite was held in 1577 when he turned 13, with Lord Oda Nobunaga assuming the honorary role of placing the headgear. Nobunaga gave the boy a character from his own name, and thereafter Nobutada was called Nobumoto, which was later changed to Nobusuke. Nobusuke was only 21 when he was appointed Minister of the Left, but he resigned from this office in January 1592 at age 28. In December of the same year, he planned to sail to the Korean Peninsula to fight in the Battle of Bunroku and went as far down as Nagoya, in Hizen (today’s Saga Pref.). Nobutada later incurred the displeasure of Emperor Goyozei due to a rivalry Nobutada had with Regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and he was exiled to Bonotsu in Satsuma (today’s Kagoshima Pref.) in 1594. Ever since the end of the Heian Period, Satsuma had been Konoe family property, so he was received warmly by Lord Shimazu, the ruler of Satsuma. Nobutada spent his time in exile completely absorbed in art, as well as waka and renga composing and chanoyu tea ceremony. In 1596, Nobutada was pardoned and allowed to return to Kyoto; thereupon, he assumed the name Nobutada, by which he is traditionally known. In 1601, he was reinstituted as Minister of the Left and was promoted to Regent and head of the family in 1605. He died at age 50 on November 25, 1614. The posthumous Buddhist name Sanmyaku-In was bestowed upon him.Nobutada was thoroughly familiar with the art of waka, calligraphy and painting. In calligraphy, he was hailed as one of the ‘Three Brushes of the Kan-ei Era’, the other two being Hon-ami Koetsu and Shokado Shojo. Interestingly, this letter sheds light on Nobutada’s private life. He complains bitterly about an illness and asks the letter’s recipient to concoct an herbal medicine using garden balsam seeds. He also asks for ‘kumanoi’, an extremely bitter-tasting traditional medicine made from the dried gall bladder of a bear. The description of his physical disorder is detailed -- how the pain is making him sleepless and how rapidly he is emaciating -- and he expresses how much he wants the recipient to come and visit. In olden days, garden balsam seeds were believed to work against fish or meat-related food poisoning, and ‘kumanoi’ was considered a potent cure for digestive tract disorders. This letter is addressed to Hori Kyoan (1585-1642), a physician trained under Manase Masazumi. Hori was also a learned Confucian scholar and a high-ranking disciple of Fujiwara Seika (1561-1619). He was familiar with classical studies and once served Tokugawa Yoshinao, Lord of Owari Province.
隙候ハゝ早々待入候用之事候九月十七日一ホウセンクハノ実ノシルシきとくに候、追付あはせたて度候一熊胃之薬是又いそき度候一いたミ同前に候て夜をねす難義千万つかれよハり候かしく 正意（花押）
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