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Jien

Type Figure Region Japan Time 1155–1225 Also known as Monk Dokaei

Jien (1155–1225) was a Japanese Tendai monk, historian, and waka poet, son of Fujiwara no Tadafusa and brother of Kujō Kanezane.…

Timeline

  1. 1166–1192Seiryō-in · KyotoHe entered Seiryō-in and was ordained at about eleven, first named Dōkai, later renamed Jien. He studied Tendai doctrine and Chinese classics, and was active in composing waka.
  2. 1192–1218Heian-kyō · KyotoFrom 1192 he served four terms as head of Tendai (daisōjō), as a guardian monk of Emperor Go-Toba, and as overseer of the Kujō Michiie household. His appointments and dismissals rose and fell with the political fortunes of his brother Kanezane.
  3. 1219–1225Mount Hiei · Mount HieiAround 1219–1220 he wrote the seven-volume Gunkan-shō, narrating political changes since Emperor Jinmu from a Buddhist perspective, and attempted to dissuade Go-Toba from attacking the shogunate. He died in Ōmi in 1225.

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