A List of Hiromasa's Direct Relatives + Random Facts
Saw some posts wondering about Hiromasa's other family, which prompted me to write this up. Info is taken from documents you can find in publicly accessible archives, albeit only in Japanese.
The Guy Himself
源博雅 - Minamoto no Hiromasa [918 - 980]
Rank: Junior fourth rank, lower grade (later third rank)
Position(s): Captain of the Right Division of Middle Palace Guards (右兵衛督)
Middle Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards (右近衛中將)
Ancillary Master of the Empress Dowager's Household (皇太后宮権大夫)
When he was 17, he was removed from royal succession and bestowed the title Minamoto Ason*. Apart from the flute, he was also skilled with the biwa, koto and hichiriki. There are numerous stories about him and his incredible musical skill, which I will hopefully cover in a separate post some day. Maybe.
He is also known as Hakuga no Sanmi (博雅三位) in reference to his final rank and Lord Long Autumn (長秋卿) in reference to his final position (the Chinese name for the Empress Dowager's household is "Long Autumn")
*The Japanese term for this process is shinsekikouka (臣籍降下) This was done because emperors often had many children and under the Ritsuryo legal system, royalty had to be given a certain income, so ennoblement was a way of saving money. The first title of Minamoto Ason was given by Emperor Saga, who had 49 children.
Grandfather
醍醐天皇 - Emperor Daigo [884 - 930]
Was emperor from 897 to 930. He actually abdicated the throne after falling ill in 930 and became a monk shortly before he died. He had 36 children across 21 different consorts.
Father
克明親王 - Prince Yoshiakira/Katsuakira [903 - 927]
The first son and crown prince of Emperor Daigo. Hiromasa would have been 9 years old when he died.
Mother
藤原時平の娘 - Daughter of Fujiwara no Tokihira
Fujiwara no Tokihira was the Minister of the Left (左大臣) for Emperor Daigo. Women often did not have their names recorded, instead being referred to by the title of their fathers or by their sons (e.g Murasaki Shikibu, with her father having a position in the Shikibu-sho (Ministry of Ceremonial Affairs) and Mother of Michizane, the author of Kagero nikki.)
Siblings
Most of the info here is from the Honcho Koin Jounroku (本朝皇胤紹運録) (go to page 53)
源正雅 - Minamoto no Tadamasa (younger brother)
Rank: Junior fourth rank official, lower grade
Position(s): Ancillary Provincial Governor of Tosa Province (土佐権守)
Tosa Province is now known today as Kochi Prefecture.
源清雅 - Minamoto no Kiyomasa (younger brother)
Rank: Junior fourth rank official, lower grade
Position(s): Chamberlain in the Ministry of Central Affairs (侍従)
It's unclear whether Tadamasa was older than Kiyomasa or the other way round.
源助雅 - Minamoto no Sukemasa (younger brother)
Rank: Junior fourth rank official, lower grade.
Position(s): Master of the Western Offices (右京大夫)
A lot of websites I've checked claim that Hiromasa also had a sister by the name of Kenshi (妍子女王), but I cannot for the life of me find and actual source for this claim. If you have any info, please tell me!
Children
According to the Dai Nihon Shiryo, Hiromasa had four sons.
源信貞 - Minamoto no Nobusada
Rank: Junior fifth rank, higher grade
Position(s): Lieutenant of the Left Division of Middle Palace Guards (左兵衛尉)
A flute player, like his father. He appears briefly in the Kaichikusho, a book on flute music written by musician Oga no Koresue. (go to page 20)
源信明 - Minamoto no Nobuakira
Rank: Junior fifth rank, higher grade
Position(s): Treasury Senior Assistant Minister (大蔵大輔)
Also a known talented biwa player, like his father.
源信義 - Minamoto no Nobuyoshi
Rank: Junior fifth rank official, higher grade
Position(s): Chief Pharmacist (典薬頭)
Chief Court Musician (雅楽頭)
Once again taking after his father, being an excellent biwa and flute player. He is the author of the Shinkasho (神歌抄), the oldest surviving manuscript of kagura music. He and his older brother Nobuakira were known for playing music together.
源至光 - Minamoto no Yukimitsu
Rank: Junior fifth rank official, lower grade
Position(s): Provincial Governor of Hoki Province (伯耆守)
Hoki Province is now known today as the western half of Tottori Prefecture.
Couldn't find any info on him being a musician, but knowing his family, it wouldn't be out of the question.
on this episode of me digging through my onmyoji folders: every single time hiromasa says "seimei" in the 2001/2003 movies (HIGHLY recommend you watch the movies first!!! but i won't stop you)
As a 🦊, Seimei likes to nibble and Hiromasa doesn’t mind getting teeth marks on his cheeks (he secretly likes it). Which ‘cheeks’ you ask? Both up and down of course 😂.
Commission I ordered from the talented peanutnom (Twitter). Please do not repost on other platforms without permission.
onmyoji related media you can watch (that has english subs)
Behold, my Onmyoji film/TV collection for curious people who've already seen the anime!
The Yin-Yang Master (2001) and it's 2003 sequel
The real OGs, the one most people know from Yuzuru Hanyu's SEIMEI free skate routine. Featuring Nomura Mansai as Seimei and Hideaki Itou as Hiromasa, these movies were my introduction to the Onmyoji series as a whole. The soundtrack is a banger, the practical effects are great and you get to see Hiroyuki Sanada ham it up in the first movie! I would say that the first movie is a lot stronger, but the second movie makes up for it by being A Lot Gayer. It even has an English dub! It's easily found on Certain streaming websites or on DVD.
晴雅集 - Qing Ya Ji, aka The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity
A Chinese adaptation that REALLY puts its own spin on things; Qingming and Boya are Seimei and Hiromasa respectively, but it's not easy to tell if you aren't already aware of the source material! It's a different take that I love regardless, with beautiful visuals, incredible costuming and impressive sets. It also made me cry like a baby at one point, which is always a plus. It's on Netflix and it also has an English dub.
Onmyoji - Takiyashahime (2020)
A TV Asahi drama special that adapts the two-part Takiyashahime novels. It's not 1-1 of course, but it does follow the main plot points well enough (it also adapts Tsuyuko's story as a bonus!) It's got that "yeah this was done on a TV drama budget and not a movie one" look when it comes to the effects, but that doesn't stop it from being enjoyable. You really get a glimpse at novel Seimei and Hiromasa's dynamic in this (they include one of my favourite hirosei exchanges in this and it's SO GOOD) as well as proper Nasty Old Man Ashiya Doman!!! You can watch it on Certain streaming sites.
There also exists a 2015 TV Asahi drama series, but I haven't been able to find it. An earlier 2001 NHK drama series exists as well, but it isn't subbed in English. It is, at the very least, entirely on YouTube! 10 episodes, 45 minutes each. It's a little...weird, I won't lie (they try to make Hiromasa and Mitsumushi a thing which is. Why) but some of the stories are genuinely heartwrenching, which was a surprise to me when I watched it!
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