Ono no Takamura (小野 篁; 802 – February 3, 853), also known as Sangi no Takamura (参議篁), was a Japanese calligrapher and poet of the early Heian period.
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Life
Takamura's father was Ono no Minemori. He was the grandfather of Ono no Michikaze, one of the Sanseki (three famous Heian period calligraphers).
In 834, he was appointed to a kentōshi (Japanese mission to Tang China). In 838, after a quarrel with the envoy, Fujiwara no Tsunetsugu, he gave up his professional duties pretending to be ill, and attracted the ire of retired Emperor Saga, who sent him to Oki Province. Within two years he regained the graces of the court, and he returned to the capital where he was promoted to Sangi (associate counselor in the imperial court of Japan).
Takamura is the subject of a number of odd stories and legends. One of the most singular of these legends is the claim that, every night, he would climb down a well to hell and help Yama in his judgements.
In Kita-ku, Kyoto, there is a grave said to belong to Takamura.
Takamura in later literature
Takamura features in several later setsuwa works such as Uji Shūi Monogatari and Takamura Monogatari.
Uji Shūi Monogatari
Uji Shūi Monogatari contains a story illustrating Takamura's wit. One day, in the palace of Saga Tennō, someone put up a scroll with the writing "無悪善 (no evil goodness)". No one in the palace was able to decipher its meaning. The emperor ordered Takamura to read it, and he responded:
"it will be good if there is no evil (悪無くば善からん, saga nakuba yokaran)",
reading the character for evil (悪, aku) as "Saga" to indicate Saga Tennō. The emperor was incensed at his audacity and proclaimed that because only Takamura was able to read the scroll, he must have been the one who put it up. Takamura pleaded his innocence, saying that he was simply deciphering the meaning of the scroll. The emperor said, "Oh, so you can decipher any writing, can you?" and asked Takamura to read a row of twelve characters for child (子):
"子子子子子子子子子子子子".
Takamura immediately responded:
"the cat's young kitten, the lion's young cub (猫の子子猫、獅子の子子獅子, neko no ko koneko, shishi no ko kojishi)",
using the variant readings ne, ko, shi, and ji for the character 子.
The emperor was amused by Takamura's wit and withdrew the accusation.
Takamura Monogatari
Takamura is the main character in the tale Takamura Monogatari, where he has a romantic affair with his half-sister. Few scholars take it to be historically reliable.
Representative poems
One of his poems is included as No. 11 in Fujiwara no Teika's Ogura Hyakunin Isshu:
Takamura contributed six poems to the Kokin Wakashū: #335, 407, 829, 845, 936, and 961. The following is poem 829.
Works related to Takamura
Tatsumiya. 冥界伝説：たかむらの井戸 [Tales from the Realm of the Dead: Takamura's Well].
Yūko Satsuma. 札屋一蓮！.
Yū Itō (1997). 鬼の橋 [Devil's Bridge]. 福音館書店. ISBN 4-8340-1571-8.