Background
Moroe no Tachibana was born in 684. His father was Prince Minu, a descendant of Emperor Bidatsu; his mother was Tachibana no Michiyo, also mother of Empress Komyo.
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Moroe no Tachibana
Edit Profile橘 諸兄
Career
At first he was given the title Prince Katsuragi and, as a member of the imperial family, was assigned to a post at court in 710. In 711 he was appointed to the office of sangi, councilor, which allowed him to take part in important deliberations of the court and other state business. In 736 he petitioned the court for permission to take his mother’s name, and he was accordingly removed from the imperial family and made a commoner with the name Tachibana no Moroe.
In 737 an epidemic carried off many members of the Fujiwara family who had held high office in the government, and Moroe, though he had no particular talent for politics, suddenly found himself in a position of power. With Kibi no Makibi and the priest Gembo as his advisors, he proceeded to take over the management of the state.
In 740, Fujiwara no Hirotsugu called out troops in an attempt to restore power to the Fujiwara family, but his efforts ended in failure. In 749 Moroe was given the highest court rank possible for a commoner, that of shoichii, or senior first rank, but by this time his power had begun to wane as a new rival, Fujiwara no Nakamaro (Emi no Oshikatsu) rose to prominence. He took part in the ceremonies marking the completion of the Great Buddha of the Todai-ji in 752, though completely overshadowed by Fujiw'ara no Nakamaro. Against such a background, reports began to circulate that at a certain banquet Moroe had composed a poem that hinted at plans for a coup d’etat. He was about to be condemned to punishment when special pleading from his half-sister, Empress Komyo, secured him a pardon.
He retired from office in 756 and died the following year. After his death, his eldest son, Tachibana no Naramaro, plotted to overthrow Fujiwara no Nakamaro, but the plot was discovered and he was killed in the seventh month of the same year as his father’s death.
Connections
- Father:
- Prince Minu
- Mother:
- Tachibana no Michiyo
- half-sister:
- Kogo Komyo
- Son:
- Tachibana no Naramar
