Ariwara no Masanobu

Ariwara no Masanobu is the son of Ariwara Komachi, Emperor of Wamato, and his senior consort, Minamoto no Ayaka. He is the emperor's second eldest child and bears the title of Kōshi, or Imperial Child. Masanobu is not the heir - that position belongs to his elder half-brother, Ariwara no Haru. Gifted in both the physical and strategic aspects of the military arts, Masanobu aspires to serve his brother as Shogun.

Born to Strife

As was proper, Emperor Ariwara Komachi waited until the birth of his first son - borne by his empress and wife, Fujiwara no Asuka - before taking a consort. His marriage to Asuka had been a political arrangement without affection, yet he wished neither to offend her nor to cast doubt upon the legitimacy of her child as heir. Once Kōtaishi Ariwara no Haru was born, however, the Emperor felt free to seek companionship more comforting to him. He chose Minamoto no Ayaka, a noblewoman of good family who shared many of his interests, and she accepted the position of senior consort. A little more than a year later, Ariwara no Masanobu was born.

Although no formal insult had been offered her, the Empress was far from pleased. She disliked sharing the Emperor's affections, and even more resented the presence of a second son who might someday threaten her own. More than once she sought to remove the senior consort and her child from the imperial city, yet the Emperor always learned of her schemes in time to thwart them. Instead, he arranged that his two sons be raised together as close brothers - over the Empress's objections - believing that affection between them would provide surer security for the succession than distance and rivalry. He especially instructed his elder son, Haru, in how to treat his younger half-brother, so as to inspire Masanobu's devotion and loyalty to the future Emperor.

The boys proved adventurous children, forever slipping past their attendants to explore the palace grounds and surrounding countryside. Haru was always the leader of their exploits, yet Masanobu was the bolder and more reckless. It was he who would first brave a sheer cliff to secure a rope for his brother to follow - but Haru who chose which mountain they must climb.

Martial Ambitions

As the brothers grew, their educations increasingly diverged, though the Emperor ensured their bond did not wither, arranging time together whenever possible. Haru devoted himself to religious studies, learning the names and rites of the Kami in preparation for his role as intermediary between mortal and divine. Masanobu, by contrast, received a martial education and excelled in both the physical and strategic arts. It was then that he first conceived the ambition of serving his brother as Shogun.

His tutors cautioned him that such a post, for the sake of balance, should traditionally go to a commander drawn from another great family of the realm. Yet Masanobu clung to his vision, pressing it upon both his father and his brother. When word of this reached the Empress, she suggested through intermediaries that the young Kōshi must first prove himself in war so completely that none could oppose his elevation. Masanobu embraced this challenge with zeal. In private he even mused about disguising himself as a common soldier if no more official role could be found.

Such whispers, when they returned to the Empress, made her smile - for should the young Kōshi ever carry them out, he would at last be beyond the protection of his father.