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* ''Born: [[694]]''
* ''Born: [[694]]''
* ''Died: [[737]]''
* ''Died: [[737]]''
* ''Titles: Governor of [[Hitachi|Hitachi province]] ([c. [[719]]-[[723]])''
* ''Titles: Governor of [[Hitachi|Hitachi province]] (c. [[719]]-[[723]])''
* ''Distinction: third son of [[Fujiwara Kamatari]]<ref>Mark C. Funke, "Monumenta Nipponica", "Hitachi no Kuni Fudoki"</ref>''
* ''Distinction: third son of [[Fujiwara no Fuhito]]''
* Japanese:
* Japanese: 藤原宇合 (Fujiwara no Umakai)
==Notes==
==General==
Fujiwara no Umakai was born in 694 to [[Fujiwara Fuhito|Fujiwara no Fuhito]], a powerful son of the founder of the [[Fujiwara clan|Fujiwara family]], [[Fujiwara Kamatari|Fujiwara no Kamatari]].
In [[717]], Umakai was chosen as a vice-ambassador to China, and he returned the following year, [[718]].
In [[719]], Fujiwara no Umakai became governor of Hitachi province, having just returned to Japan from China where he was vice-envoy [[Kentoshi]]. In his new post, he was also in charge of inspecting the leadership of Kazusa, Awa, and Shimotsu Fusa provinces.
By [[724]] he headed the Ministry of Ceremonies, and held Upper Senior 4th rank. In the same year he was appointed General-in-chief to suppress the [[Emishi]] in northeastern Japan. For his military service he was promoted again, this time to the Junior 3rd rank.
In [[726]] he was a construction supervisor on the new [[Naniwa Palace]]. In [[732]] he was the military governor of the Western Sea district.
Umakai was married to [[Kume Wakume|Kume no Wakume]], by whom he had a son in [[732]] named [[Fujiwara Momokawa|Fujiwara no Momokawa]] who would eventually rise to a position as a Councilor on the State Council.
An accomplished poet, the ''[[Man'yoshu]]'' contains six of his works, with others in the collection ''Yearnings for the Ancient Chinese Style''.
Along with three of his brothers, Umakai died in a nationwide outbreak of smallpox that killed numerous aristocrats, and it is suggested in the Cambridge History of Japan, "approximately one-third of the entire population perished during those two years."<ref>Delmer M. Brown, John Whitney Hall, et al (eds.), ''The Cambridge History of Japan'', vol 1 (1988), 250-251.</ref> At his death he held Senior 3rd rank and was an Adviser of the State Council, Minister of Ceremonies, and concurrent Director of the [[Dazaifu]].
==References==
* Mark C. Funke, "Monumenta Nipponica", "Hitachi no Kuni Fudoki"
* Wang, Zhenping. ''Ambassadors from the Islands of Immortals: China-Japan Relations in the Han-Tang Period'', Association for Asian Studies and University of Hawai'i Press, HI, 2005.
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[[Category:Nara Period]]
[[Category:Nobility]]
[[Category:Diplomats]]
