Yanagiwara Sakimitsu

Count Yanagiwara Sakimitsu was a Japanese statesman and diplomat. He is the father of the poet and novelist Byakuren Yanagiwara.

Family

He was born in Kyoto to the prominent Yanagiwara family. His sister was Yanagihara Naruko, a concubine of the Emperor Meiji and the mother of Emperor Taishō.

Career

Upon Meiji Restoration, Yanagiwara entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1872, he arrived in Tianjin on a mission of looking into the probability of a treaty between China and Japan. From 1874, he served as Minister Plenipotentiary to China.