Prince Takami (高見王)
Prince Takami (year of his birth and death is unclear) was either a member of the Imperial Family or a member of the Imperial Family conferred a family name during the middle of Heian period. In "Sonpi Bunmyaku," records of lineage of the aristocracy, only his name and the fact that he had neither court ranks nor official positions were recorded. According to "Sonpi Bunmyaku," his father was Imperial Prince Kuzuwara (fifth son of the Emperor Kanmu) and TAIRA no Takamochi was his son. It is, however, also not definite (details is explained below). He is a mysterious person who appears only in genealogies such as "Sonpi Bunmyaku."
Year of his birth and death
"Taira sei Oshu Kasai Keizu" (the genealogy of the Kasai family of Taira in Oshu) etc. : 810 - September 14, 857
"Chibake Keizu" (the genealogy of Chiba family) : 817 - 855
"Chiba Taikeizu" (the extended genealogy of Chiba family) : 824 - September 23, 848
"Keizu Sanyo" (pedigree charts compiled in the Edo period) : year of birth are unclear - June 17, 885
As shown above, records are so diversified depending on historical materials that it seems to be appropriate to assume that the year of his birth and death is unclear.
A real person or not
Although Prince Takami is presumed to be the ancestor of the Taira clan, it is doubtful whether he really existed. According to some literature, Imperial Prince Kuzuwara, his father, was granted the family name of Taira for his descendants before Prince Takami was born. Thereafter, Imperial Prince Kuzuwara asked the court to permit his son's demotion from Imperial Family member to subject and obtained its approval. However, there are no records which attest the fact that Prince Takami called himself TAIRA no Takami. Other than the above, a lot of contradictions have been found in relevant literature. Although it has been passed down that he was constitutionally weak, it is still largely doubted, even if that is the case, why he was conferred neither court ranks nor official positions given the fact that he was a member of the Imperial Family and a person who lived up to his full age. Even granted that he was constitutionally weak, it is, on the contrary, a large question why such a weak person was able to leave offspring. Accordingly, there are not a few historians who hold the view that Prince Takami was not a real person and TAIRA no Takamochi, who is presumed his son, was actually the son of Imperial Prince Kuzuwara presumed to be his father.