Sugawara no Kiyotomo (菅原 清公, 770 – November 26, 842), also read as Kiyokimi, was a Japanese court noble, poet, and politician of the early Heian period.

[1][2] He excelled in his studies and was a monjō tokugōshō, a title awarded to the two best students at the university who are eligible to take the examination to become a government official.

[3] After this, he served as chief expert on literacy (monjō hakase), Vice Minister of Ceremonial Affairs (shikibu taifu), Senior Assistant of the Imperial Prosecuting and Investigating Office (danjō daihitsu), and Mayor of the Left Capital District (Sakyō no Daibu), and received the court rank of Junior Third Rank.

However, the upper court nobility (kugyō) opposed this decision as they did not want "the founding father of the nation" of such great talent to be sent so far.

[1] In his elder years, he began having trouble to walk, and was allowed to enter the Imperial Palace on a bullock carriage.