Emperor Go-Shirakawa ( 後白河天皇 , Go-Shirakawa-tennō , October 18, 1127 – April 26, 1192) was the 77th emperor of Japan , according to the traditional order of succession. His de jure reign spanned the years from 1155 through 1158 , though arguably he effectively maintained imperial power for almost thirty-seven years through the insei system – scholars differ as to whether his rule can be truly considered part of the insei system, given that the Hōgen Rebellion undermined the imperial position. However, it is broadly acknowledged that by politically outmaneuvering his opponents, he attained greater influence and power than the diminished authority of the emperor's position during this period would otherwise allow.
36-653: Prince Mochihito ( 以仁王 , Mochihito-ō ) (died June 1180), also known as the Takakura Prince , and as Minamoto no Mochimitsu (源 以光), was a son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan. He is noted for his role in starting the Genpei War . Believing that Taira no Kiyomori was causing suffering, Mochihito supported the Minamoto clan in their conflict against the Taira . At the same time, Minamoto no Yorimasa led
72-516: A pilgrimage to various shrines, accompanied by armed monks, in order to avoid capture by the Taira. Go-Shirakawa then issued a mandate for Yoshinaka to join with Minamoto no Yukiie in "destroying Munemori and his army", as well as the entire Taira clan. The emperor bestowed upon Yoshinaka the title of Asahi Shōgun (旭 将軍). Go-Shirakawa also contributed to the Taira's defeat by attempting to persuade them to lower their guard; in 1184 he promised that if
108-469: A planned coup d'etat , known as the Shishigatani incident . The conspiracy was betrayed and all involved were punished; Go-Shirakawa was confined to Toba-in, the eponymous palace of Toba. It could be argued that Go-Shirakawa himself further increased Kiyomori's power even after their relationship fell apart. He deposed his son Rokujō in 1168 and elevated Takakura to the imperial throne. Takakura
144-554: The Chrysanthemum Throne , his personal name (his imina ) was Masahito -shinnō (雅仁親王). He was the fourth son of Emperor Toba . His mother was Fujiwara no Tamako , Fujiwara no Kinzane‘s daughter. Major consorts and children: Unless otherwise noted (as BC), years are in CE / AD Imperial Consort and Regent Empress Jingū is not traditionally listed. Taira clan The Taira ( 平 )
180-510: The insei system was the security it granted the emperors, as they often entered religion; the sacrosanctity of monks and priests was an intrinsic part of Japanese culture. Given that Sutoku was overthrown by the military clans and Go-Shirakawa, his position cannot truly be considered to have been secure, Sansom argues, and so the Hōgen Rebellion represents the end of the insei system. In 1158 Go-Shirakawa abdicated to his son Nijō and became
216-636: The warrior monks of Miidera, for various political reasons, could not rely on the support of any other monasteries. Thus, he fled once more, along with a small Minamoto force, across the River Uji , to the Phoenix Hall of the Byōdō-in . There they were caught by the Taira forces, and the Battle of Uji was fought. The bridge was the site of much of the fighting, and the planks were famously smashed to impair
252-548: The 50th Emperor Kanmu , who reigned from 781 to 806 ) proved to be the strongest and most dominant line during the Heian period . A great-grandson of Takamochi, Taira no Korehira , moved to Ise Province (currently part of Mie Prefecture ) and established an important Daimyo dynasty. Masamori , his grandson; and Tadamori , his great-grandson, became loyal supporters of Emperor Shirakawa and Emperor Toba , respectively. Later, Tadamori's son, Taira no Kiyomori , created what
288-439: The 79th emperor; Antoku, the 81st emperor; and Go-Toba, the 82nd emperor. The Imperial Household has designated Hōjū-ji no Misasagi at Kyoto as the emperor's official mausoleum. Go-Shirakawa is usually characterised as manipulative and deceptive, as well as being inconstant and following whatever was the fashion of the day, whether politically or otherwise. Yoritomo called him "the biggest tengu of Japan". Furthermore, he
324-494: The 7th month ), the ex-Emperor Toba died at the age of 54. Soon afterwards, the Hōgen Rebellion broke out – Yorinaga had mustered several hundred warriors to try to press Sutoku's claim and usurp Go-Shirakawa's title. However, Go-Shirakawa gained the support of the two most powerful warrior clans, the Taira and the Minamoto , through their leaders, Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Taira no Kiyomori . Together, they easily defeated
360-672: The Kanmu Heishi bloodline, was eventually destroyed by Minamoto no Yoritomo 's armies at the Battle of Dan-no-ura , the last battle of the Genpei War. This story is told in the Heike Monogatari . This branch of the Kanmu Heishi had many collateral branches, including Hōjō , Chiba , Miura and Hatakeyama . The other major branch of Kanmu Heishi was founded by Takamune-ō (804–867), the eldest son of Prince Imperial Kazurahara and grandson of Emperor Kanmu, who received
396-547: The Minamoto clan in supporting Mochihito's bid for the Imperial Throne . In May 1180, Yorimasa sent out a call to other Minamoto leaders, and to the monasteries ( Enryakuji , Miidera and others) that Kiyomori had offended; he asked for aid against the Taira, in the name of Prince Mochihito. Learning of this, Kiyomori sent men after Mochihito, who retreated to Miidera , at the foot of Mount Hiei , but discovered that
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#1732765313421432-529: The Taira returned the Imperial Regalia and the emperor he would facilitate a truce with the Minamoto. This meant that they were unprepared for the rapid attack of Minamoto no Noriyori and Minamoto no Yoshitsune at the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani , a decisive battle in the war. Throughout the entire war there were disagreements and struggles for power within the Minamoto clan, which was barely held together by Minamoto no Yoritomo . When Yoritomo secured
468-470: The ability of the Taira to cross, but eventually the Minamoto were forced back into the Phoenix Hall, where Yorimasa committed seppuku . Mochihito escaped, but was captured on his way and killed soon afterwards. This biography of a member of the Imperial House of Japan is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Emperor Go-Shirakawa Posthumously, this 12th-century sovereign
504-467: The aforementioned foremost military clans, the Taira and Minamoto, led to the Heiji Rebellion of 1160. The Minamoto lost and the Taira attained ascendancy. As Kiyomori's power reached its zenith, the good relations between him and Go-Shirakawa ended – Kiyomori's reign became hubristic and indeed despotic, with the Taira showing unequivocal disrespect not only towards the imperial clan, but towards
540-424: The armies of Sutoku leaving Go-Shirakawa as the sole imperial ruler. Historian George Sansom argues that because the course of the insurrection was dictated by the military clans, this moment represents a turning point in the nature of Japanese politics; the imperial clan had lost all authority and the military clans now controlled the political landscape. Sansom develops this point to assert that an intrinsic part of
576-489: The character's On'yomi hei ( 平 ) for Taira , while shi ( 氏 ) means " clan ", and ke ( 家 ) is used as a suffix for " extended family ". The clan is the namesake of The Tale of the Heike , an epic account of the Genpei War. Along with the Minamoto , Taira was one of the honorary surnames given by the emperors of the Heian period (794–1185) to their children and grandchildren who were not considered eligible for
612-463: The cloistered emperor (the term used here out of practicality rather than as a validation of one point of view on the aforementioned issue), maintaining this position through the reigns of five emperors ( Nijō , Rokujō , Takakura , Antoku , and Go-Toba ) until his death in 1192. Go-Shirakawa was initially an ally of Kiyomori – the latter began trade with China and supported Go-Shirakawa, not just militarily but also financially. The tension between
648-421: The death of Yoshitsune, Go-Shirakawa and Yoritomo reconciled. Go-Shirakawa allowed Yoritomo to form a shogunate – the imperial authority and validation was required to attain the position of Shogun. In 1192 ( Kenkyū 3, 13th day of the 3rd month ) Go-Shirakawa died at the age of 66. He had been father to two emperors – Nijō, the 78th emperor; Takakura, the 80th emperor and grandfather to three emperors – Rokujō,
684-420: The first to bear the name of Taira, after 825 . Later, descendants of Emperor Nimmyo , Emperor Montoku and Emperor Koko also received the surname. The specific hereditary lines of these emperors are referred to by the posthumous name of the emperor followed by Heishi, for example Kanmu Heishi . The Kanmu Heishi line has two major branches. One was founded in 889 by Taira no Takamochi (great-grandson of
720-470: The naval Battle of Dan-no-Ura , which resulted in the deaths of Antoku and Taira leaders. Following the war, the victorious Minamoto established Japan's first shogunate in Kamakura . The name "Genpei" comes from alternate readings of the kanji "Minamoto" (源 Gen ) and "Taira" (平 Hei ). The clan is commonly referred to as Heishi ( 平氏 , "Taira clan") or Heike ( 平家 , "House of Taira") , using
756-531: The other high-ranking families as well. For example, in 1170 Taira men humiliated the reigning Fujiwara Regent, Fujiwara no Motofusa , after his retinue and that of Kiyomori's son, Shigemori , collided. This meant that in 1169 ( Kaō 1, 6th month ) Emperor Go-Shirakawa entered the Buddhist priesthood at the age of 42 – he felt he could no longer control Kiyomori. He took the Buddhist name of Gyōshin. Furthermore, Kiyomori's behaviour caused Go-Shirakawa to support
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#1732765313421792-406: The provinces following their defeat in 1160. In May 1180, Minamoto no Yorimasa sent a call to arms to his clan in the eastern and northern provinces. The call to arms was issued in the name of Prince Mochihito , Yorimasa's candidate for the imperial throne. Kiyomori became aware of this and subsequently confined Go-Shirakawa even more closely and called for the arrest of his son, Mochihito. Although
828-418: The rebellion was defeated, it was the first of many and would eventually lead to the Taira's downfall. In short, the Minamoto won after a hard-fought war and with the continual support of Go-Shirakawa, who had been in contact with Minamoto no Yoritomo since Kiyomori's death in 1181. In 1183 the army of Minamoto no Yoshinaka entered the capital, allowing for Go-Shirakawa's re-entry into the city – he had made
864-418: The support of Go-Shirakawa in this power struggle, Yoshinaka seized the cloistered emperor and burned his palace. After continued internal struggles within the Minamoto clan and fighting with the Taira, Yoshitsune finally destroyed the Taira clan entirely in 1185 at the naval Battle of Dan-no-ura . Although Yoritomo and Go-Shirakawa disagreed in the late 1180s, again related to internal Minamoto issues, after
900-497: The third son of Yoshitomo, into exile. In 1180 , Yoritomo organized a large-scale rebellion against the rule of the Taira (the Genpei War or Taira-Minamoto ), culminated with the destruction of the Taira by the Minamoto clan and the subjugation of eastern Japan in five years. In 1192 , Minamoto no Yoritomo received the title shogun and created the first bakufu based in Kamakura (Kanagawa Prefecture). The Taira clan had four main branches: These were important members of
936-418: The throne as Emperor to secure his son's position until he came of age, skipping the usual status of Crown Prince. The new Emperor, who would be posthumously named Go-Shirakawa, was enthroned late that year. The resulting effect of disinheriting Sutoku's line, after Sutoku had already previously been made to abdicate in favour of Konoe, infuriated the retired Emperor. On July 20, 1156 ( Hōgen 1, 2nd day of
972-506: The throne. The clan was founded when the Imperial Court grew too large, and the emperor ordered that the descendants of previous emperors from several generations ago would no longer be princes but would instead be given noble surnames and ranks. The decision became applicable during the reign of Emperor Kanmu (782–805) and thus, together with the Minamoto clan, the Taira clan was born. Some grandchildren of Emperor Kanmu were
1008-749: The title of Taira no Ason in the year 825. Members of this branch served as middle-class kuge in the Imperial Court of Kyoto. The Oda clan at the time of Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) also claimed Taira descent, they were descendants of Taira no Chikazane , grandson of Taira no Shigemori (1138–1179). During the Heiji Rebellion (1160), the Seiwa Genji leader, Minamoto no Yoshitomo , died in battle. Taira no Kiyomori gained power in Kyoto forging alliances with retired emperors Shirakawa and Toba . Kiyomori sent Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199),
1044-565: The twilight of the Heian period, the Taira controlled the boy emperor Antoku (himself the grandson of the powerful Kugyō Taira no Kiyomori ) and had effectively dominated the Imperial capital of Heian . However, they were opposed by their rivals the Minamoto clan (the Genji), which culminated in the Genpei War (1180–1185 AD). The five-year-long war concluded with a decisive Taira defeat in
1080-684: Was de facto the last true emperor , before the shogun became the actual head of the country after Go-Shirakawa's death in 1192 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. On August 22, 1155 ( Kyūju 2, 23rd day of the 7th month ), Emperor Konoe died at the age of 17 years without leaving any heirs. There was an ensuing succession dispute: The main candidates were Prince Shigehito, son of retired Emperor Sutoku , and Prince Morihito , son of Go-Shirakawa (then named Prince Masahito). Though, according to Gukansho , Bifukumon-in also suggested her daughter Imperial Princess Akiko , Heian society
1116-570: Was also criticized for excessively patronizing literature and religion, being an avid collector of imayo poetry since his youth, with these poems often being focused on Buddhist themes. He spent lavishly on restoring and expanding temples and shrines, such as his restoration of the Todai-ji after the Taira burned it down in 1180. He was also accused of encouraging the warrior monks of the great temples to attempt to wield even greater influence than they already possessed. Before his ascension to
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1152-440: Was considered the first samurai government in the history of Japan. Taira no Kiyomori, son and heir of Tadamori, rose to the position of Daijō Daijin (great Minister of State), after his victories in the Hōgen Rebellion (1156) and the Heiji Rebellion (1160). Kiyomori succeeded in enthroning his youngest grandson as Emperor Antoku in 1180, an act that led to the Genpei War (Genpei no Sōran, 1180–1185). The last leader of
1188-418: Was fundamentally opposed to the idea of a female ruler. Shigehito was expected to succeed and was supported by Fujiwara no Yorinaga , but court nobles centering around Bifukumon-in and Fujiwara no Tadamichi opposed this, fearing Sutoku gaining power as Cloistered Emperor. Securing the support of Cloistered Emperor Toba , a plan was put into place where 29 year old Prince Masahito, Morihito's father, would take
1224-431: Was named after the 11th-century Emperor Shirakawa . Go- (後), translates literally as "later"; and thus, he is sometimes called the "Later Emperor Shirakawa", or in some older sources, may be identified as "Shirakawa, the second" or as "Shirakawa II". Unusually, the years of Go-Shirakawa's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō ; Kyūju (1154–1156) and Hōgen (1156–1159). He
1260-532: Was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period of Japanese history – the others being the Minamoto , the Fujiwara , and the Tachibana . The clan is divided into four major groups, named after the emperors they descended from: Kanmu Heishi, Ninmyō Heishi, Montoku Heishi, and Kōkō Heishi, the most influential of which was the Kanmu Heishi line. In
1296-478: Was the son of Kiyomori's sister-in-law, and so he attained a familial link to the imperial clan in a manner not dissimilar to that of the Fujiwara. Indeed, Kiyomori could have seized the power of Regent and Go-Shirakawa would have been powerless to stop him, due to this marital link. Go-Shirakawa planned to regain power through the Taira's old rivals, the Minamoto. They had been steadily recovering their strength in
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