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49-662: In the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156, Tadamichi sided with the Emperor Go-Shirakawa , while his brother Fujiwara no Yorinaga sided with Emperor Sutoku . In 1162, he ordained as a Buddhist monk and took the Dharma name Enkan (円観). Parents Consort and issue: This biography of a Japanese noble is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Emperor Go-Shirakawa Emperor Go-Shirakawa ( 後白河天皇 , Go-Shirakawa-tennō , October 18, 1127 – April 26, 1192)

98-512: 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

147-463: 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

196-457: Is known to survive. These were descendants of Emperor Kazan . They became the dōjō Shirakawa family , which headed the Jingi-kan for centuries, responsible for the centralised aspects of Shinto . These were descendants of Emperor Sanjō 's son Prince Atsuakira . Starting with one of them, Minamoto no Michisue , the position of Ōkimi-no-kami (chief genealogist of the imperial family) in

245-407: 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 was de facto the last true emperor , before the shogun became the actual head of

294-464: Is termed the ancestor of the Seiwa Genji, there is evidence (rediscovered in the late 19th century by Hoshino Hisashi ) suggesting that he was actually the grandson of Emperor Yōzei rather than of Emperor Seiwa. This theory is not widely accepted as fact, but as Yōzei was deposed for reprehensible behaviour, there would have been a compelling motive to claim descent from more auspicious origins if it were

343-557: The Ashikaga shogunate (1333 to 1573). The Minamoto clan is also called the Genji ( 源氏 , "Minamoto clan") , or less frequently, the Genke ( 源家 , "House of Minamoto") , using the on'yomi readings of gen ( 源 ) for "Minamoto", while shi or ji ( 氏 ) means " clan ", and ke ( 家 ) is used as a suffix for " extended family ". The Emperors of Japan bestowed noble surnames upon members of

392-506: The Ashikaga shogunate of Muromachi period ), Nitta , Takeda , and Tokugawa (founders of the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period ) clans claim descents from the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji branch). The protagonist of the classical Japanese novel The Tale of Genji (The Tale of Minamoto clan)— Hikaru Genji , was bestowed the name Minamoto for political reasons by his father the emperor and

441-544: 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. Minamoto clan Minamoto ( 源 )

490-516: The Hōgen Rebellion (1156), when the Taira executed most of the line, including Minamoto no Tameyoshi . During the Heiji Disturbance (1160), the head of the Seiwa Genji, Minamoto no Yoshitomo , died in battle. Taira no Kiyomori seized power in Kyoto by forging an alliance with the retired emperors Go-Shirakawa and Toba and infiltrating the kuge . He sent Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199),

539-565: The Kamakura period (1192–1333 AD) of Japanese history. The name "Genpei" comes from alternate readings of the kanji "Minamoto" (源 Gen ) and "Taira" (平 Hei ). The Kamakura Shogunate was overthrown by Emperor Go-Daigo in the Kenmu Restoration of 1333. Three years later the Kenmu government would then itself be overthrown by the Ashikaga clan , descendants of the Seiwa Genji who established

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588-564: The Kawachi Genji was a leader of a buke . His descendants set up the Kamakura shogunate , making his a prestigious pedigree claimed by many buke , particularly for the direct descendants in the Ashikaga clan (that set up the Ashikaga shogunate ) and the rival Nitta clan . Centuries later, Tokugawa Ieyasu would claim descent from the Seiwa Genji by way of the Nitta clan. These were descendants of Emperor Yōzei . While Minamoto no Tsunemoto

637-729: The Ministry of the Imperial Household was passed down hereditarily. These were descendants of Emperor Go-Sanjō 's son Prince Sukehito . Sukehito's son Minamoto no Arihito was a sadaijin . Minamoto no Yoritomo 's vassal Tashiro Nobutsuna , who appears in the Tale of the Heike , was allegedly Arihito's grandson (according to the Genpei Jōsuiki ). This line consisted solely of Emperor Go-Shirakawa son Mochihito-ō (Takakura-no-Miya). As part of

686-609: The Sasaki clan of the Ōmi Genji , and the Izumo Genji . These were descendants of Emperor Daigo . His son Minamoto no Takaakira became a sadaijin , but his downfall came during the Anna incident . Takaakira's descendants include the Okamoto and Kawajiri clans. Daigo's grandson Minamoto no Hiromasa was a reputed musician. These were descendants of Emperor Murakami . His grandson Morofusa

735-522: The imperial dynasty , making both clans distant relatives. The most prominent of the several Minamoto families, the Seiwa Genji , descended from Minamoto no Tsunemoto (897–961), a grandson of Emperor Seiwa . Tsunemoto went to the provinces and became the founder of a major warrior dynasty. Minamoto no Mitsunaka (912–997) formed an alliance with the Fujiwara. Thereafter the Fujiwara frequently called upon

784-602: The imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility . In May 814, the first emperor to grant the surname "Minamoto" was Emperor Saga , to his seventh son— Minamoto no Makoto , in Heian-Kyō (modern Kyōto ). The practice was most prevalent during the Heian period (794–1185 AD), although its last occurrence was during the Sengoku period . The Taira were another such offshoot of

833-510: 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

882-572: The royal class (and therefore outranked members of Minamoto clans). The bestowing of the Minamoto name on a (theretofore-)prince or his descendants excluded them from the royal class altogether, thereby operating as a reduction in legal and social rank even for ō -princes not previously in the line of succession. Many later clans were formed by members of the Minamoto clan, and in many early cases, progenitors of these clans are known by either family name. There are also known monks of Minamoto descent; these are often noted in genealogies but did not carry

931-439: 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

980-534: 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

1029-490: The Minamoto to restore order in the capital, Heian-Kyō (modern Kyōto ). Mitsunaka's eldest son, Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948–1021), became the protégé of Fujiwara no Michinaga ; another son, Minamoto no Yorinobu (968–1048) suppressed the rebellion of Taira no Tadatsune in 1032. Yorinobu's son, Minamoto no Yoriyoshi (988–1075), and grandson, Minamoto no Yoshiie (1039–1106), pacified most of northeastern Japan between 1051 and 1087. The Seiwa Genji's fortunes declined in

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1078-569: 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

1127-460: 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

1176-424: 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

1225-587: The case. These were descendants of Emperor Kōkō . The great-grandson of his firstborn Prince Koretada , Kōshō , was the ancestor of a line of busshi , from which various styles of Buddhist sculpture emerged. Kōshō's grandson Kakujo established the Shichijō Bussho workshop. These were descendants of Emperor Uda . Two sons of Prince Atsumi , Minamoto no Masanobu and Minamoto no Shigenobu became sadaijin . Masanobu's children in particular flourished, forming five dōjō houses as kuge , and as buke

1274-425: The clan name (in favour of a dharma name ). The Minamoto is the ancestor and parent clan of many notable descendant clans, some of which are Ashikaga , Tokugawa , Matsudaira , Nitta , Takeda , Shimazu , Sasaki , Akamatsu , Kitabatake , Tada, Ota , Toki , Yamana , Satomi , Hosokawa , Satake , Yamamoto, Hemi, Ogasawara , Yasuda , Takenouchi, Hiraga, Imagawa , Miyake , etc. There were 21 branches of

1323-472: The clan, each named after the emperor from whom it descended. Some of these lineages were populous, but a few did not produce descendants. The Saga Genji are descendants of Emperor Saga . As Saga had many children, many were bestowed the uji Minamoto, declassing them from imperial succession. Among his sons, Makoto , Tokiwa , and Tōru took the position of Minister of the Left ( sadaijin ); they were among

1372-463: 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

1421-588: 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

1470-421: 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,

1519-404: 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. Posthumously, this 12th-century sovereign was named after the 11th-century Emperor Shirakawa . Go- (後), translates literally as "later"; and thus, he

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1568-814: The most powerful in the Imperial Court in the early Heian period . Some of Tōru's descendants in particular settled the provinces and formed buke . Clans such as the Watanabe , Matsuura , and Kamachi descend from the Saga Genji. Noted Saga Genji and descendants include: History records indicate that at least three of Emperor Saga's daughters were also made Minamoto ( Minamoto no Kiyohime , Minamoto no Sadahime , and Minamoto no Yoshihime ), but few records concerning his daughters are known. They were descendants of Emperor Ninmyō . His sons Minamoto no Masaru and Minamoto no Hikaru were udaijin . Among Hikaru's descendants

1617-526: 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

1666-406: 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

1715-418: 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

1764-473: The succession dispute that led to the opening hostilities of the Genpei War , he was declassed (renamed " Minamoto no Mochimitsu ") and exiled. These were descendants of Emperor Juntoku 's sons Tadanari-ō and Prince Yoshimune . The latter's grandson Yoshinari rose to sadaijin with the help of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu . This line consisted solely of Emperor Go-Saga 's grandson Prince Koreyasu . Koreyasu-ō

1813-418: 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

1862-441: The third son of Minamoto no Yoshimoto of the Seiwa Genji, into exile. In 1180, during the Genpei War , Yoritomo mounted a full-scale rebellion against the Taira rule, culminating in the destruction of the Taira and the subjugation of eastern Japan within five years. In 1192, he received the title shōgun and set up the first bakufu in the history of Japan at Kamakura — Kamakura shogunate . The later Ashikaga (founders of

1911-418: 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

1960-546: Was Minamoto no Atsushi , adoptive father of the Saga Genji's Watanabe no Tsuna and father of the Seiwa Genji's Minamoto no Mitsunaka 's wife. These were descendants of Emperor Montoku . Among them, Minamoto no Yoshiari was a sadaijin , and among his descendants were the Sakado clan who were Hokumen no Bushi . These were descendants of Emperor Seiwa . The most numerous of them were those descended from Minamoto no Tsunemoto , son of Prince Sadazumi . Hachimantarō Yoshiie of

2009-459: Was a noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility since 814. Several noble lines were bestowed the surname, the most notable of which was the Seiwa Genji , whose descendants established the Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunates following the Heian era. The Minamoto

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2058-565: 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

2107-454: Was an udaijin and had many descendants, among them several houses of dōjō kuge . Until the Ashikaga clan took it during the Muromachi period , the title of Genji no Chōja always fell to one of Morofusa's progeny. These were descendants of Emperor Reizei . Though they are included among the listing of 21 Genji lineages, no concrete record of the names of his descendants made Minamoto

2156-451: Was delegated to civilian life and a career as an imperial officer. The Genpei War is also the subject of the early Japanese epic The Tale of the Heike ( Heike Monogatari ). Even within royalty there was a distinction between princes with the title shinnō ( 親王 ) , who could ascend to the throne, and princes with the title ō ( 王 ) , who were not members of the line of imperial succession but nevertheless remained members of

2205-418: 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

2254-568: Was installed as a puppet shōgun (the seventh of the Kamakura shogunate ) at a young age, and was renamed " Minamoto no Koreyasu " a few years later. After he was deposed, he regained royal status, and became a monk soon after, thereby losing the Minamoto name. These were descendants of Emperor Go-Fukakusa 's son Prince Hisaaki (the eighth shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate ). Hisaaki's sons Prince Morikuni (the next shōgun ) and Prince Hisayoshi were made Minamoto. Hisayoshi's adopted "nephew" (actually Nijō Michihira 's son) Muneaki became

2303-667: Was one of the four great clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period in Japanese history —the other three were the Fujiwara , the Taira , and the Tachibana . In the late Heian period, Minamoto rivalry with the Taira culminated in the Genpei War (1180–1185 AD). The Minamoto emerged victorious and established Japan's first shogunate in Kamakura under Minamoto no Yoritomo , who appointed himself as shōgun in 1192, ushering in

2352-399: 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

2401-422: 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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