Fujiwara

The clan Fujiwara (藤原氏, Fujiwara-shi) is a family of the Japanese nobility which gave many regents to the Japanese emperors for the periods Nara (奈良時代, Nara jidai ) and Heian (平安時代, Heian jidai ). The clan perduré time Kodai (古代) at the time Kinsei (近世). At the time of Heian official family name was Fujiwara, but after Kamakura (鎌倉時代, Kamakura jidai ) each family kept her original name, Fujiwara being used more only for official reasons. The name Fujiwara means l'" enclosure with the glycines".

Nara time

The political influence of the Fujiwara clan made great strides during the Period Asuka. Nakatomi No Kamatari, a family member Nakatomi (of the low-nobility) carried out a coup d'etat against the clan Soga in 645 and initiated quickly a series of reforms (Réforme of Taika). In 669, the emperor Tenji, who reigned of 661 with 671, granted the Kabane " Fujiwara No Ason" in Kamatari. Then, the name passed to the descendants of Fujiwara No Fuhito (659 - 720), the second wire and heir to Kamatari, which was in sight at the court of several emperors and empresses of the Nara period. Fujiwara No Fuhito made to his/her Miyako girl a concubine of the emperor Mommu. And when prince Obito became the emperor Shômu, Fuhito made him marry one of his/her other daughters, Kômyô. She was the first empress of Japan which did not result from the imperial family itself. Fuhito had four wire and each one of them founded a clan. Among them, Hokke (the family of North) became the chief of the Fujiwara clan.

Heian time

For the period Heian, the Hokke branch of the Fujiwara family managed to establish a position of hereditary regency near the withdrawn emperors, as well for the minor emperors (jap. Sesshô ) that for the adults (jap. Kampaku ).

Many members of the Fujiwara clan occupy then of the stations - keys near many emperors. They were less often the noble ones of court, provincial governors, vice-governors, members of the provincial aristocracy, or Samurai S. the Fujiwara clan was nevertheless most powerful of the four big families which dominated the Japanese policy for the period of Heian (794-1185). The other families were the Tachibana, the Taira and the Minamoto.

The Fujiwara clan exerted an enormous power, particularly for the period of the governments of regency in Xe and XIe centuries, period which knew withdrawn emperors used like puppets.

The Fujiwara clan dominated the government of Japan from 794 to 1160. There is no starting point clearly established as for their domination. However, their power in the imperial administration was lost during the establishment of the first shôgunat by Minamoto No Yoritomo in 1192.

Princes Fujiwara have, at the beginning, been useful of higher ministers in the imperial court ( kampaku ) and regents ( sesshô ) for the minor monarchs.

The Fujiwara clan was thus true the " power behind the trône" during centuries. They apparently never aspired to supplant the imperial dynasty. Instead of that, the influence of the clan was instituted by marriages with the imperial family. The wives of the princes consorts (younger wire) and of the emperors were often women resulting from the Fujiwara clan. Thus, the chiefs of the Fujiwara house were in general the father-in-law, the brother-in-law, the uncle, or the maternal grandfather of the emperor.

The family reached the apogee of her power under Fujiwara No Michinaga (966-1027), a kampaku which was the grandfather of three emperors, the father of six empresses, and the grandfather of seven other imperial wives. It is thus clear that it is Michinaga which reigned on Japan for this period and not the emperors in title.

The Fujiwara clan directed Japan until the reign of the emperor Go-Sanjô, who was the first emperor since the emperor Uda (at the ninth century) whose mother was not Fujiwara. The Go-Sanjô emperor restored the imperial power thanks to his strong personality and with reforms to decrease the influence of Fujiwara.

In 1156, the Rébellion of Hōgen then in 1160 the Rébellion of Heiji make it possible Fujiwara to regain their old power. Unfortunately the Guerre of Gempei will destroy the power of the Fujiwara clan definitively and will see the advent of the Clan Minamoto and the first Bakufu .

Fumimaro Konoe, a famous descendant of the line, became Prime Minister during three mandates during the era Showa.

Members

Here a nonexhaustive list of the members of the Fujiwara clan alphabetically:

Ōshū Fujiwara

See too

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