Go-Shirakawa

The emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河天皇, Go-Shirakawa Tennō , October 18th 1127 - April 26th 1192) was the sixty-ten-seventh emperor Japan, according to the traditional order of the succession, and reigned of the August 23rd 1155 with the September 5th 1158. It was then emperor withdrawn until his death in 1192.

Its personal name was Masahito (雅仁). Its posthumous Nom was given to him in memory of that of the emperor Shirakawa (one can translate the prefix Go- , 後, by “posterior”, which thus gives “posterior Shirakawa Emperor”.)

Biography

Reign as an emperor

In 1155, with died of his brother the emperor Konoe, the emperor withdrawn Toba and Fujiwara No Tadamichi, the oldest son of the regent Fujiwara No Tadazane, support it in his accession with the throne. Indeed, they were opposed to the emperor withdrawn Sutoku and did not want to see his/her son on the throne. They wanted that Go-Shirakawa holds the throne until his/her own son, the future emperor Nijō, that is to say in age to succeed to him. At the beginning of the reign of Go-Shirakawa, Toba continues to reign as an emperor cloister ( hon-in ) until his death the following year.

At this time, a power struggle called Rébellion of Hōgen starts between the young emperor and Sutoku. Go-Shirakawa gains the support of Samurai S such as Minamoto No Yoshitomo and Taira No Kiyomori, which overcomes the armies of Sutoku. After the rebellion, it directly directs the Japan, before abdicating in favor of his Nijō son in 1158. It becomes itself then withdrawn emperor, and reigns during the reign of five emperors (Nijō, Rokujō, Takakura, Antoku, and Go-Toba) until his death in 1192.

Beginning of the reign as a withdrawn emperor

The two clans Minamoto and Taira, which helped it to seize the power, start to clash, and the situation degenerates quickly, leading to the Rébellion of Heiji in 1159, during which Go-Shirakawa, just like the emperor in title, are removed by Minamoto. Kiyomori returns in urgency in Kyōto and the ten-per-cent tax Minamoto, which ensures a comfortable place at the court to him. At the beginning, Go-Shirakawa and Kiyomori are in good terms, this last starting to trade with the China of the Song and supporting Go-Shirakawa at the same time militarily and financially. Named Daijō-daijin (Prime Minister) in 1167, Kiyomori is then at the top of its power, and the relation between the two starts to degenerate, and Go-Shirakawa tries even a Coup d'etat in 1177 to get rid of Kiyomori, but fails. This one forces it to remain locked up with Toba-in, the palate of his/her father the Toba emperor, in 1179. In 1178, Kiyomori makes of its grandson prince Tokihito, then one month old, the heir to the crown.

Go-Shirakawa, wanting to find its capacity, sends secretly to his/her son the prince Mochihito to deliver with the Minamoto a message proclaiming that them Taira were enemies of the court and requiring the assistance of Minamoto to fight against them.

The war of Gempei

The March 21st 1180, Tokihito, hardly two years age, goes up on the throne and becomes the emperor Antoku, and in June of the same year, Mochihito and Minamoto No Yorimasa launch a revolt which will be immediately repressed the 23 with the first battle of Uji. However, other samurais Minamoto, to start with Yoritomo take again the torch in what becomes the Guerre of Gempei. After the death of Kiyomori in 1181, Go-Shirakawa starts again to reign as an emperor cloister. In 1183, Minamoto No Yoshinaka gains a decisive victory with the battle of Shinohara and them Taira give up the capital. After internal conflicts with the Minamoto clan, Minamoto No Yoshitsune, a half-brother of Yoritomo, definitively eliminates the Taira clan in 1185 from the Bataille from DaN-No-ura.

Last years

After the war, Yoshitsune joined the court of the withdrawn emperor, but the relations between this one and Yoritomo, become the chief of all the Samurai S are degraded and Yoshitsune, considered to be unfair by his/her brother, is eliminated in 1189 with the Bataille from Koromogawa. It soon is followed by the clan Ōshū Fujiwara, the branch of the clan Fujiwara living in the province of Mutsu, shown to have accommodated it.

After these events, Yoritomo and Go-Shirakawa are reconciled, and Yoritomo benefits from dead from Go-Shirakawa in 1192 to found the shogunat of Kamakura.

Genealogy

Go-Shirakawa is the fourth wire of the Empereur Toba. His/her mother was Shōko (璋子), the girl of Fujiwara No Kinzane (藤原公実).

Marry, principal concubines and children

Fujiwara No Kinshi (Yoshiko) ° 1134; oldest daughter of Fujiwara No Kin' yoshi and Fujiwara No Goshi; entry with the palate 16 XI 1155; married imperial (nyogo) 22 XI 1155; empress (Chugu) 11 XII 1156 and (Kogo) 12 III 1159; empress dowager (kotaigo) 6 III 1172; + 12 IX 1209

Fujiwara No Ishi (Atsuko), ° 1116; girl of Fujiwara No Tsunezane and a girl of Fujiwara No Kinzane; married before the accession with the throne; + 6 VIII 1143; posthumous empress dowager (kotaigo) 20 I 1159

First wire: Imperial prince Morihito (????) (Emperor Nijo¯)

Fujiwara No Seishi (Nariko), ° (1125); girl of Fujiwara No Suenari; lady-in-waiting; married called Takakura Sanmi No Tsubone; receives the 3rd rank in 1156 + 1177; of which

First girl: Imperial princess Ryoshi (Akiko) ° 1147; princess vestal of Ise 1156 - 1158; adoptive mother of the emperor Antoku 7 IV 1180; empress (kogo) honorary 13 IX 1182; titrated Impumon-In 4 VIII 1187; Shinyori nun 15 XII 1192; + 19 IV 1216
second wire: Prince priest Shukaku ° 1150 + 1202; monk in Ninnaji in 1156; titrated imperial prince priest 14 VI 1170
third wire: Prince Mochihito ° 1151 + VII 1180; called prince Takakura; of a girl of Takashina No Moriaki, called Sanmi No Tsubone, it had

a son, ° 1173; buddhist monk in 1180; Doson archbishop of Yasui
a girl, called Sanjo Himemiya, ° 1175; adopted by the imperial princess Shoshi (Hachijo-In) in 1192; + 30 III 1204

Second girl: imperial princess Koshi (Yoshiko) ° 1152/1153 + 1192
Third girl: Imperial princess Shikishi (Noriko); ° 1153/1154 + 1 III 1201; princess vestal of Kamo of the 6 XII 1159 to the 20 VIII 1169; comparable with the 3 empresses in 1189; Jonyoho nun in 1190; adoptive mother of the Juntoku emperor in 1200
Fourth girl: Imperial princess Kyushi (Yasuko) ° 1157 + 1171

a girl of Oe No Nobushige, lady-in-waiting, called Bomon No Tsubone, mother of

Fourth wire: Bonze In - E ° 1152 + 1183
Fifth wire: Bonze Joe ° 1156 + 1196
Sixth wire: Bonze Goê ° 1159 +?
Eighth wire: Bonze Joe ° 1163 + 1203

a girl of Minamoto No Nobumori (or Nobumune); lady-in-waiting (nyobo); of which

fifth girl: Kyushi princess, ° 1157; created imperial princess 10 I 1167; + 1171

a girl of Fujiwara No Saneyoshi and a secondary wife, ° 1138; adopted by his/her half-brother Fujiwara No Kin' yoshi; entry with the palate in 1156; titrated Bômon Dono; lady-in-waiting (nyobo); + after 30 IX 1168; mother of

sixth girl: Princess Junshi ° 1158; created imperial princess 30 IX 1168; princess vestal of Ise 1168-1172; + 27 V 1172 Ise

Fujiwara No Soshi, ° 1145; girl of Fujiwara No Kinnori and a girl of Fujiwara No Kiyotaka; entry with the Palate 14 XI 1157; imperial wife (nyogo); nun 23 VII 1173 + 9 V 1231

Will conceal No Jishi (Shigeko), ° 1142; girl of Will conceal No Tokinobu and of Fujiwara No Yushi (Sukeko), girl of Fujiwara No Akiyori; imperial wife in 1165; empress dowager 29 IV 1168; titrated Kenshummon-In 10 V 1169; + 14 VIII 1176; dony

Seventh wire: Imperial prince Norihito (????) (Emperor Takakura)

a girl of the Bonze Onin, called Sanjo No tsubone, lady-in-waiting, of which

ninth wire: Prince priest Doho ° 1166 + 1274
tenth wire: Bonze Shinjo ° (1167) + (1200)

a called prostitute Tanba, of which

eleventh wire: Prince priest Jonin ° 1169 + 1197; abbot of Tendai

Takashina No Eishi, ° (1155) girl of the Choun bonze, back-small girl of Takashina No Akiyuki; married No Narifuse Will conceal (1150 + 1179); ram palate (nyobo); titrated Tango No Tsubone; receives the 2nd rank 19 VII 1191+ 1216; of which

seventh girl: Imperial princess Kinshi ° 13 XI 1181; titrated Sen' yomon-In 19 VII 1191; + 1252

References

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