Yōzei

The emperor Yōzei (陽成天皇 Yōzei-tennō ), 869 - 949) was the fifty-seventh emperor Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Its reign extends from the 876 until 884.

Genealogy

Yōzei is the oldest son of the Emperor Seiwa. His/her mother was Fujiwara No Takakiko (younger sister by oudaijin Fujiwara No Motosune), so known like Nijo-No kisaki. It bore before its advent to the throne the personal name of Sada-akira (惟喬親王).

Events of the life of Yōzei-tennō

In 876, his/her father, the emperor Seiwa, abdicates suddenly and Yōzei is put on the throne at its place. Fujiwara No Mototsune becomes Sesshō (regent) of the young emperor. He keeps this title until in 880, where he becomes Dajō-daijin .

Yōzei reigns until being deposited in 884, and the uncle of its father the substitute on the throne under the name of emperor Kōkō.

According to very scanty information of the imperial files, coming from sources such as the Rikkokushi and the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku , the reason of this dismissal is a murder made by the emperor on one of his vassal. Many official tops of the court regarding the act of Yōzei as exceeding the limits of acceptable, it thus force it to withdraw throne.

Indeed, the Japanese company of the time Heian is very sensitive to the problems of spiritual and personal “pollution”. Death (and especially the fact of killing out of people or the animals) were the worst act of possible pollution, and required days of insulation in order to purify. Insofar as the emperor were a divine figure related to the deities, a pollution of a so extreme degree made by the highest source was seen like extremely ruinous.

In Jinnō Shōtōki, Kitabatake Chitafusa told the history of the reign of the Yōzei emperor. This historian and philosopher of xive the century offered an analysis Shintoïste to us. According to him, this emperor was unforeseeable because it was unable to be the sovereign. When Fujiwara No Mototsune was convinced that the emperor was unworthy to reign, Yozei was removed with discretion -- détrôné indeed. Mototsune was ready to be sacrificed for the peace of the empire; but afterwards, it found only the gratitude of all the court.

The Jōgan era

Jōgan 10 (869): Sada-akira-shinnō was born, and he will become hérétier or Kōtaishi the year according to.
Jōgan 18 , the 29e of the 11th month (December 18th 876): The Seiwa emperor abdicated, and his/her son accepted the burden of advent to the throne (the senso ).
Jōgan 19 (877): Sada-akira reached the throne officially (the sokui ); and the nengō will change, commemorating the beginning of the reign of a new sovereign.

The Gangyō era

Gangyō gannen (元慶元年) or Gangyō 1 , 3rd of the 1st month (877): The new emperor not being old qu of 8 years, and Fujiwara No Mototsune exerted the use of regent.
Gangyo 1 , the 2nd month (877): Ambassadors of the kingdom Korean of Bokkai arrived in the Province of Izumo (雲国, Izumo-No kuni ), of or they were returned on their premises.
Gangyo 1 , the 6th month (877): He reigned a great dryness; one then offered sacrifices to the dieus Hachiman, Kamo, and others of the temples of the Province of Ise, in order to obtain rain.
Gangyo 1 , the 11th month (877): The emperor made the pilgrimage " Daï sió yè."
Gangyo 1 , the 12th month (877): One builds the temple Gangyō-ji.

Gangyō 2 (878): The 9th month, there was a terrible earthquake in Kanto.

Gangyō 4 (880): The former Seiwa emperor died 31 years old; and its image was placed among the kami -- the gods bienfaisans.

Gangyō 7 , the 1e month (883): An ambassador of Bokkai, named Faï-teï, arrived in the Province of Kaga; and Yōzei made it come the 4th month in Miyako. Faï-teï being very-scientist. They discussed on the old story, the literature and poetry.
Gangyō 7 , the 5th month (883): The emperor gave to Faï-teï a festival at the court. There were races of the horses and shootings with the arc; then it returned it in its country.
Gangyō 7 , the 11th month (883): Yōzei started to taste the exercise horse. It maintained a great number of horses at the court. It made races constantly. He admitted many constrained the people to his presence, and contracted their coarse practices. Mototsune, which was informed, came to the palate, and drove out Ono-No Kiyokazu by it, as well as others which were always with the emperor. Since this time, Yōzei remained almost always alone. Sometimes it made throw frogs with the serpens to see them swallowing by these retiles, or it took pleasure to make fight dogs with monkeys. Soon, its amusemens became more dangerous. It killed with its hand of the criminals, and drove out with blows of saber those which dared to him addresser representations to divert of a similar control. But it closed the ear with all its remonstrances.

Gangyō 8 , the 1e month (884): The extravagant practices of Yōzei increased. Mototsune, having come at the court, was pilot that, to devertir itself, the emperor made assemble people on trees, and ordered to bore them with blows of lance to E which they fell dead to ground. Then, Mototsune convainquit qu this prince was unworthy to reign longer, and made use of the stratagem following to settle. It went to the palate, and says to him that it was to be annoyed to be always only, and promised to him to amuse it by a race of chevaus. Yōzei, charmed this proposal, requested it to fix the day when this race would take place. It was agreed that it would be 4th 2nd month. This day, the emperor left by car. Mototsune made at once occupy the foremen by a strong guard, and sent the emperor to the palate " Yo seî-in" has " Nor zio" . He declared qu to him his insanity made it unable to reign, and that he was détrôné. Yōzei cried much, this qu excited the compassion of everyone. One gave him the title of Daijō-tennō. It did not have qu then 17 years. Mototsune was very-haughty; but the great capacity of which he misused, made tremble all the large ones of the court. Several had repentance to have wanted to be to resist to him.

The emperor was often sick. He had reigned only eight years, all in less than one only nengō, the era Gangyō.

Kugyō (公卿)

Emperor Yōzei (陽成天皇), R. 877-884 -- kugyō of Yōzei-tennō

Sesshō, Fujiwara No Mototsune (藤原基経), 877-880
Kampaku, Fujiwara No Mototsune (藤原基経), 880-884
Daijō-daijin, Fujiwara No Mototsune (藤原基経), 880-891
Sadaijin, Minamoto No Tooru (源融), 872-895
Udaijin, Fujiwara No Matotsune (藤原基経), 872-880
Udaijin, Minamoto No Masaru (源多), 882-888

Eras of the reign of Yōzei-tennō

Jōgan 貞観 (859-877)
Gangyō 元慶 (877-885)

References

Brown, Delmer and Ichiro Ishida, eds. (1979). [[Jien] (1221)]], Gukanshō; " Future And the Past: translation and study the “Gukanshō,” year interpretive has off history off Japan written in 1219" translated from the Japanese and edited by Delmer Mr. Brown & Ichirō Ishida. Berkeley: University off California Near. ISBN 0-520-03460-0
Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō (1652). Japanese O daï itsi ran; or, Annals of the emperors of Japan, tr. by Mr. Isaac Titsingh with the assistance of several interpreters attached to the Dutch counter of Nangasaki; work Re., supplemented and horn. on the original Japanese-Chinese, accompanied by notes and preceded by a mythological Outline of history by Japan, by Mr. J. Klaproth. Paris: Asiatic Society Eastern Translation Fund off Great Britain and Ireland. --'' Two exemplires digitalized of this rare book was now made available on line: (1) of the library of the university of Michigan, digitalized January 30, 2007; and (2) of the library of the university of Stanford, digitalized June 23, 2006. '' You can consult it while clicking here.
Varley, H. Paul, ED. (1980). [[Kitabatake Chikafusa] (1359)], Jinnō Shōtōki (" In Chronicle off Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki off Kitabatake Chikafusa" translated by H. Paul Varley). New York: Columbia University Near. ISBN 0-231-04940-4

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