Emperor Shirakawa

Japanese: 白河天皇 - しらかわてんのう

Year of death: 7/7/1129 (7/24/1129)
Year of birth: Tenki 1.6.19 (1053.7.7)
He was an emperor in the late Heian period, who continued to reign as a retired emperor for a long time even after abdicating, and established the tradition of cloistered government. His given name was Sadahito. He was the first son of Emperor Gosanjo. His birth mother, Fujiwara Shigeko, was not the daughter of a regent, as her biological father was Fujiwara Kinnari and her adoptive father was Fujiwara Nobunaga. He was made crown prince in 1069, the year after his father Gosanjo ascended to the throne in 1068. Three years later, in 1070, he ascended to the throne after his father abdicated. However, the problem was that his half-brother, Prince Sanehito, was made crown prince at that time. It is believed that the purpose of Gosanjo's abdication was to make Sanehito the crown prince, and it became clear that Emperor Shirakawa's descendants would be excluded from the imperial succession due to his father's will. Shirakawa's entire life was spent going against his father's wishes and realizing the succession of his own descendants to the throne. The path to this was paved by the deaths of his father and Sanehito. When Sanehito died of illness in 1085, Shirakawa abdicated the following year, 1086, on the same day that he installed his eldest son (Emperor Horikawa) as crown prince. This was a tense and unusual abdication, but it was because Prince Sukehito (Sanehito's full brother) was still a strong candidate to succeed the throne. Shirakawa's long-cherished wish was finally fulfilled in 1103, when Emperor Horikawa gave birth to his eldest son (Emperor Toba). Shirakawa succeeded his grandson, Emperor Toba, to the throne, and then had his eldest son (Emperor Sutoku) ascend to the throne, so that the succession to the throne had reached his great-grandson during his lifetime. This shows the depth of his determination. In 1120, he caused an incident in which the chancellor Fujiwara Tadazane was punished by imperial pardon, which was apparently because Emperor Toba had shown signs of independence in cooperation with Tadazane. Thus, throughout his 77-year life, Shirakawa tried to ensure the succession to the throne and control over his descendants. This may be the essence of what is called cloistered government. Shirakawa is often regarded as an absolute monarch, but in reality it is difficult to see him as such. Although he had strong feelings of love and hate, he was basically cooperative with the nobles. His mischievous and joking side should also be seen in stories such as "The Three Unfaithful Things in the World" and "Prison of Rain Water." <References> Kawachi Shosuke, "A Study of the Cloistered Government of Gosanjo and Shirakawa" ("History of the Middle Ages in the Capital and Countryside")

(Kawachi Shosuke)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：大治4.7.7(1129.7.24)
生年：天喜1.6.19(1053.7.7)
平安後期の天皇で,譲位後も長く太上天皇として君臨し,いわゆる院政の伝統を創った。諱は貞仁。後三条天皇の第1皇子。生母の藤原茂子は実父が藤原公成,養父が藤原能信で,摂関家の娘ではない。父後三条が即位した治暦4(1068)年の翌延久1(1069)年,皇太子に立てられる。さらに3年後の4年,父の譲位を受けて践祚した。しかし,問題はこのとき異母弟の実仁親王が立太子したことにある。後三条の譲位の目的は実仁の立太子にあったと考えられ,この父の意思によって,白河天皇の子孫は皇位継承から除外される方向が明らかになった。白河の全人生は,かかる父の遺志に逆らい,自己の子孫の皇位継承を実現することに費やされる。その途は父と実仁の死によって開かれた。応徳2(1085)年実仁が病死すると,翌応徳3(1086)年,白河は嫡子(堀河天皇)を皇太子に立てたその日に譲位を行った。緊張した異例の譲位であるが,それはなお有力な皇位継承候補者として,輔仁親王(実仁の同母弟)が存在していたためである。白河の宿願は,康和5(1103)年堀河天皇に長男(鳥羽天皇)が誕生して,ようやく果たされた。白河はこの孫の鳥羽天皇の即位に引き続き,さらにその長男(崇徳天皇)も即位させて,ついに在世中に皇位継承は曾孫にまで至ることとなった。その執念の深さが窺われる。保安1(1120)年,関白藤原忠実を勅勘に処した事件を起こすが,これは鳥羽天皇が忠実と連携して自立の動きをみせたためであるらしい。このように77年の生涯を通して,白河は皇位継承と子孫に対する支配を貫徹しようとした。この点に院政と呼ばれるものの本質があろうかと考えられる。白河はよく専制君主と評価されているが,実際にはそのようにはみなし難い。愛憎の情は激しくとも,基本的に貴族と協調的であった。「天下三不如意」や「雨水の禁獄」などの説話にも,その悪戯好きで冗談も口にする一面を読み取るべきであろう。<参考文献>河内祥輔「後三条・白河院政の一考察」(『都と鄙の中世史』)

(河内祥輔)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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