Aheng Incident

This was an incident in the process of establishing an exclusive authority by the Fujiwara clan. When Emperor Uda ascended to the throne in 887 (Ninna 3), the position of Kanpaku was given to the Grand Minister of State Fujiwara no Mototsune, who had been instrumental in supporting Emperor Uda. At that time, the imperial edict drawn up by the Emperor's trusted vassal, Tachibana no Hiromi, included a phrase stating that the position should be filled by A-Heng (the title of the Prime Minister in the Yin dynasty). However, Fujiwara no Sukeyo, a scholar and Mototsune's steward, and others argued that A-Heng did not have a specific position, and as a result Mototsune stopped overseeing government affairs, causing a backlog of official affairs. Hiroaki refuted the allegations by submitting a letter of condolence to Gojo, but the views of the scholars gathered by the Minister of the Left, Minamoto no Toru, were in sympathy with Sase's argument, and the matter was resolved by issuing a new imperial edict. In his diary, the Emperor wrote, "In the end, I was unable to achieve my goal, and instead followed the request of the Minister. This is how things are in this corrupt world, and we must take a deep breath." The incident began as a quarrel between scholars, when Sase, using the power of the regent family, tried to overthrow Hiroaki. However, it did not end as a fight between scholars, but developed into a fight between the Emperor and Mototsune over leadership within the Imperial Court, and the Emperor succumbed to Mototsune, who succeeded in manipulating the majority. From an institutional perspective, by avoiding Aheng and sticking to his position as regent, Mototsune succeeded in overcoming the ambiguous sekko system that had existed since the time of his father Yoshifusa.He established the system of the regent that allowed him to be involved in all matters of announcement even after the emperor had completed his coming-of-age ceremony and was able to exercise supreme power himself, and he completed the kyusai system, which served as the institutional basis for the Fujiwara clan to build their exclusive authority.

[Morita Tei]

"The Imperial System and the Dajokan System in Ancient Japan" by Yoshihisa Ishio (1962, Yuhikaku) "Dynasty Politics" by Tei Morita (1979, Kyoikusha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

藤原氏による専権体制確立過程における一事件。887年（仁和3）宇多(うだ)天皇が即位すると、その擁立に功績のあった太政(だいじょう)大臣藤原基経(もとつね)に関白の任を与えることになった。その際、天皇の近臣である文章博士(もんじょうはかせ)橘広相(たちばなのひろみ)がつくった詔(みことのり)に、阿衡（殷(いん)の宰相の職名）をもってその任となせとの句があったのを、基経の家司(けいし)で学者の藤原佐世(すけよ)らが阿衡には典職（具体的な職務）なしとの主張を行い、それにより基経が政務をみることをやめたため、公務の渋滞をきたした。広相は五条の愁文を奏して反駁(はんばく)したが、左大臣源融(とおる)が徴した博士らの見解は佐世の主張に同調的であり、結局詔書を改めて施行することによって落着した。天皇は日記のなかに「ついに志を得ず、枉(ま)げて大臣の請に随う、濁世のことかくの如(ごと)し、長大息をなすべきなり」との感慨を記している。事件の発端は学者間の反目にあり、摂関家の威を借りた佐世が広相の追い落としを図ったことにあるが、学者間の争いに終わらず、宮廷内の主導権をめぐる天皇と基経の争いに発展し、多数派工作に成功した基経の前に天皇が屈したのであった。制度的にみるならば、基経は阿衡を避け関白に固執することで、父良房(よしふさ)以来のあいまいさを残していた摂行(せっこう)制度の克服に成功し、天皇が元服を終え自ら大権を行うことが可能になった段階においても、奏宣のことにはすべて関与しうるという関白の制を確立し、藤原氏が専権体制を築くにあたっての制度的よりどころたる宮宰(きゅうさい)制度を完成した。

［森田　悌］

『石尾芳久著『日本古代の天皇制と太政官制度』（1962・有斐閣）』▽『森田悌著『王朝政治』（1979・教育社）』

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