Emperor Enyu

Japanese: 円融天皇 - えんゆうてんのう

Year of death: 2.2.12 (3.1.991)
Year of birth: Tentoku 3.3.2 (959.4.12)
An emperor in the mid-Heian period. His name was Morihira. He was the fifth son of Emperor Murakami, and his mother was Empress Anshi, the daughter of Fujiwara no Michisuke. He became the crown prince at the age of nine, and six months after the Anwa Incident (969), he ascended to the throne at the age of eleven, replacing the sickly Emperor Reizei. During his 16-year reign, his reign was dominated by a power struggle between the brothers Fujiwara no Kanemichi and Kaneie, and the regents and chancellors changed rapidly from Saneyori to Koretada, Kanemichi, and Yoritada. This may have been one of the reasons that drove the emperor to pursue the path of elegance. In Eikan 2 (984), at the age of 26, he abdicated to Emperor Kazan, and the following year, due to illness, he became a monk (his Buddhist name was Kongo-ho). En'yu's consort, Senshi (Kaneie's daughter and Michinaga's sister), became a nun and took the title Higashisanjo-in (the first example of a Nyoin title), and is well known for her influence in politics, but even after becoming a nun, En'yu also had a hand in the politics of the Kazan and Ichijo courts. On the other hand, as a free-spirited retired emperor, he enjoyed leisure activities (waka poetry, Chinese poetry, and gagaku), and made pilgrimages to Iwashimizu-sha Shrine, Ishiyama-dera Temple, and various temples in Nara. He died at the age of 33 at En'yu-ji Temple, which was his patronage temple. His tomb is the Gomurakami Tomb in Utano, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City.

(Oboriya Hisashi)

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

Japanese:

没年：正暦2.2.12(991.3.1)
生年：天徳3.3.2(959.4.12)
平安中期の天皇。名は守平。村上天皇の第5皇子で母は藤原師輔の娘の皇后安子。9歳で皇太弟となり,安和の変(969)の半年後に病弱な冷泉天皇に代わって11歳で即位した。16年間の在位中は藤原兼通,兼家兄弟の政権争いに終始し,摂政,関白も実頼,伊尹,兼通,頼忠と目まぐるしく替わった。天皇を風雅の道へ駆りたてたのもそうしたことが一因であったろう。永観2(984)年,26歳で花山天皇に譲位し,翌年,病により出家(法号は金剛法)。円融の女御詮子(兼家の娘,道長の姉)は出家して東三条院(女院号の初例)と称し,政治に口入れしたことは有名だが,出家後の円融も花山・一条朝の政治に口を出した。一方,自由な上皇の身で遊び(和歌,漢詩,管絃)や,石清水社,石山寺,南都の諸寺巡礼などへの御幸を行った。御願寺である円融寺で33歳の生涯を閉じた。陵は京都市右京区宇多野の後村上陵。

(朧谷寿)

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