Emperor Nijo
Encyclopedia
Emperor Nijō (July 31, 1143 – September 5, 1165) was the 78th emperor
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...

 of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spaned the years from 1158 through 1165.

Genealogy

Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne
Chrysanthemum Throne
The is the English term used to identify the throne of the Emperor of Japan. The term can refer to very specific seating, such as the takamikura throne in the Shishin-den at Kyoto Imperial Palace....

, his personal name (his imina) was Morihito-shinnō (守仁親王).

He was the eldest son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa
Emperor Go-Shirakawa
Emperor Go-Shirakawa was the 77th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession...

. He was the father of Emperor Rokujō
Emperor Rokujo
Emperor Rokujō was the 79th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1165 through 1168.-Genealogy:...

.
  • Fujiwara Masuko (1140–1201): wife of Emperor Nijo (and earlier, she had also been the wife of Emperor Konoe
    Emperor Konoe
    was the 76th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Konoe's reign spanned the years from 1142 through 1155.-Genealogy:...

    ). Later, she was called Grand Empress Dowager Omiya.

Events of Nijō's life

Nijō was proclaimed as heir to Emperor Go-Shirakawa.
  • Hōgen
    Hogen (era)
    was a after Kyūju and before Heiji. This period spanned the years from April 1156 through April 1159. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:* January 24, 1156 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events...

     1
    , 2nd day of the 7th month (1156): Cloistered Emperor Toba
    Emperor Toba
    was the 74th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Toba's reign spanned the years from 1107 through 1123.- Genealogy :...

    -in died at age 54.
  • Hōgen 1, 10th-29th days of the 7th month (1156): The Hōgen Rebellion
    Hogen Rebellion
    The was a short civil war fought in order to resolve a dispute about Japanese Imperial succession. The dispute was also about the degree of control exercised by the Fujiwara clan who had become hereditary Imperial regents during the Heian period....

    , also known as the Hōgen Insurrection or the Hōgen War.
  • Hōgen 4, on the 11th day of the 8th month (1158): In the 3rd year of Go-Sirakawa-tennōs reign (後白河天皇25年), the emperor abdicated; and the succession (‘‘senso’’) was received by his eldest son. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Nijō is said to have acceded to the throne (‘‘sokui’’).


After Nijō was formally enthroned, the management of all affairs continued to rest entirely in the hands of the retired emperor, Go-Shirakawa.
  • Heiji
    Heiji
    was a after Hōgen and before Eiryaku. This period spanned the years from April 1159 through January 1160. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* January 21, 1159 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events...

     1
    , 9th-26th day of the 12th month (1159): The Heiji Rebellion
    Heiji Rebellion
    The was a short civil war fought in order to resolve a dispute about political power. The Heiji no ran encompassed clashes between rival subjects of the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan in 1159. It was preceded by the Hōgen Rebellion in 1156...

    , also known as the
    Heiji Insurrection or the Heiji War.

  • Chōkan
    Chokan
    was a after Ōhō and before Eiman. This period spanned the years from March 1163 through June 1165. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:* February 5, 1163 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events...

     2
    , on the 26th day of the 8th month (1164):The former-Emperor Sutoku died at the age of 46.

  • Eiman
    Eiman
    was a after Chōkan and before Nin'an. This period spanned the years from June 1165 through August 1166. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* February 13, 1165 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events...

     1
    (1165): The infant son of Emperor Nijō was named heir apparent (and this Crown Prince will soon become Emperor Rokujō
    Emperor Rokujo
    Emperor Rokujō was the 79th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1165 through 1168.-Genealogy:...

    .
  • Eiman 1, on the 25th day of the 6th month (1165): In the 7th year of Nijō-tennōs reign (桓武天皇7年), the emperor fell so very ill that he abdicated; and the succession (‘‘senso’’) was received by his son. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Rokujō is said to have acceded to the throne (‘‘sokui’’).
  • Eiman 1, 27th-28th day of the 7th month (1165): The former- Emperor Nijō died at age 22.

Kugyō

Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...

 in pre-Meiji
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...

 eras.

In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Nijō's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
  • Kampaku, Konoe Motozane, 1143–1166.
  • Sadaijin
    Sadaijin
    , most commonly translated as "Minister of the Left", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Sadaijin in the context of a central...

    , Konoe Motozane.
  • Udaijin
    Udaijin
    Udaijin , most commonly translated as the "Minister of the Right", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Udaijin in the context of a central...

  • Nadaijin
  • Dainagon
    Dainagon
    was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century.This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century....


Eras of Nijō's reign

The years of Nijō's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.
  • Hōgen
    Hogen (era)
    was a after Kyūju and before Heiji. This period spanned the years from April 1156 through April 1159. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:* January 24, 1156 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events...

    (1156–1159)
  • Heiji
    Heiji
    was a after Hōgen and before Eiryaku. This period spanned the years from April 1159 through January 1160. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* January 21, 1159 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events...

    (1159–1160)
  • Eiryaku
    Eiryaku
    was a after Heiji and before Ōhō. This period spanned the years from January 1160 through September 1161. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* February 9, 1160 : The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events...

    (1160–1161)
  • Ōhō
    Oho
    was a after Eiryaku and before Chōkan. This period spanned the years from September 1161 through March 1163. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* January 28, 1161 : The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events...

    (1161–1163)
  • Chōkan
    Chokan
    was a after Ōhō and before Eiman. This period spanned the years from March 1163 through June 1165. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:* February 5, 1163 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events...

    (1163–1165)
  • Eiman
    Eiman
    was a after Chōkan and before Nin'an. This period spanned the years from June 1165 through August 1166. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* February 13, 1165 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events...

    (1165–1166)

See also

  • Emperor of Japan
    Emperor of Japan
    The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...

  • List of Emperors of Japan
  • Imperial cult
    Imperial cult
    An imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor, or a dynasty of emperors , are worshipped as messiahs, demigods or deities. "Cult" here is used to mean "worship", not in the modern pejorative sense...

  • Emperor Go-Nijō
    Emperor Go-Nijo
    Emperor Go-Nijō was the 94th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from March 3, 1301 until September 10, 1308...

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