was one of the chief allies of
Minamoto no Yoshitomowas the head of the Minamoto clan and a general of the late Heian period of Japanese history. His son Minamoto no Yoritomo became shogun and founded the Kamakura Shogunate, the first shogunate in the history of Japan.-Hōgen Rebellion:...
in the
Heiji RebellionThe 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...
of 1159. As a member of the Fujiwara clan, Nobuyori might have been in line to become
regentIn Japan, was a title given to a regent who was named to assist either a child emperor before his coming of age, or an empress. The was theoretically a sort of chief advisor for the emperor, but was the title of both first secretary and regent who assists an adult emperor. During the Heian era,...
, and he desired power, which he obtained for a short while following the Rebellion.
In the late 1150s, a dispute arose between the followers of the reigning
Emperor NijōEmperor Nijō was the 78th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spaned the years from 1158 through 1165.- Genealogy :...
and those who favored the retired (
cloisteredThe Insei system , or cloistered rule, was a specific form of government in Japan during the Heian period. In this bifurcated system, an Emperor abdicated, but he retained power and influence. The emperors who withdrew to live in monasteries continued to act in ways which were intended to...
)
Emperor Go-ShirakawaEmperor Go-Shirakawa was the 77th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession...
. Though
Fujiwara no Michinori, also known as ', an aristocratic Confucian scholar and monk, was one of the chief advisors to Emperor Nijō, and one of the chief allies of Taira no Kiyomori, particularly during the Heiji Rebellion of 1159....
and the
Taira clanThe was a major Japanese clan of samurai in historical Japan.In reference to Japanese history, along with Minamoto, Taira was a hereditary clan name bestowed by the emperors of the Heian Period to certain ex-members of the imperial family when they became subjects...
supported Nijō, Nobuyori and his Minamoto allies supported Go-Shirakawa's bid to retain some influence and power.
When
Taira no Kiyomoriwas a general of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan.After the death of his father Taira no Tadamori in 1153, Kiyomori assumed control of the Taira clan and ambitiously entered the political realm in which he...
, head of his clan, left
Kyotois a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
for a time in 1159, it seemed the perfect opportunity for Nobuyori and the Minamoto to make a move; though some say Kiyomori left the city intentionally, luring his enemies into a trap. Nobuyori and the Minamoto
attacked the Sanjō PalaceThe Siege of the Sanjō Palace was the primary battle of the 1159 Heiji Rebellion. In early January of 1160, after Taira no Kiyomori left Kyoto on a family pilgrimage, Fujiwara no Nobuyori and Minamoto no Yoshitomo saw an opportunity to effect changes they sought in the government...
, abducting the former Emperor Go-Shirakawa, killing much of his staff, and setting the building aflame. They brought him to the Great Palace, where Emperor Nijō was being held hostage as well. They then moved on to the home of chief-councillor Fujiwara no Michinori, killing everyone there; Michinori escaped, only to be captured and decapitated soon afterwards. Nobuyori then had Nijō appoint him Chancellor, under duress. Though he still had enemies at Court who encouraged the emperor to resist and to escape, overall Nobuyori's plan had succeeded.
This did not last for long, however, since Taira no Kiyomori returned, and the Minamoto were not sufficiently prepared to defend the city against him. The emperor and ex-emperor both were freed, the Minamoto defeated, and Nobuyori killed.