Emperor Uda: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Emperor of Japan from 887 to 897}} | {{Short description|Emperor of Japan from 887 to 897}} | ||
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}{{Infobox royalty | {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} | ||
{{Infobox royalty | |||
| name = Emperor Uda<br>{{nobold|{{lang|ja|宇多天皇}}}} | | name = Emperor Uda<br>{{nobold|{{lang|ja|宇多天皇}}}} | ||
| succession = [[Emperor of Japan]] | | succession = [[Emperor of Japan]] | ||
| Line 16: | Line 17: | ||
| royal house = [[Imperial House of Japan]] | | royal house = [[Imperial House of Japan]] | ||
| father = [[Emperor Kōkō]] | | father = [[Emperor Kōkō]] | ||
| mother = {{ill|Princess Hanshi|lt=Hanshi|ja|班子女王 | | mother = {{ill|Princess Hanshi|lt=Hanshi|ja|班子女王}} | ||
| birth_date = June 10, 866 | | birth_date = June 10, 866 | ||
| birth_place = Heian Kyō (Kyōto) | | birth_place = Heian Kyō (Kyōto) | ||
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| burial_place = ''Ōuchiyama no misasagi'' (大内山陵) (Kyoto)| | | burial_place = ''Ōuchiyama no misasagi'' (大内山陵) (Kyoto)| | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{Nihongo|'''Emperor Uda'''|宇多天皇|Uda-[[tennō]]|June 10, 866 – September 3, 931}} was the 59th [[emperor]] of [[Japan]],<ref name="kunaicho">[[Imperial Household Agency]] (''Kunaichō''): [http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/ryobo/guide/059/index.html 宇多天皇 (59)]</ref> according to the traditional [[List of Emperors of Japan|order of succession]].<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' pp. 67–68.</ref> Uda's reign spanned the years from [[Heian period|887 through 897]].<ref>Brown, Delmer ''et al.'' (1979). ''Gukanshō,'' pp. 289–290; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). ''Jinnō Shōtōki,'' pp. 175–179; Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). {{Google books|18oNAAAAIAAJ|''Annales des empereurs du japon,'' pp. 125–129.|page=125}}</ref> | |||
{{Nihongo|'''Emperor | Before his ascension to the [[Chrysanthemum Throne]], his personal name (''[[imina]]'')<ref>Brown, pp. 264; prior to [[Emperor Jōmei]], the personal names of the emperors were very long and people did not generally use them. The number of characters in each name diminished after Jomei's reign.</ref> was {{Nihongo|Sadami|定省}}<ref>Titsingh, [https://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran&pg=PP9 p. 125]; Brown, p. 289; Varley, 175.</ref> or ''Chōjiin-tei''.<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, p. 8.</ref> | ||
==Biography== | |||
===Early life=== | |||
Emperor was the seventh son of [[Emperor Kōkō]], and his mother was Empress Dowager Hanshi (daughter of Prince Nakano, son of [[Emperor Kanmu]]).<ref>Varley, p. 175.</ref> His father, Emperor Kōkō, was the great-uncle of the previous [[Emperor Yōzei]]. Having ascended the throne after Yōzei was forced to abdicate, Emperor Kōkō felt that the throne should return to the legitimate line, such as Prince Sadayasu, Emperor Yōzei's younger brother by the same mother, and in June 884, he bestowed the surname [[Minamoto clan|Minamoto]] upon 26 princes and princesses in his own direct line, demoting them to commoner status. Prince Sadami was one of them, and was known as Minamoto no Sadami. However, before could formally proclaim a successor, Kōkō fell seriously ill in 887, three years after his enthronement. [[Kanpaku|Regent]] [[Fujiwara no Mototsune]] stated that the emperor's preference was for Sadami rather than Sadayasu. Sadayasu was close to the main line of the imperial family and was also Mototsune's nephew, but his mother, [[Fujiwara no Takaiko]], was not on good terms with Mototsune, despite being their full sister, so he was avoided. On the other hand, Mototsune himself was not particularly fond of Sadami, but Sadami was the adopted son of Mototsune's close half-sister, Fujiwara no Yoshiko, and Yoshiko, who had strong influence in the imperial court as a Naishi no Kami (a lady-in-waiting to the emperor), strongly recommended him, so the court decided. There were also problems with the younger brother Sadami succeeding to the throne ahead of his older brother Minamoto no Koretada, so the emperor accepted the recommendation submitted by Mototsune and other ministers and appointed him as Crown Prince. On August 25, Sadami was reinstated as a member of the imperial family and received the title of Imperial Prince. The following day, the 26th, he was appointed Crown Prince, but on that same day, Emperor Kōkō died, so Sadami ascended the throne and was officially enthroned on November 17. | |||
===The Akō controversy=== | |||
Emperor Uda lacked experience, and [[Fujiwara no Mototsune]] who had served as regent for four generations, held all political power. Shortly after the enthronement ceremony, on November 21, Emperor Uda issued an imperial decree instructing Mototsune to continue in his position as regent. However, the Emperor, together with Tachibana no Hiromi, then issued a second edict equating "Kanpaku" with the title of "Ako". ''Ako'', which comes from the Chinese title ''a-heng'', was intended to be just an honorific title without any official duties, which would effectively sideline Mototsune from the government. However, the court was dominated by the Fujiwara clan, and those not of the clan were afraid of their influence, so Emperor Uda's interpretation of the title was not accepted, and he was forced to revoke the edict in June 888. <ref>{{cite book |title=The nobility of failure: tragic heroes in the history of Japan |authorlink=Ivan Morris |last=Morris |first=Ivan I. |page=[https://archive.org/details/nobilityoffailur00morr/page/45 45] |year=1975 |publisher=[[Secker and Warburg]] |isbn=9780030108112 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/nobilityoffailur00morr/page/45 }}</ref> The controversy ended with Fujiwara no Mototsune being made kanpaku and the term "Ako" removed from the imperial edict. Uda attempted to reconcile the situation by having Mototsune's daughter, Fujiwara no Onshi, enter the imperial court, and finally calmed the situation in October. It was only after Mototsune died in 891, that Uda was able to begin his direct rule. In 894, Emperor Uda established [[Ninna-ji]] as an imperial temple. | |||
Emperor Uda also appointed Mototsune's eldest son, [[Fujiwara no Tokihira]], as a [[Sangi (Japan)|councilor]], while also promoting individuals from outside the main line of the Fujiwara clan, such as [[Minamoto no Yoshiari]], [[Sugawara no Michizane]], and [[Fujiwara no Yasunori]]. During this period, the dispatch of [[Japanese missions to Tang China]] was suspended, envoys to various provinces to inquire about the suffering of the people were sent, the system of allowing entry into the imperial court was established, the ''[[Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku]]'' and ''[[Ruijū Kokushi]]'' official national histories were compiled, and numerous government offices were consolidated or abolished. | |||
===Abdication=== | |||
On August 4, 897, Emperor Uda suddenly proclaimed his Crown Prince Atsuhito to be of age, abdicated the throne on the same day, and became the retired emperor. While it was once widely believed that his sudden abdication was to devote himself to Buddhism, as Uda himself had written that he was deeply shocked by the death of [[Minister of the Right]] Minamoto no Yoshiari; however, the action enabled him to secure the succession in his own lineage before demands arose from the Fujiwara clan that he select a candidate whom they favored. This is reinforced by the fact that he instructed the newly enthroned [[Emperor Daigo]], to appoint his younger sister, Princess Tamako, as his principal consort, preventing the main line of the [[Fujiwara Hok-ke]] from becoming his maternal relatives. Furthermore, in the appointments made just before his abdication, he appointed Sugawara no Michizane as Provisional Grand Councilor, placing him second only to Fujiwara Tokihira, who held the highest position in the Grand Council of State as Grand Councilor. He then ordered both Tokihira and Michizane to serve as Inspectors of the Imperial Household, instructing them to jointly lead the government. However, this appointment was unpopular with the powerful court nobles, leading to an incident where some court officials refused to perform their duties. Michizane pleaded with Emperor Uda to order these court officials to return to service, and the new government finally began. | |||
In 899, ex-Emperor Uda took the tonsure at [[Tō-ji]] and entered Ninna-ji as a monk. He made pilgrimages to [[Mount Kōya]], [[Mount Hiei]], and the [[Kumano Sanzan]]. | |||
In January 901, Sugawara no Michizane was exiled to [[Dazaifu (government)|Dazaifu]] on suspicion of attempting to place Prince Tokiyo, Uda's son and his own son-in-law, on the throne. Upon receiving this news, the ex-emperor rushed to the Imperial Palace, but the gates were tightly closed, and the fate of Michizane was decided there. Daigo had no male heir at the time; however, Daigo resented the growing influence of Michizane, and by extension the continued meddling of his father in political affairs. When Fujiwara no Tokihira, who had continuously restrained Uda's actions, died in 909, Uda regained influence over the court. | |||
On April 22, 913, he held a large-scale poetry contest, the "Teiji-in Poetry Contest," in the imperial palace. This helped to promote the flourishing of Japanese culture. As Daigo's health deteriorated, there were instances where Uda acted as his representative in governing affairs. Then, when Daigo died in 930, Uda became regent to the new emperor, [[Emperor Suzaku]]. | |||
Ex-emperor Uda died on September 3, 931 at the age of 65. His diary ''[[Kanpyō Gyoki]]'' is an important source of information on this period in Japanese history. | |||
Uda had five Imperial consorts and 20 Imperial children.<ref name="b289">Brown, p. 289.</ref> Particularly important sons include: | |||
* [[Emperor Daigo|Prince Atsuhito]] (884–930) | * [[Emperor Daigo|Prince Atsuhito]] (884–930) | ||
* [[:ja:敦実親王|Prince Atsuzane]] {{Nihongo|2=敦実親王}} (893–967)<ref>Kitagawa, Hiroshi ''et al.'' (1975). ''The Tale of the Heike'', p. 503.</ref> | * [[:ja:敦実親王|Prince Atsuzane]] {{Nihongo|2=敦実親王}} (893–967)<ref>Kitagawa, Hiroshi ''et al.'' (1975). ''The Tale of the Heike'', p. 503.</ref> | ||
=== | ===Uda Genji=== | ||
In ancient Japan, there were four noble clans, the ''[[Japanese clans|Gempeitōkitsu]]'' {{Nihongo|2=源平藤橘}}. One of these clans, the [[Minamoto clan]] {{Nihongo|2=源氏}}, is also known as Genji. Some of Uda's grandchildren were granted the surname ''Minamoto'', the most used surname for former Japanese royalty. In order to distinguish Uda's descendants from other Genji, they became known as the [[Uda Genji]] {{Nihongo|2=宇多源氏}}, some of which moved to [[Ōmi Province]] and became known as [[Sasaki clan]] {{Nihongo|2=佐々木氏}} or [[:ja:近江源氏|Ōmi Genji]] {{Nihongo|2=近江源氏}}. | In ancient Japan, there were four noble clans, the ''[[Japanese clans|Gempeitōkitsu]]'' {{Nihongo|2=源平藤橘}}. One of these clans, the [[Minamoto clan]] {{Nihongo|2=源氏}}, is also known as Genji. Some of Uda's grandchildren were granted the surname ''Minamoto'', the most used surname for former Japanese royalty. In order to distinguish Uda's descendants from other Genji, they became known as the [[Uda Genji]] {{Nihongo|2=宇多源氏}}, some of which moved to [[Ōmi Province]] and became known as [[Sasaki clan]] {{Nihongo|2=佐々木氏}} or [[:ja:近江源氏|Ōmi Genji]] {{Nihongo|2=近江源氏}}. | ||
Among the Uda Genji, [[Minamoto no Masanobu|Minamoto no Masazane]] {{Nihongo|2=源雅信}}, a son of [[:ja:敦実親王|Prince Atsumi]] {{Nihongo|2=敦実親王}} succeeded in the court. Masazane became ''[[sadaijin]]'' (Minister of the Left). One of Masazane's daughters, Minamoto no Rinshi {{Nihongo|2=源倫子}} married [[Fujiwara no Michinaga]] and from this marriage three empresses dowagers and two regents (''sesshō'') were born. | Among the Uda Genji, [[Minamoto no Masanobu|Minamoto no Masazane]] {{Nihongo|2=源雅信}}, a son of [[:ja:敦実親王|Prince Atsumi]] {{Nihongo|2=敦実親王}} succeeded in the court. Masazane became ''[[sadaijin]]'' (Minister of the Left). One of Masazane's daughters, Minamoto no Rinshi {{Nihongo|2=源倫子}} married [[Fujiwara no Michinaga]] and from this marriage three empresses dowagers and two regents (''sesshō'') were born. | ||
From Masanobu, several [[kuge]] families originated including the Niwata, Ayanokōji, Itsutsuji, Ōhara and Jikōji. From his fourth son Sukeyosi, the Sasaki clan originated, and thus Kyōgoku clan originated. These descendants are known as Ōmi Genji today. From this line, [[Sasaki Takauji]] made a success at the Muromachi shogunate and the [[Amago clan]] originated from his brother. | From Masanobu, several ''[[kuge]]'' families originated including the Niwata, Ayanokōji, Itsutsuji, Ōhara and Jikōji. From his fourth son Sukeyosi, the Sasaki clan originated, and thus Kyōgoku clan originated. These descendants are known as Ōmi Genji today. From this line, [[Sasaki Takauji]] made a success at the Muromachi shogunate and the [[Amago clan]] originated from his brother. | ||
==Tomb of Emperor Uda== | |||
Emperor Uda was cremated at a site in Narutaki Utanotani, [[Ukyō-ku, Kyoto]]. After cremation, the remains were covered with earth without the collection of bones, and thus the mausoleum was established. Its original location was quickly lost, and it was not until the end of the [[Edo period]] that the current Ouchiyama Mausoleum was designated.<ref>Moscher, Gouverneur. (1978). ''Kyoto: A Contemplative Guide'', pp. 277–278.</ref> It is formally named ''Kaguragaoka no Higashi no misasagi''.<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, p. 420.</ref> According to the [[Imperial Household Agency]], its form is a square mound.<ref name="kunaicho"/> | |||
===Events of Uda's life=== | ===Events of Uda's life=== | ||
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Uda died in 931 (''[[Shōhei]] 1, 19th day of the 7th month'') at the age of 65.<ref>Brown, p. 295; Varley, p. 179.</ref> | Uda died in 931 (''[[Shōhei]] 1, 19th day of the 7th month'') at the age of 65.<ref>Brown, p. 295; Varley, p. 179.</ref> | ||
===Kugyō=== | ===Kugyō=== | ||