Background
Mototsune no Fujiwara was the son of Fujiwara no Nagayoshi but was adopted by his uncle Fujiwara no Yoshifusa and became the heir of the latter.
藤原 基経
Mototsune no Fujiwara was the son of Fujiwara no Nagayoshi but was adopted by his uncle Fujiwara no Yoshifusa and became the heir of the latter.
When Emperor Yozei came to the throne in 876, Mototsune was made sessho, or regent, but he and the emperor did not get along well together, and because the emperor was a person of disorderly ways who was even rumored to have committed murder, Mototsune removed him from the throne and in 884 set up Emperor Kōkō in his place.
When Emperor Kokd died in 887, Mototsune selected Emperor Uda to be his successor. In return the emperor appointed Mototsune to the post of kampaku, sometimes translated as civil dictator, an office that empowered its holder to exercise complete control over all affairs of government.
