Background
Tennō Go-Sanjō was born on September 3, 1034 in Kyoto. He was the second son of Emperor Gosuzaltu.
後三条天皇
Tennō Go-Sanjō was born on September 3, 1034 in Kyoto. He was the second son of Emperor Gosuzaltu.
When his elder brother ascended the throne in 1045 to become Emperor Goreizei, he was made heir apparent.
The powerful court official Fujiwara no Yorimichi opposed the appointment because the future Emperor Gosanjo was not related to the Fujiwara family, but since none of his daughters whom he had married to the various emperors of the time had succeeded in producing a male heir, he was powerless to prevent it.
The prince thus remained heir apparent until the death of Emperor Goreizei in 1068, when he became the seventy-first ruler. However, after only four years of rule he fell ill and relinquished the throne to his son, Emperor Shirakawa. It was probably his intention to continue an active role in political affairs from the somewhat freer position of father of the emperor, but he died within half a year of his abdication.
Unlike the previous rulers, he was not related to the Fujiwaras, he was able without undue encumbrance to embark on a new and independent course of political action. He set up an office called the kirokujo to examine the title deeds of the various shoen, or private manors, held by members of the Fujiwara family and temples and shrines, confiscating those manors that were of doubtful legality. In addition, he fixed the size of the measure by which taxes in rice were levied and took other steps to standardize prices and values. He also made efforts to draw men from various families into the bureaucracy instead of allowing the members of the Fujiwara family to monopolize government offices, as had been the practice in the past.
