Background
Tennō Go-Shirakawa was born on 18 October 1127 in Kyoto. He was the fourth son of Emperor Toba, his mother was Taikemmon-in Shoslii, the daughter of Fujivvara no Kinzane. His personal name was Masahito, and his Buddhist name Gyoshin.
後白河天皇
Tennō Go-Shirakawa was born on 18 October 1127 in Kyoto. He was the fourth son of Emperor Toba, his mother was Taikemmon-in Shoslii, the daughter of Fujivvara no Kinzane. His personal name was Masahito, and his Buddhist name Gyoshin.
He ascended the throne in 1155 at the age of twenty-eight and abdicated three years later, but continued until his death to exercise great pow'er behind the scenes.
In 1156, the year after he came to the throne, his father, Retired Emperor Toba, died, and his right to rule was challenged by Retired Emperor Sutoku and his supporters. Emperor Goshirakawa, aided by such powerful warriors as Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Taira no Kiyomori, emerged victorious in the struggle, which was known as the Hogen uprising.
After strengthening the position of the throne, he abdicated in favor of his son, Emperor Nijo, and established an insei, or office of cloistered emperor, from which he continued to exercise actual power of government. In 1159 a second civil disturbance broke out, known as the Heiji uprising. In it, Taira no Kiyomori defeated his former ally Minamoto no Yoshitomo and established himself as a central figure in the government. In 1167, Kiyomori became dajodaijin (prime minister), and the Taira family approached the zenith of their power, the first time in Japanese history that a warrior family had dominated the government.
In 1169, Goshirakawa became a member of the Buddhist clergy, though he continued as before to maintain his cloistered government. In 1177, a number of his close supporters, angered at the dictatorial power of Taira no Kiyomori, gathered at a place called Shishigatani in Kyoto to plot the overthrow of the Taira clan. The plot came to light, and the conspirators were punished. As a result of the affair, Taira no Kiyomori became suspicious of Goshirakawa and in 1179 had him placed in confinement at the Toba Palace, thus temporarily ending the cloistered government.
After the death of Kiyomori in 1181, Goshirakawa reestablished his cloistered government and began actively plotting with the members of the Minamoto family to bring about the overthrow of the Tairas. In 1183, when an army headed by Minamoto no Yoshinaka marched on Kyoto, the Tairas fled west. They were finally wiped out in 1185 at the battle of Dan-no-ura, and Minamoto no Yoritomo emerged as the most powerful military leader. He received permission from Goshirakawa to establish constables (shugo) and stewards (jito) in the provinces and estates throughout the country, thus'helping to consolidate his power. But he was unable to persuade Goshirakawa to grant him the coveted title of shogun, the military leader of the nation. It was not until Goshirakawa’s death in 1192 that he was able to receive the title of shogun and thus officially establish the shogunal government at Kamakura.
In addition to being an astute and tenacious wielder of political power, Goshirakawa was important as a patron and practitioner ol the arts. With the funds from the numerous estates attached to the cloistered government, he financed the founding of Buddhist temples and commissioned works of religious art, as well as making elaborate pilgrimages to Mt. Koya and Kumano on the Kii Peninsula.
In addition to sponsoring musical recitals, he compiled an anthology of songs, the Ryojin hisho, which holds a place of special importance in the history of Japanese songs and song lyrics. He is entombed at Hoju-ji in Kyoto.
He was a skilled flute player and excelled in the types of singing known as imayo, saibara, and roei.
