Emperor of Japan from 1123 to 1142 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emperor Sutoku (崇徳天皇, Sutoku-tennō, July 7, 1119 – September 14, 1164) was the 75th emperor of Japan,[1] according to the traditional order of succession.[2]
| Emperor Sutoku 崇徳天皇 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait of Emperor Sutoku by Fujiwara Tamenobu, 14th century | |||||
| Emperor of Japan | |||||
| Reign | February 25, 1123 – January 5, 1142 | ||||
| Enthronement | March 18, 1123 | ||||
| Predecessor | Toba | ||||
| Successor | Konoe | ||||
| Born | July 7, 1119 | ||||
| Died | September 14, 1164 (aged 45) | ||||
| Burial | Shiramine no misasagi (白峯陵) (Kagawa) | ||||
| Spouse | Fujiwara no Kiyoko | ||||
| Issue | Prince Shigehito | ||||
| |||||
| House | Imperial House of Japan | ||||
| Father | Emperor Toba | ||||
| Mother | Fujiwara no Tamako | ||||
Sutoku's reign spanned the years from 1123 through 1142.[3]
Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his imina)[4] was Akihito (顕仁).[5] Sutoku was the eldest son of Emperor Toba. Some old texts say he was instead the son of Toba's grandfather, Emperor Shirakawa.
In 1151, Sutoku ordered Waka imperial anthology Shika Wakashū.
In 1156, after being defeated by forces loyal to Emperor Go-Shirakawa in the Hōgen Rebellion, he was exiled to Sanuki Province (modern-day Kagawa prefecture on the island of Shikoku). Emperor Sutoku's reign lasted for 19 years: 2 years in the nengō Tenji, 5 years in Daiji, 1 year in 'Tenshō, 3 years in Chōshō, 6 years in Hōen, and 1 year in Eiji.[10]
The site of Sutoku's grave is settled.[1] This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine (misasagi) in Sakaide, Kagawa.[13] He was also enshrined (or sealed away ... ) in Shiramine Shrine in Kyoto and Kotohira-gū in Kagawa Prefecture. The former is also associated with the god of football, worshipped by Kuge clan Asukai in times of yore, while the latter enshrined Ō-mono-nushi-no-mikoto, a god known to have restored harmony in Yamato (or blackmailed Emperor Sujin ... ) in exchange for worship and nepotism.[citation needed]
The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Sutoku's mausoleum. It is formally named Shiramine no misasagi.[14]
Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras.
In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Sutoku's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
The years of Sutoku's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.[15]
After Sutoku's abdication and exile, he devoted himself to monastic life. He copied numerous scriptures and offered them to the court. Fearing that the scriptures were cursed, the court refused to accept them.[17] Snubbed, Sutoku was said to have resented the court and, upon his death, became an onryō (怨霊, vengeful spirit). Everything from the subsequent fall in fortune of the Imperial court, the rise of the samurai powers, droughts and internal unrests were blamed on his haunting.
Along with Sugawara no Michizane and Taira no Masakado, he is often called one of the “Three Great Onryō of Japan”.[18]
Literary works from the Edo period such as Ugetsu Monogatari and Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki (椿説弓張月) and ukiyo-e paintings by Utagawa Yoshitsuya depict Emperor Sutoku as an onryō.[19]
In 2023, the heavy metal band Onmyo-Za produced the song Shiramine (白峯), about Emperor Sutoku as a onryō.[20]
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Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
