| Emperor Go-Toba 後鳥羽天皇 | |||||
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 Portrait byFujiwara no Nobuzane, 1221 | |||||
| Emperor of Japan | |||||
| Reign | 8 September 1183 – 18 February 1198 | ||||
| Enthronement | 4 September 1184 | ||||
| Predecessor | Antoku | ||||
| Successor | Tsuchimikado | ||||
| Shōgun | Minamoto no Yoritomo | ||||
| Born | 6 August 1180 Gojō-machi no Tei (五条町の亭),Heian-kyō | ||||
| Died | 28 March 1239(1239-03-28) (aged 58) Karita Gosho (苅田御所),Oki Islands,Kamakura shogunate | ||||
| Burial | Ōhara noMisasagi (大原陵) (Kyōto) | ||||
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| House | Imperial House of Japan | ||||
| Father | Emperor Takakura | ||||
| Mother | Fujiwara no Shokushi (Shichijō-in) [ja] | ||||
| Religion | Buddhism | ||||
Emperor Go-Toba (後鳥羽天皇,Go-Toba-tennō; 6 August 1180 – 28 March 1239) was the 82ndemperor of Japan, according to the traditionalorder of succession. His reign spanned the years from1183 through 1198.[1]
This 12th-century sovereign was named afterEmperor Toba, andgo- (後), translates literally as "later"; and thus, he is sometimes called the "Later Emperor Toba". The Japanese wordgo has also been translated to mean the "second one"; and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as "Toba the Second" or as "Toba II".
Before his ascension to theChrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (hisimina)[2] was Takahira-shinnō (尊成親王).[3] He was also known as Takanari-shinnō[4]
He was the fourth son ofEmperor Takakura, and thus grandson ofEmperor Go-Shirakawa. His mother was BōmonShokushi (坊門殖子) (Empress Dowager Shichijō-in, 七条院), daughter of Bōmon Nobutaka (坊門信隆) of theFujiwara clan.
Go-Toba took the throne at the age of three.
Although these formal rites and ceremonies were taking place in Heian-kyō, the imperial regalia were still held by Antoku. Thus, thesenso andsokui of Go-Toba became the first in history to omit the ritual transmission of thesacred treasures from a sovereign to his successor.[5]
In 1192 Go-Shirakawa died and the firstshogunate was established byMinamoto no Yoritomo, and the emperor became a figurehead.[7]
In 1198, Go-Toba abdicated in favor of his son,Emperor Tsuchimikado.
Go-Toba reigned as cloistered Emperor from 1198 till 1221 during reigns of three emperors, but his power was more limited than former cloistered Emperors in theHeian period.
It was during this time that Go-Toba decreed that the followers of thePure Land sect in Kyōto, led byHōnen, be banished or in some cases executed. Originally this was prompted by complaints of clergy in Kyoto who were concerned about the rise in popularity of the new sect, but Go-Toba personally ordered the decree after two of his ladies in waiting converted to the sect without his knowledge.[8]
In 1221, the shōgun installed Go-Toba's three-year-old grandson,Emperor Chūkyō, as emperor, but Go-Toba chose to stage a rebellion in an attempt to reclaim the throne and overthrow theKamakura shogunate. This conflict is known as theJōkyū War, named after theera in which it occurred.[7]: 377–382 Samurai aroundKyōto who were against the Shogunate supported him but most samurai, particularly inKantō, supported the Shogunate with encouragement ofHōjō Masako, the widow of Yoritomo. She persuaded samurai gathering inKamakura that if they would not support the Shōgunate, then the contemporary status and privileges that samurai had attained would be lost, and thecourt andkuge would regain their power and influence. Go-Toba's rebellion was defeated and Chūkyō was replaced as emperor byGo-Horikawa, a nephew of Go-Toba.
After the rebellion Go-Toba was exiled to theOki Islands. He died and was buried there.
"Letting the radiance of his power and majesty shine forth unobscured, at the same time he amused himself with every variety of art and accomplishment. In all of these he was second to none, so that people wondered when and how he had gained such proficiency. And many who were experts at one or another of these arts were enabled by the ex-emperor's interest to attain fame and fortune. It is said that the Buddha leads all men to salvation, even those guilty of the ten evils and five deadly sins. For his part, the ex-sovereign showed an interest in every accomplishment, even those which seemed of the most trivial and insignificant kind. So that all sorts of people who had any claim to knowledge of these matters were summoned to his presence, where, it appears, they could petition freely for his favor.
Among all these arts, his skill in Japanese poetry might be said to leave one at a loss for superlatives. People might think that to speak in this way is to make much out of nothing. But since a great many of the ex-sovereign's compositions may be easily found in various collections, anyone can judge for himself. It may be imagined what must have been his skill in other arts and accomplishments. But as long as endure the texts of his poetic compositions as people have written them down and preserved them, even remote generations may see for themselves the extent of his poetic mastery."
— Minamoto Ienaga, private secretary,Zenchukai[9]
Despite the limits on his political powers, he developed skills as acalligrapher, painter, musician, poet, critic,[10] and editor, although the majority of his activities took place after his abdication aged 18 (as the abdication freed him from 'the ceremonial prison of the imperial palace').[11]
Besides his enthusiasm forarchery,equestrianism, andswordsmanship,[12] Go-Toba was a great lover of swords themselves, and over the course of several years summoned the most talented swordsmiths in the land to his court where they were given honorary titles and invited to teach the emperor their craft. He became a respectable swordsmith himself, and it was his patronage and encouragement of this art that gave birth to Japan's 'Golden Age' of bladesmithing. His contribution to the art is still held in such high esteem, that even today a tradition is maintained in sword literature that he is the first swordsmith to be discussed.
His greatest contribution to literature is theShin Kokinshū (The New Anthology of Ancient and ModernWaka), which Japanese has considered one of three major influential waka anthologies alongMan'yōshū andKokin Wakashū. He ordered its creation and took part in theworking group as an editor. He revived the Office of Waka (和歌所) and made it the headquarters of this edition. He held manyutakai (waka parties) andutaawase (waka competitions). Not only the creator and organizer, he acted as a critic, and wrote the style of waka in general and criticism of his contemporary poets.
During his exile, he continued to compose hundreds of waka and to edit both anthologies from his creation in Oki Islands and a private edition ofShin Kokinshū for 18 years, getting rid of around 400 wakas from the former edition, while its edition had been officially declared to be completed in 1204, and further elaborations finished even in 1216. While he declared his private edition should be authentic, today the 1216 version is considered as the authentic and others as variants. His edition is today calledOki-bon Shin Kokinshū (Oki edition). It is probable that during his exile, he also wrote hisGo-Toba no in gokuden ("Secret Teachings"), a short work on aesthetic criticism; the "Secret Teachings" are particularly valuable as a major source on Go-Toba's complicated relationships with his former client, the greatest poet of the age – Fujiwara no Teika.[13]
One of his 31-syllable poems was chosen byFujiwara no Teika as Number 99 in the popular anthologyHyakunin Isshu.
Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of theEmperor 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 Go-Toba's reign, this apex of theDaijō-kan included:
The years of Go-Toba's reign are more specifically identified by more than oneera name ornengō.[18]
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