| 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(1164-09-14) (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 | ||||
Emperor Sutoku (崇徳天皇,Sutoku-tennō; July 7, 1119 – September 14, 1164) was the 75themperor ofJapan,[1] according to the traditionalorder of succession.[2]
Sutoku's reign spanned the years from1123 through 1142.[3]
Before his ascension to theChrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (hisimina)[4] was Akihito (顕仁).[5] Sutoku was the eldest son ofEmperor Toba. Some old texts say he was instead the son of Toba's grandfather,Emperor Shirakawa.
In 1151, Sutoku orderedWakaimperial anthologyShika Wakashū.
In 1156, after being defeated by forces loyal to EmperorGo-Shirakawa in theHōgen Rebellion, he wasexiled toSanuki Province (modern-dayKagawa prefecture on the island ofShikoku).Emperor Sutoku's reign lasted for 19 years: 2 years in thenengōTenji, 5 years inDaiji, 1 year in 'Tenshō, 3 years inChōshō, 6 years in Hōen, and 1 year inEiji.[10]
The site of Sutoku'sgrave is settled.[1] This emperor is traditionally venerated at amemorialShintoshrine (misasagi) inSakaide, Kagawa.[13] He was also enshrined (or sealed away ...) inShiramine Shrine inKyoto andKotohira-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 blackmailedEmperor Sujin ...) in exchange for worship and nepotism.[citation needed]
TheImperial Household Agency designates this location as Sutoku'smausoleum. It is formally namedShiramine no misasagi.[14]
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 Sutoku's reign, this apex of theDaijō-kan included:
The years of Sutoku's reign are more specifically identified by more than oneera name ornengō.[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 anonryō (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 withSugawara no Michizane andTaira no Masakado, he is often called one of the “Three Great Onryō of Japan [ja]”.[18]
Literary works from the Edo period such asUgetsu Monogatari andChinsetsu Yumiharizuki (椿説弓張月) andukiyo-e paintings byUtagawa Yoshitsuya depict Emperor Sutoku as anonryō.[19]
In 2023, theheavy metal bandOnmyo-Za produced the songShiramine (白峯), about Emperor Sutoku as aonryō.[20]
| Ancestors of Emperor Sutoku | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Emperor of Japan: Sutoku 1123–1142 | Succeeded by |
| Legendary |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamato |
| ||||||||
| Nara |
| ||||||||
| Heian |
| ||||||||
| Kamakura |
| ||||||||
| Northern Court |
| ||||||||
| Muromachi |
| ||||||||
| Azuchi–Momoyama |
| ||||||||
| Edo |
| ||||||||
| Empire of Japan |
| ||||||||
| Japan |
Unless otherwise noted (as BC), years are inCE / AD *Imperial Consort andRegentEmpress Jingū is not traditionally listed. | ||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
