| Emperor Antoku 安徳天皇 | |||||
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| Emperor of Japan | |||||
| Reign | 18 March 1180 – 25 April 1185 | ||||
| Enthronement | 18 May 1180 | ||||
| Predecessor | Takakura | ||||
| Successor | Go-Toba | ||||
| Born | Tokihito-shinnō (言仁親王) 22 December 1178 | ||||
| Died | 25 April 1185(1185-04-25) (aged 6) Dan-no-ura,Kanmon Straits,Japan | ||||
| Burial | Amida-ji noMisasagi (阿弥陀寺陵) (Shimonoseki) | ||||
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| House | Imperial House of Japan | ||||
| Father | Emperor Takakura | ||||
| Mother | Taira no Tokuko | ||||
Emperor Antoku (安徳天皇,Antoku-tennō; 22 December 1178 – 25 April 1185) was the 81stemperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1180 through 1185.[1] His death marked the end of theHeian period and the beginning of theKamakura period.
During this time, theImperial House of Japan was involved in a bitterstruggle between warring clans.Minamoto no Yoritomo with his cousinMinamoto no Yoshinaka, led a force from theMinamoto clan against theTaira, who controlled the emperor. During the climactic seaBattle of Dan-no-ura in April 1185, Antoku's grandmotherTaira no Tokiko took him and plunged with him into the water in the Shimonoseki Straits, drowning the child emperor rather than allowing him to be captured by the opposing forces.
This clash of clans led to numerous legends and tales. The story of Emperor Antoku and his mother's family became the subject of theKamakura periodepic poemThe Tale of the Heike (Heike is an alternative reading of theJapanese characters for "House of the Taira"). Antoku's tomb is said to be located in a number of places around western Japan, including the island ofIōjima, a result of the spreading of legends about the emperor and the battle.[2]
Before his ascension to theChrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (hisimina)[3] was Tokihito-shinnō (言仁親王).[4] He was also known as Kotohito-shinnō.[5]
His father wasEmperor Takakura, and thus a grandson ofretiredEmperor Go-Shirakawa. His mother,Taira no Tokuko (平徳子), second daughter ofTaira no Kiyomori (平清盛), was later referred to as Empress Dowager Kenrei (建礼門院,Kenrei-mon In).
Antoku was namedcrown prince at around one month of age. He ascended the throne at the age of two. Naturally, he held no actual power, but rather his grandfather Taira no Kiyomori ruled in his name, though not officially, assesshō (regent).
In the year of his enthronement, the capital was moved to modern-dayKōbe,Hyōgo, but it was soon moved back toHeian-kyō.
In 1183, whenMinamoto no Yoshinaka entered the capital, theTaira clan fled with the young emperor and thesacred treasures to Yashima (the name of a place inside modern-dayTakamatsu,Kagawa). Being defeated in ensuing battle, they fled westward.
The Taira were defeated. Antoku's grandmother,Taira no Tokiko, Kiyomori's widow, drowned herself along with the young emperor. His mother also drowned herself, but apparently, according toThe Tale of the Heike (Heike Monogatari), she was pulled out with arake by her longhair.
According to Yoshitsune's dispatch, the sacred seal was found, but thesacred sword was lost. The sword was one of the threesacred treasures.[9]
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 Antoku's reign, this apex of theDaijō-kan included:
After his drowning, in order to mourn the body and placate any restless spirits, theAmidaji Goeidō was built. Later, Antoku was enshrined at the Kurume-Suitengū inKurume,Fukuoka, and he came to be worshipped as Mizu-no-kami (水の神, lit. "water-god" or "god of water"), the god of easy delivery atSuitengū (水天宮, lit. "water-heaven/emperor-shrine") everywhere.
With the establishment ofShintō as thestate religion ofJapan, the Amidaji Temple was abandoned and theAkama Shrine was established inShimonoseki inYamaguchi Prefecture to celebrate Antoku.
TheImperial Household Agency designatesAmida-ji no misasagi (阿彌陀寺陵) nearAkama Shrine in Shimonoseki as Antoku's tomb.[11]
The years of Antoku's reign are more specifically identified by more than oneera name ornengō.[12]
| Ancestors of Emperor Antoku[13] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Preceded by | Emperor orTennō: Antoku 1180–1185 | Succeeded by |
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