＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
When it comes to past emperors and retired emperors, little is known about them other than those involved in historical events or political upheavals, such as Emperor Tenji, who instigated the Isshi Incident, or Emperor Godaigo, who initiated the Kenmu Restoration.
When I was in elementary school, biographies meant biographies of great people like inventor Thomas Edison, yellow fever researcher Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, Helen Keller, and Madame Curie. Most of these glorified and romanticized the achievements of great people, and as you get older, they become less appealing.
However, more recent biographies tend to paint a candid portrait of these people. One children’s book, “Biographies of Unfortunate Great People,” honestly portrays the “light and shadow,” “good and bad,” and “good sides” of such great people, with the intention of making readers feel that they are “close to us and full of humanity.”
There have been several “unfortunate emperors” among the past emperors. So, for this first installment, I’d like to introduce Emperor Kazan, one of those “unfortunate emperors.”
1. About Emperor Kazan
Kanata Hongo will play Emperor Kazan in the 2024 NHK Taiga drama
Emperor Kazan (968-1008, reigned 984-986) was the 65th Emperor of Japan. He was the eldest son of Emperor Reizei (the 63rd Emperor), and his mother was Kaishi (Chikako), the daughter of Fujiwara no Koretada (Koremasa).
In 969, with the backing of his maternal grandfather, Fujiwara no Koretada, he became Crown Prince at the age of approximately 10 months when his uncle, Emperor En’yu, ascended to the throne.
In 984, he ascended to the throne following the abdication of Emperor En’yu (the 64th Emperor). Incidentally, Emperor En’yu abdicated during his lifetime because he was considered a “one-generation emperor” (interim emperor) until the child of his full brother, Emperor Reizei, grew up.
However, by the time he ascended to the throne, his backer, Fujiwara Koretada, had already passed away, and real power had passed to Fujiwara Kaneye, the maternal grandfather of the Crown Prince (Prince Kanehito), and Fujiwara Yoshikane (Koretada’s son).
He took a liking to Fujiwara no Shishi, the daughter of Fujiwara no Tamemitsu, and made her his consort. Deeply beloved, Shishi became pregnant, but died at the young age of 17.
In 986, Emperor Kazan, grieving over his consort’s death, abdicated due to a conspiracy by his maternal grandfather, Fujiwara no Kaneie, who was hastening the accession of Crown Prince Yasuhito (later the 66th Emperor Ichijo) to the throne, and became a monk at Kazan-ji Temple.
According to the “Okagami,” Kaneie’s third son, Michikane, who served as a treasurer, persuaded the grieving Emperor to join him in becoming a monk, and attempted to secretly escort him from the Imperial Palace to Gangei-ji Temple (also known as Kazan-ji Temple). The Emperor hesitated, saying, “The moon is bright and I would be embarrassed to become a monk,” but when the moon disappeared behind clouds, he decided to go. After seeing the Emperor and his entourage head for the temple, Kaneie ordered his sons Michitaka and Michitsuna to move the Three Sacred Treasures to Kokasha, the residence of Crown Prince Yasuhito, and then sealed off the various gates to the Imperial Palace.
After arriving at Gangei-ji Temple and seeing the Emperor become a monk, Michikane sneaked out of the temple under the pretext of going to explain the situation to his father, Kaneie, but instead fled and did not become a monk, and the Emperor realized he had been deceived.
Fujiwara no Yoshikane (son of Koretada), a political enemy and relative of Fujiwara no Kaneie, and Fujiwara no Korenari, had been searching for the Emperor when he went missing from the Imperial Palace, when they found him at Gangei-ji Temple. Realizing their political defeat, they both became monks. This was the political upheaval known as the Kanna Incident.
After becoming a monk, he trained in Buddhism at Shoshazan Engyo-ji Temple in Harima Province, Mount Hiei, Kumano, and other places, and returned to Kyoto around 992 and lived in the Toin (Kazan-in) temple.
He was skilled in painting and waka poetry, and is said to have compiled the “Shui Wakashu.”
Up to this point, he seems like a “pitiful emperor,” but after returning to Kyoto, he was known for his love for women and visited Fujiwara Tamemitsu’s daughter, leading to an attack by Fujiwara no Korechika.
2. Emperor Kazan’s Eccentric Behavior and Erotic Stories
(1) Eccentric Behavior
① The Crown Removal Incident
During the enthronement ceremony in 984, Emperor Kazan “removed his crown.” The diary “Shoyuki,” written by Fujiwara no Sanesuke, a powerful figure in the Imperial Court at the time, states, “The crown was so heavy that the emperor said he would take it off, and then he took it off.”
This unprecedented, childish behavior was apparently a rare occurrence in the history of the Imperial Court.
② The provocative behavior toward Fujiwara no Takaie
According to the historical tale “Okagami,” Emperor Kazan once challenged Takaie by saying, “You will not be able to pass the gates of my residence unscathed.”
Takaie prepared a sturdy ox-drawn carriage and headed to Kazan-in Temple with 50-60 attendants. However, the Emperor was waiting for him with 80-90 attendants, mostly strong monks.
Furthermore, the Emperor’s attendants were carrying walking sticks as tall as themselves and large stones. Facing such a large number of men and weapons, Takaie was unable to pass the Emperor’s residence, and was forced to admit defeat, leaving a bitter grudge.
(2) Lewd and Problematic Behavior
① Lewd Acts on the Throne
The Heian period book “Edansho” tells us that just before his enthronement ceremony, Emperor Kazan invited a beautiful lady-in-waiting of his choice onto the “Takamikura” (the Imperial Throne) and engaged in lewd acts with her.
② Even after becoming a monk, he continued to have relationships with many women.
Emperor Kazan’s lustful ways continued unabated, as he had relationships with both his wet nurse and her daughter, giving birth to boys with each. People called the mother “Oyabara no Miya” (mother’s womb) and the daughter “Musumebara no Miya” (female womb).
③ The Attack on Emperor Kazan (Chotoku Incident)
In 996, Emperor Kazan was shot with arrows by the brothers Fujiwara no Korechika and Takaie because of his frequent visits to Fujiwara no Tamemitsu’s daughter.
The incident arose from a misunderstanding by Fujiwara no Korechika, the son of Fujiwara no Michitaka, the regent and older brother of Fujiwara no Michinaga.
Korechika was visiting the third daughter of Fujiwara no Tamemitsu, the former Grand Minister of State. The Emperor also began visiting the fourth daughter (the younger sister of Fujiwara no Ushio, whom he favored during his time as emperor) who lived in the same mansion.
Mistakenly assuming that the Emperor must be visiting the third daughter, Korechika and his younger brother Takaie attacked the Emperor with their attendants, shooting a bow through the sleeve of his robe.
The attacked Emperor, feeling embarrassed that he had been unable to stop visiting women despite being a monk, seized power and tried to cover up the embarrassing truth as much as possible, so he shut himself in.
However, rumors of the incident spread, and when Michinaga learned of it, he exploited it to the fullest, demoting his political rivals, Korechika and his brother Takaie, and successfully ousting his rivals.
Emperor Kazan’s behavior, which was unbecoming of a monk and a womanizer, could have led to his own downfall, but ultimately contributed to strengthening Fujiwara no Michinaga’s political power.
As a retired pope, he was given fewer restrictions on his actions than an emperor or crown prince and was able to act more freely, so he seems to have engaged in a number of eccentric and lustful behaviors that confused the aristocratic society of the time.
Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote The Tale of Genji, may have heard rumors of lustful emperors like Emperor Kazan and the retired pope, who were guilty of questionable and troublesome behavior.
Incidentally, Murasaki Shikibu served Empress Shoshi (daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga), the Empress of Emperor Ichijo (the 66th emperor), who succeeded Emperor Kazan.
For more information on other characters, please see “An easy-to-understand introduction to the main characters and cast of the NHK Taiga drama “To You, the Hikaru Kimi e” and their relationships.”