＜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
I previously wrote an article about Emperor Kazan, who abdicated after only two years due to a conspiracy, but this time I would like to introduce his father, Emperor Reizei, who also abdicated after two years.
1. Who was Emperor Reizei?
Emperor Reizei (950-1011, reigned 967-969) was the 63rd Emperor of Japan. He was the second son of Emperor Murakami (the 62nd Emperor), and his mother was Empress Anshi, daughter of Fujiwara no Michisuke. He was the full brother of Emperor En’yu (the 64th Emperor).
With the backing of the powerful Fujiwara brothers Saneyori and Michisuke, he became crown prince shortly after birth, pushing aside his half-brother, the first prince, Prince Hirohira, whose mother was of low social status. He ascended to the throne at the age of 17 upon the death of Emperor Murakami.
His Empress was Princess Masako, daughter of Emperor Suzaku (the 61st Emperor), and his consorts were Fujiwara no Kaishi, eldest daughter of Fujiwara no Koretada, and Fujiwara no Choshi, eldest daughter of Fujiwara no Kaneie.
2. Emperor Reizei’s Eccentric Behavior
At 17 years old, it would have been reasonable for him to rule the country himself, but because of his “eccentric behavior,” his maternal great-uncle, Fujiwara no Saneyori, was made the “kanpaku” (regent).
About 30 years later, scholar Oe no Masafusa (1041-1111) wrote in his “Kōki” (Diary of Emperor Go-shō) that he:
– Played kemari (football) all day long even with an injured foot
– As a child, he sent a picture of a male symbol in reply to a letter from his father, Emperor Murakami
– Sat on top of the watchtower near the Seiryōden (the imperial residence)
– Sang loudly while sick in bed
– Sang loudly in an ox-drawn carriage while evacuating the Imperial Palace after a fire
However, while these “eccentric behavior” could also be described as a “mental illness,” they may also be fabricated rumors resulting from his involvement in the Fujiwara clan’s political power struggle for succession to the throne.
3. The Issue of the Next Emperor
Due to these eccentricities and his natural poor health, the issue of who would become the next Crown Prince arose immediately after his accession to the throne.
The two most likely candidates for the position were Prince Tamehira, Emperor Murakami’s fourth son (Emperor Reizei’s full brother), and Prince Morihira (later Emperor En’yu), Emperor Murakami’s seventh son (Emperor Reizei’s full brother).
Considerably, Prince Tamehira would be the natural choice to become Emperor, but the Fujiwara clan, who did not want Prince Tamehira’s father-in-law (the Empress’s brother), Minamoto no Takaakira (914-983), to rise to power, plotted to bring about Prince Tamehira’s downfall.
As an aside, Minamoto no Takaakira is one of the characters believed to be the inspiration for Hikaru Genji in The Tale of Genji. Although The Tale of Genji is a fictional story, it contains characters with the same names as actual emperors and retired emperors, Suzakuin and Reizeiin. However, these terms are used to mean “the retired emperor who lived in a place called Suzaku-in” and “the retired emperor who lived in a place called Reizei-in,” respectively, and do not refer to actual retired emperors.
Minamoto no Takaakira was the tenth son of Emperor Daigo (the 60th emperor), and although he was demoted to commoner status, he was essentially a member of the imperial family.
4. The Anwa Incident
The Anwa Incident occurred in 969, when Minamoto no Mitsunaka betrayed Minamoto no Takaakira, who alleged that Takaakira was supporting Prince Tamehira and plotting to depose Crown Prince Morihira. This incident led to the exile of Minamoto no Takaakira, the Minister of the Left. It was a conspiracy hatched by Fujiwara no Morotada, the Minister of the Right, to eliminate members of other clans like Minamoto no Takaakira.
Following the incident, Fujiwara no Morotada was promoted to Minister of the Left, and Dainagon Fujiwara no Arihira was promoted to Minister of the Right. From then on, the positions of regent and chancellor were permanently established, ushering in the heyday of the Fujiwara clan.
The outcome of the Anwa Incident was favorable for the Fujiwara clan, and Emperor Reizei abdicated the throne to Emperor En’yu that same year, becoming known as “Reizei-in.” He appears to have lived a carefree life after his abdication, dying at the age of 61.
He left behind the following waka poem: “Even if I were to change the age of the bamboo as it ages, I would still long this world.”
For approximately 50 years, until the accession of Emperor Go-Ichijo (the 68th Emperor), the two imperial lines continued to alternate between the En’yu line and his younger brother. The two imperial lines were then united with the accession of Emperor Go-Sanjo (the 71st Emperor), whose great-grandson, Emperor Go-Sanjo (with the En’yu line on his father’s side and the Reizei line on his mother’s side), to the throne.
5. The Imperial Family and the Fujiwara Sekkanke
The marriage ties between the Imperial Family and the Fujiwara Sekkanke before and after Emperor Reizei’s reign are closely and intricately intertwined, as shown in the family tree above.
As an aside, Murasaki Shikibu, author of “The Tale of Genji,” served Emperor Ichijo’s (66th Emperor) Empress Shoshi (daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga). Sei Shonagon, author of “The Pillow Book,” served Emperor Ichijo’s Empress Teishi (daughter of Fujiwara no Michitaka).