＜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
Previously, I wrote about Emperor Kazan and Emperor Reizei as “stories of unfortunate emperors,” but this time I would like to introduce the even more unfortunate Emperor Yozei.
1. Who was Emperor Yozei?
Emperor Yozei (869–949, reigned 876–884) was the 57th Emperor of Japan. He was the 1st son of Emperor Seiwa (the 56th emperor), and his mother was Takako, the daughter of Grand Minister of State Fujiwara Nagayoshi and Empress Dowager.
He is said to have been one of the most aberrant emperors in history. He was known for his many aberrant and cruel acts, such as stripping prisoners naked and shooting them on top of a tower, tying up court ladies and throwing them into a pond to drown, and watching as dogs and monkeys slaughtered each other.
He became crown prince at just two months old and ascended to the throne at just seven, so his maternal uncle, Fujiwara no Mototsune, served as regent. However, he was manic and had a bad behavior, and was forced to abdicate in 884 due to the murders described below.
In 883, Minamoto no Mitsu (Masaru), the son of his wet nurse, Kino Matako, was beaten to death while serving as a close attendant to the Emperor at the Imperial Palace. Because it was a murder that took place at the Imperial Palace, it was kept secret, and details were hidden from outsiders.
However, there is also a theory that the incident was orchestrated by Fujiwara no Mototsune, who had a deteriorating relationship with the Emperor at the time and was refusing to serve at his post.
However, rumors spread that the Emperor was involved in the incident, or that he himself had started it, so Fujiwara no Mototsune forced the 15-year-old Emperor to abdicate and enthroned Emperor Koko (58th Emperor), the son of Emperor Ninmyo (54th Emperor).
Kujo Kanezane’s diary, “Gyokuyo,” also mentions rumors that he was involved in the incident.
He served as Retired Emperor (the longest-serving retired emperor in history) for an incredible 65 years until his death at the age of 80.
His only poem is, “The river that flows from the peak of Mount Tsukuba is filled with love and has become a deep pool.”
2. The emperor who committed murder
Yosano Akiko’s famous anti-war poem “Do not die” expresses concern for the safety of her younger brother who was fighting in the Russo-Japanese War and was in the army besieging Port Arthur, and also criticizes Emperor Meiji.
Oh, my brother, I weep for you, but you must not die. As you were the youngest born, your parents’ love for you was even greater, but did they ever teach you to take up a sword and kill someone, or did they ever raise you to the age of 24, telling you to kill someone and then die?
You are the proud head of an old merchant’s family home in Sakai, and have inherited your father’s name, so you must not die. Whether Port Arthur Castle is destroyed or not, what does it matter? You do not know, it was not in the Akihito family’s rules.
The Emperor must not die, but rather must not go into battle himself, shed human blood on his enemies, and die the way of beasts. Death is an honor for people, but the Emperor’s heart is so deep that it is hard to imagine how he would think this. (Omitted)
Speaking of emperors who committed murder, Prince Nakano Oe (later Emperor Tenji) and Nakatomi Kamatari (later Fujiwara Kamatari) instigated the Isshi Incident (645) and assassinated Soga no Iruka. However, because this was a political coup d’état, it is not treated as a “murder case.”
It is also an undeniable fact that, since the ancient emperor Himiko, successive emperors have killed people directly or indirectly while conquering powerful clans in various regions, fighting in civil wars against military governments, or waging wars with foreign countries.
However, in the case of Emperor Yozei, the murder did not occur during such a coup d’état, battle, or war.