＜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) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・残念な天皇の話(その９)。白河天皇は上皇になって女性関係が奔放になった！？
You might be more familiar with the name “Emperor Shirakawa (or Retired Emperor Shirakawa)” than “Emperor Shirakawa.”
Emperor Shirakawa is known as the “first retired emperor to implement cloistered rule” and is famous for the story of the “Three Unfortunate Events in the World,” but there are also interesting stories about his “unrestrained relationships with women” and the “Imprisonment of Rainwater.”
1. Who was Emperor Shirakawa?
Emperor Shirakawa (1053–1129, reigned 1073–1086), the 72nd Emperor of Japan, was the eldest son of Emperor Go-Sanjo, the 71st Emperor of Japan. His mother was Fujiwara no Shigeko, daughter of Fujiwara no Kiminari, a Middle Counselor.
He became Crown Prince the year after his father, Emperor Go-Sanjo, ascended the throne in 1068, and succeeded to the throne in 1073 following his father’s abdication. However, at this time, the Crown Prince was his half-brother, Prince Saneto.
It seems that Emperor Go-Sanjo’s purpose in abdicating was to make Prince Saneto the Crown Prince. It was clear that this would exclude his descendants from the imperial succession, and he feared this.
Fortunately for him, Prince Saneto died of illness in 1085. He then hastily abdicated in favor of his son and became a retired emperor, which will be discussed in detail in section 2. (1) below.
His father, Emperor Go-Sanjo, issued the “Enkyu Estate Reform Edict” in 1069, regulating the “manors” that formed the economic base of the Fujiwara clan and attempting to curb their power. While Emperor Daigo had previously issued the “Engi Estate Reform Edict” in 902, its effectiveness was limited.
However, the “Enkyu Estate Reform Edict” was a full-scale crackdown, significantly impacting the manors of powerful nobles such as the Fujiwara clan and large temples, who held vested interests through donated land and tax exemption/immunity rights.
Taking advantage of the decline in the Fujiwara regency’s power, which was a result of this, he succeeded in seizing real power.
He established the “Northern Guard” to prepare for unrest between the imperial court and warrior monks, and he also converted to Buddhism, establishing Hoshoji Temple in 1077.
During the Emperor’s reign, there were events such as the “Later Three Years’ War” (1083-1087) and the “Eruption of Mount Fuji” (1083).
Incidentally, the “Later Three Years’ War” was a conflict in which Minamoto no Yoshiie took advantage of internal strife to destroy the Kiyohara clan, a powerful family in Dewa Province that had expanded its influence into Oshu after the “Former Nine Years’ War” (1051-1062).
2. About Emperor Shirakawa (Emperor Shirakawa Retired)
(1) The Beginning of the Insei System (Cloistered Rule)
In 1086, he abdicated in favor of his third son, Prince Yoshihito, who was eight years old at the time, and had him ascend to the throne as the 73rd Emperor Horikawa. When Emperor Horikawa died in 1107, he had his four-year-old grandson, Prince Munehito, ascend to the throne as the 74th Emperor Toba.
Furthermore, when Emperor Toba became difficult to manage as he reached adulthood, in 1123 he had his four-year-old great-grandson, Prince Akihito, ascend to the throne as the 75th Emperor Sutoku.
He then governed as a “retired emperor” for 43 years, spanning three generations. This marked the beginning of the “cloistered rule” system.
In 1096, he became a monk and was known as a “cloistered emperor.” He was deeply devoted to Buddhism and built many temples and created many Buddhist statues in addition to Hoshoji Temple. He also made nine pilgrimages to Kumano between 1090 and 1128, which sparked a fervent surge in Kumano faith (the Kumano boom).
Incidentally, regarding the difference between “Jōkō” (上皇) and “Hōō” (法皇), “Jōkō” is an abbreviation of “Daijō Tennō” (太上天皇), which is the title of an emperor who has abdicated the throne to a successor. It is sometimes called “In,” and the “Insei” (陰政) system of the Heian and Kamakura periods originates from this. On the other hand, “Hōō” is an abbreviation of “Daijō Hōō” (太上法皇), which is the title of a retired emperor who has become a monk.
(2) Unrestrained Relationships with Women
In 1071, while he was Crown Prince, he married Fujiwara no Kenko, the adopted daughter of Regent Fujiwara no Morizane, as his Empress. His relationship with Kenko was very close, and during her lifetime, the only women who had relationships with him were his consort Fujiwara no Michiko and his lady-in-waiting Fujiwara no Tsuneko.
However, after Kenko’s death at the age of 27 in 1084, he did not take any formal consorts or consorts, but instead had relationships with numerous ladies-in-waiting and court ladies serving his close circle.
He openly favored women born into lower noble families, such as Gion Nyogo, who became his favorite concubine in his later years and wielded great power. Furthermore, because he successively bestowed the women he had relationships with upon his favorite retainers, rumors that Emperor Sutoku and Taira no Kiyomori were “illegitimate children of Emperor Shirakawa” became widely believed at the time.
① Taikenmon’in Shōshi
He gave his mistress, Taikenmon’in Shōshi (1101-1145), as the consort of his grandson, Emperor Toba. What’s even more surprising is that Taikenmon’in Shōshi was already pregnant with his child at that time.
Incidentally, Taikenmon’in Shōshi was the daughter of Dainagon Fujiwara no Kimizane, but because her father died when she was seven, she was raised from a young age by Emperor Shirakawa and his favorite concubine, Gion Nyogo.
② Gion no Nyogo
He also bestowed Gion no Nyogo (dates of birth and death unknown), whom he had favored in his later years, upon Taira no Tadamori as a reward. It is said that Gion no Nyogo was pregnant with his child at this time, and that the child born was Taira no Kiyomori.
3. The Anecdotes of “The Three Things the World Cannot Do As You Wish” and “The Imprisonment of Rainwater”
(1) The Three Things the World Cannot Do As You Wish
In the “Tale of the Heike,” there is an anecdote that Emperor Shirakawa lamented, “The waters of the Kamo River, the dice of sugoroku (a board game), and the mountain monks—these are the things that cannot be controlled by me.”
It seems that even Emperor Shirakawa, who could control everything else, could not control “the floods caused by the Kamo River,” “the rolls of the two dice in sugoroku,” and “the warrior monks of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei.”
(2) The Rainwater Prison (Usui no Kingoku)
This story tells of Emperor Shirakawa’s visit to Hoshoji Temple to offer prayers for the “Gold Ink Complete Buddhist Canon,” which was postponed three times due to rain. Even on the day he finally made the visit and offered prayers, it rained again. Angered, he is said to have collected the rain in a container and poured it down into the prison.
It is also called “Rain Prison.”