Emperor En'yū


Emperor En'yū was the 64th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.
En'yū's reign spanned the years from 969 through 984.

Biography

Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was Morihira-shinnō.
Morihira-shinnō was the fifth son of Emperor Murakami by the empress consort Anshi, the daughter of Fujiwara no Morosuke, therefore the brother of Emperor Reizei.
In 967, Morihira-shinnō was appointed as the crown prince, bypassing his elder brother by the same mother, since his brother had no support from the Fujiwara clan.
En'yū had five Empresses or Imperial consorts and one Imperial son.

Events of En'yū's life

  • 27 September 969 : In the 3rd year of Emperor Reizei's reign, he abdicated; and the succession was received by a younger brother.
  • 5 November 969 : Emperor En'yu is said to have acceded to the throne.
  • 8 June 976 : The Imperial Palace burned down; and the Sacred Mirror was blackened to such an extent that it reflected no light.
  • 31 December 980 : The Imperial Palace burned down; and the Sacred Mirror was half destroyed.
  • 5 December 982 : The Imperial Palace burned down; and the Sacred Mirror was reduced to a lump of melted metal which was collected and presented to the emperor.
In his reign there was a severe struggle between the Fujiwara clan over who would be appointed kampaku. Emperor En'yū followed his mother's advice and favored Fujiwara no Kanemichi, his maternal uncle. He had only one son, later the emperor Emperor Ichijō by Senshi, a daughter of his uncle Fujiwara no Kaneie, who was another brother of his mother. He made the daughter of Kanemichi the empress consort, though she bore no children. Senshi and her father Kaneie were angry at this elevation of their rival and were absent from the court for a long time, staying at the mansion of Kaneie with the child.
Imperial processions to the Hachiman and Hirano Shrines were first made during the reign of Emperor En'yū.
  • 24 September 984 : The emperor abdicated at age 26.
  • 16 September 985 : The former-Emperor En'yū took the tonsure, becoming a Buddhist priest and taking the name of Kongō Hō.
  • 1 March 991 : En'yū, now known as Kongō Hō, died at age 32.
The actual site of En'yū's grave is known. This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine at Kyoto.
The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as En'yū's mausoleum. It is formally named Nochi no Mukarami no misasagi.

Kugyō

Kugyō is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor 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 have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During En'yū's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
  • Kampaku, Ōno-no-miya Fujiwara no Saneyori, 900–970.
  • Kampaku, Fujiwara no Yoritada, 924–989.
  • Daijō-daijin, Fujiwara no Saneyori.
  • Daijō-daijin, Fujiwara no Koretada
  • Daijō-daijin, Fujiwara no Kanemichi
  • Daijō-daijin, Fujiwara no Yoritada.
  • Sesshō, Fujiwara no Koretada, 924–972.
  • Udaijin, Fujiwara no Koretada.
  • Udaijin, Fujiwara no Kaneie, 929–990.
  • Udaijin, Fujiwara no Kanemichi, 925–977.
  • Naidaijin, Fujiwara no Kanemichi
  • Dainagon, Minamoto no Kaneakira
  • Dainagon,
  • Dainagon, Fujiwara no Koretada
  • Dainagon, Fujiwara no Yoritada
  • Dainagon, Tachibana no Yoshifuru
  • Dainagon, Minamoto no Masanobu
  • Dainagon, Fujiwara no Kaneie
  • Dainagon, Minamoto no Nobumitsu
  • Dainagon, Fujiwara no Tamemitsu
  • Dainagon, Fujiwara no Asateru
  • Dainagon, Minamoto no Shigenobu
  • Dainagon, Fujiwara no Naritoki

    Eras of En'yū's reign

The years of En'yū's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name.
  • Anna
  • Tenroku
  • Ten'en
  • Jōgen
  • Tengen
  • ''Eikan''

    Consorts and children

: Fujiwara no Koshi, Fujiwara no Kanemichi’s daughter
Empress : Fujiwara no Junshi/Nobuko, Fujiwara no Yoritada’s daughter
Consort : Imperial Princess Sonshi, Emperor Reizei’s daughter
Consort : Fujiwara no Senshi, Fujiwara no Kaneie’s daughter; later, Nyoin 'Higashi-sanjō In'
Court Attendant : Chujo-Miyasudokoro, Fujiwara no Kanetada's daughter
Court Attendant : Shōshō kōui

Ancestry