Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan

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Emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河天皇) (1127-1192) was the 77th imperial ruler of Japan. He was named after Emperor Shirakawa. He seized the power steadily after Hogen Rebellion; his rule commenced in 1155. In 1158, he abdicated, but continued to hold power as a cloistered ruler. He attempted to decrease the influence of Fujiwara clan and gave the power to Samurai. His policy allowed Taira no Kiyomori seized the power and at the end of his life he let Minamoto no Yoritomo founded the Kamakura Shogunate in Kamakura, in the province of Sagami, today in Kanto. The foundation of Shogunate was the beginning of Samurai rules for 700 years until the middle of the 19th century.

Go-Shirakawa was the fourth son of the Emperor Toba. His mother was a daughter of Fujiwara no Kinzane named Shoshi. His name in birth was Masahito. He was the father of two emperors; Nijo and Takakura.

Ex-emperor Toba expected him to be on the imperial throne. When Emperor Konoe died in 1155 Go-Shirakawa became the emperor with support of Toba and a powerful peer Fujiwara no Tadamichi, since they were against the ex-Emperor Sutoku and didn't want his son to be the next emperor. They expected Go-Shirakawa to keep the throne until the future Emperor Nijo would be old enough succeed to the imperial crown. The coronation of Go-Shirakawa made the political tension between Toba and Sutoku stronger. At the beginning of Go-Shirakawa's reign Toba continued the cloister rule until his death.

In 1156 Toba died and soon Hogen rebellion arose. Go-Shirakawa gained the support of Samurai including Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Taira no Kiyomori, and they beat the troop of Sutoku. After the rebellion Go-Shirakawa began to reign the country by himself. In 1558 he gave the throne to Nijo and began his cloister rule which continued under five emperors' reign till his death in 1192.

Kiyomori and Go-Shirakawa were on good terms in early days. Kiyomori began trade between China and supported Go-Shirakawa not just militarily but also financially. Two Samurai clans, Taira and Minamoto stood against each other, and Heiji rebellion occurred in 1159. Minamoto lost and the Taira seized the power. When Kiyomori's power calminated, the good relationship between Kiyomori and Go-Shirakawa ended. Go-Shirakawa attempted a coup d'etat to expell Kiyomori in 1177 but failed. Kiyomori forced Go-Shirakawa to stay in Toba-in, the former palace of Emperor Toba in 1179. In 1178 Kiyomori made his two year old grandson, the child of Emperor Takakura and empress Taira no Tokuko who was a dauther of Kiyomori.

Go-Shirakawa planed to get back the power and secretly sent a messanger with the cooperation of his son Prince Mochihito. Mochihito traveled and gave Go-Shirakawa's imperial message to the Minamoto, enemy of the Taira in which Go-Shirakawa proclaimed the Taira as the enemy of the court and requested people to fight against the Taira. In 1180 Mochihito Minamoto no Yorimasa occurred the first rebellion. It failed but several other samurais followed their attempt. In 1181 Kiyomori died and the decline of the Taira began. Go-Shirakawa restarted his cloister rule. In 1183 Minamoto no Yoshinaka from Kiso province won the Taira and entered Kyoto. After struggles in the Minamoto clan, finally Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a brother of Yoritomo destroyed the Taira clan entirely in 1185.

Go-Shirakawa came into bad terms with Yoritomo and between them Yoshitsune was sacrificed. Yoritomo considered Yoshitsune unloyal to him and finally in 1189 Yoshitsune died in the battle in Mutsu province. At the same time Oshu-Fujiwara-shi, the Fujiwara clan in Mutsu province was destroyed because they supported Yoshitsune against Yoritomo, who claimed then the chief of all samurai. After the death of Yoshitsune Go-Shirakawa and Yoritomo reconciled and Go-Shirakawa let Yoritomo open a new Shogunate.

de:Go-Shirakawa ja:後白河天皇