was the 73rd

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')
堀河天皇 (73)
/ref> according to the traditional

order of succession An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.Chrysanthemum Throne The is the throne of the Emperor of Japan. The term also can refer to very specific seating, such as the throne in the Shishin-den at Kyoto Imperial Palace. Various other thrones or seats that are used by the Emperor during official functions, ...

, his personal name (''

imina in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name, in that order. Nevertheless, when a Japanese name is written in the Roman alphabet, ever since the Meiji era, the official policy has been to cater to Western expecta ...

'') was Taruhito''-shinnō'' (善仁親王). He was also known as Yoshihito''-tennō''. Horikawa was the son of

Emperor Shirakawa was the 72nd emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 白河天皇 (72)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Shirakawa's reign lasted from 1073 to 1087. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Th ...

. His mother was Fujiwara no Kenshi (藤原賢子), adopted daughter of Fujiwara Morozane (藤原師実). His wet nurse was a different Fujiwara no Kenshi (藤原兼子). *Empress (chūgū): Imperial

Princess Tokushi Princess Tokushi (篤子内親王; 1060–1114) was a princess and an Empress consort of Japan. She was the consort of her nephew, Emperor Horikawa. Life She was the fourth daughter of Emperor Go-Sanjō and his cousin Princess Kaoruko, Imperial ...

(篤子内親王),

Emperor Go-Sanjo An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

’s daughter *Consort (Nyōgo): Fujiwara no Ishi (藤原苡子; 1076-1103), Fujiwara no Sanesue’s daughter ** Imperial Prince Munehito (宗仁親王) later

Emperor Toba was the 74th Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 鳥羽天皇 (74)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Toba's reign spanned the years from 1107 through 1123. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chr ...

*Lady-in-waiting (Naishi): Princess Jinshi (仁子女王; d.1126), Prince Yasusuke’s daughter ** Imperial Princess Soshi (悰子内親王, 1099–1162) *Lady-in-waiting (Naishi): Fujiwara Muneko (藤原宗子; d.1129), Fujiwara Takamune’s daughter ** Kangyō (寛暁; 1103–1159) *Lady-in-waiting (Naishi): Fujiwara Tokitsune’s daughter ** Imperial Prince Priest Saiun (最雲法親王; 1105–1162) head priest of

Tendai , also known as the Tendai Lotus School (天台法華宗 ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just "''hokke shū''") is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition (with significant esoteric elements) officially established in Japan in 806 by the Japanese m ...

sect * Mother Unknown ** Imperial Princess Kishi (喜子内親王) ** Imperial Princess Kaishi (懐子内親王)

Events of Horikawa's life

He became

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

and became emperor on the same day that his father abdicated. His reign was overshadowed by the

cloistered rule was a form of government in Japan during the Heian period. In this bifurcated system, an emperor abdicated, but retained power and influence. Those retired emperors who withdrew to live in monasteries (''in'') continued to act in ways intended to ...

of former emperor

. * January 3, 1087 (''

Ōtoku was a after '' Eihō'' and before ''Kanji''. This period spanned the years from February 1084 through April 1087. The reigning emperor was . Change of Era * February 9, 1084 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. ...

3, 26th day of the 11th month''): In the 14th year of Emperor Shirakawa''-tennō''s reign (白河天皇十四年), the emperor abdicated; and the succession (‘‘senso’’) was received by his second son. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Horikawa is said to have acceded to the throne (‘‘sokui’’). His father's '' kampaku'', Fujiwara Morozane became '' sesshō'' (

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

), but Shirakawa held actual power as

cloistered Emperor A is the term for a Japanese emperor who had abdicated and entered the Buddhist monastic community by receiving the '' Pravrajya'' rite. The term can also be shortened to . Cloistered emperors sometimes acted as ''Daijō Tennō'' (retired emperor ...

. Horikawa filled his reign with scholarship,

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

, and music. When his empress-consort (''kōgō'') died, his son, Imperial Prince Munehito, who had become

(and later became

) was taken to be raised by Horikawa's father, the retired

. * 1105 (''

Chōji was a after '' Kōwa'' and before '' Kajō.'' This period spanned the years from February 1104 through April 1106. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * January 30, 1104 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events ...

2, 6th month''): A red-colored snow fell over a large area in Japan. * August 9, 1107 (''

Kajō , also romanized as Kashō, was a after ''Chōji'' and before ''Tennin.'' This period spanned the years from April 1106 through August 1108. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * February 6, 1106 : The new era name was created to ...

2, 19th day of the 7th month''): Horikawa died at the age of 29. Horikawa died at age 29 in ''Kajō'' 2, on the 19th day of the 7th month 1107. He had reigned 20 years—seven years in the ''nengō'' ''Kanji'', two years in ''Kahō'', one year in the ''nengō'' ''Eichō'', two years in ''Jōtoku'', five years in the ''nengō'' ''Kōwa'', two years in ''Chōji'', and two years in the ''nengō'' ''Kajō.''Titsingh, p. 178. The actual site of Horikawa's

grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

is known. This emperor is traditionally venerated at a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

(''misasagi'') at Kyoto. The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Horikawa's

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

. It is formally named ''Nochi no Yenkyō-ji no misasagi''. Horikawa is buried amongst the "Seven Imperial Tombs" at

Ryōan-ji Ryōan-ji ( ja, 竜安寺, label=Shinjitai, ja, 龍安寺, label=Kyūjitai, ''The Temple of the Dragon at Peace'') is a Zen temple located in northwest Kyoto, Japan. It belongs to the Myōshin-ji school of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism. The ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

. The mound which commemorates the Emperor Horikawa today named ''Kinugasa-yama.'' The emperor's burial place would have been quite humble in the period after Horikawa died. These tombs reached their present state as a result of the 19th century restoration of imperial sepulchers (''misasagi'') which were ordered by

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

. Emperor Horikawa was succeeded by his son, Munehito, who would take the name Emperor Toba.

Kugyō

''Kugyō'' (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his positio ...

in pre- Meiji eras. Even during those years in which the court's actual influence outside the palace walls was minimal, the hierarchic organization persisted. In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Horikawa's reign, this apex of the ''

Daijō-kan The , also known as the Great Council of State, was (i) (''Daijō-kan'') the highest organ of Japan's premodern Imperial government under the Ritsuryō legal system during and after the Nara period or (ii) (''Dajō-kan'') the highest organ of Jap ...

included: * '' Sesshō'', Fujiwara Morozane, 1043–1101.Brown, p. 318. * '' Kampaku'', Fujiwara Moromichi, 1062–1099. * '' Kampaku'', Fujiwara Tadazane. * ''

Daijō-daijin The was the head of the ''Daijō-kan'' (Great Council of State) during and after the Nara period and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. Equivalent to the Chinese (Grand Preceptor). History Emperor Tenji's favorite son, Prince Ōtomo, wa ...

'', Fujiwara Morozane. * ''

Sadaijin The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the ini ...

'' * ''

Udaijin was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''udaijin'' in the context of a central administr ...

'', Fujiwara Tadazane. * ''

Nadaijin The , literally meaning "Inner Minister", was an ancient office in the Japanese Imperial Court. Its role, rank and authority varied throughout the pre- Meiji period of Japanese history, but in general remained as a significant post under the Tai ...

'', Fujiwara Moromichi. * ''

Dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

'', Fujiwara Tadazane.

Eras of Horikawa's reign

The years of Horikawa's reign are more specifically identified by more than one

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year o ...

or ''

nengō The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...

''.Titsingh, p. 171-178; Brown, p. 319. * ''

'' (1084–1087) * ''

Kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...

'' (1087–1094) * '' Kahō'' (1094–1096) * '' Eichō'' (1096–1097) * '' Jōtoku'' (1097–1099) * '' Kōwa'' (1099–1104) * ''

'' (1104–1106) * ''

'' (1106–1108)

Empresses and consorts

* 1060–1114 Empress (''chūgū''): Imperial Princess

(篤子内親王) – fourth daughter of

Emperor Go-Sanjō was the 71st emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 陽成天皇 (71)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Sanjō's reign spanned the years from 1068 through 1073. This 11th century sovereign was named ...

, and hence his aunt * 1076–1103 Empress (''kōgō''):

Fujiwara Fujiwara (, written: 藤原 lit. "''Wisteria'' field") is a Japanese surname. (In English conversation it is likely to be rendered as .) Notable people with the surname include: ; Families * The Fujiwara clan and its members ** Fujiwara no Kamatari ...

no Ishi (藤原苡子) * ????–1126

Lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

Minamoto was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during th ...

?? (源仁子) – Daughter of Prince ?? (康資王) * ????–1129 Lady-in-waiting: Fujiwara ?? (藤原宗子), daughter of Fujiwara (藤原隆宗) – later wife of Fujiwara ?? (藤原家保) * Daughter of Fujiwara ?? (藤原時経)

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979)
''Gukanshō: The Future and the Past.''
Berkeley: University of California Press.
OCLC 251325323
* Mosher, Gouverneur. (1978). ''Kyoto: A Contemplative Guide.''
OCLC 4589403
* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

Nihon Odai Ichiran Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
* Varley, H. Paul. (1980)
''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns.''
New York: Columbia University Press.
OCLC 59145842