was the 73rd

emperor 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 ( ...

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 n ...

, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')
堀河天皇 (73)
/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Horikawa's reign spanned the years from 1087 through 1107.

Biography

Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name ('' imina'') was Taruhito''-shinnō'' (善仁親王). He was also known as Yoshihito''-tennō''. Horikawa was the son of Emperor Shirakawa. 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 (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 *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 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 w ...

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 Emperor Shirakawa. * January 3, 1087 ('' Ōtoku 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 meani ...

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

(and later became Emperor Toba) was taken to be raised by Horikawa's father, the retired Emperor Shirakawa. * 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 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 grav ...

is known. This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial

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 ''Shint ...

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

(''misasagi'') at Kyoto. The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Horikawa's mausoleum. It is formally named ''Nochi no Yenkyō-ji no misasagi''. Horikawa is buried amongst the "Seven Imperial Tombs" at Ryōan-ji in

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 c ...

. 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. 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 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 position is derived from "the ...

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 J ...

included: * '' Sesshō'', Fujiwara Morozane, 1043–1101.Brown, p. 318. * '' Kampaku'', Fujiwara Moromichi, 1062–1099. * '' Kampaku'', Fujiwara Tadazane. * '' Daijō-daijin'', Fujiwara Morozane. * '' Sadaijin'' * '' Udaijin'', Fujiwara Tadazane. * '' Nadaijin'', Fujiwara Moromichi. * '' Dainagon'', Fujiwara Tadazane.

Eras of Horikawa's reign

The years of Horikawa's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or '' nengō''.Titsingh, p. 171-178; Brown, p. 319. * '' Ōtoku'' (1084–1087) * ''

Kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...

'' (1087–1094) * ''

Kahō was a after ''Kanji'' and before '' Eichō''. This period spanned the years from December 1094 through December 1096. The reigning emperor was . Change of Era * January 19, 1094 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of even ...

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

'' (1104–1106) * '' Kajō'' (1106–1108)

Empresses and consorts

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

, 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:

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 the ...

?? (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''; 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