was one of the chief allies of

Minamoto no Yoshitomo (1123 – 11 February 1160) was the head of the Minamoto clan and a general of the late Heian period of Japanese history. His son Minamoto no Yoritomo became ''shōgun'' and founded the Kamakura shogunate, the first shogunate in the history of ...

in the Heiji Rebellion of 1159. As a member of the

Fujiwara clan was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

, Nobuyori might have been in line to become

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 ...

, and he desired power, which he obtained for a short while following the Rebellion. Fujiwara no Nobuyori was known for being a male attendant for sexual purposes of

Emperor Go-Shirakawa was the 77th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His de jure reign spanned the years from 1155 through 1158, though arguably he effectively maintained imperial power for almost thirty-seven years through the ''ins ...

, who later placed him on a high government post. In the late 1150s, a dispute arose between the followers of the reigning

Emperor Nijō was the 78th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1158 through 1165. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was Morihito''-sh ...

and those who favored the retired (

cloistered A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

) Emperor Go-Shirakawa. Though

Fujiwara no Michinori , also known as , was an aristocratic Confucian scholar and Buddhist monk in late Heian period Japan. He was one of the chief advisors to Emperor Nijō, and one of the chief allies of Taira no Kiyomori, particularly during the Heiji Rebellion ...

and the

Taira clan The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided ...

supported Nijō, Nobuyori and his

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 ...

allies supported Go-Shirakawa's bid to retain some influence and power. When

Taira no Kiyomori was a military leader and ''kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Heian-kyō, Japan, in 1118 as the first so ...

, head of his clan, left

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 ...

for a time in 1159, it seemed the perfect opportunity for Nobuyori and the Minamoto to make a move; though some say Kiyomori left the city intentionally, luring his enemies into a trap. Nobuyori and the Minamoto attacked the Sanjō Palace, abducting the former Emperor Go-Shirakawa, killing much of his staff, and setting the building aflame. They brought him to the Great Palace, where Emperor Nijō was being held hostage as well. They then moved on to the home of chief-councillor Fujiwara no Michinori, killing everyone there; Michinori escaped, only to be captured and decapitated soon afterwards. Nobuyori then had Nijō appoint him

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

, under duress. Though he still had enemies at Court who encouraged the emperor to resist and to escape, overall Nobuyori's plan had succeeded. This did not last for long, however, since Taira no Kiyomori returned, and the Minamoto were not sufficiently prepared to defend the city against him. The emperor and ex-emperor both were freed, the Minamoto defeated, and Nobuyori killed in February 1160. Near the end of the rebellion, Fujiwara no Nobuyuri was beheaded.

References

Further reading