unnatural contest as the battle that destroyed human relations and
ignored all the principles of morality.
The Hōgen disturbance had not long been settled when fresh troubles
arose. Among the councilors of state at that era, Fujiwara-no-Michinori,
who had stood high in the estimation of the Emperor Goshirakawa, was a
conspicuously able politician. Even after the accession of the Emperor
Nijō, Michinori continued to enjoy the imperial confidence. But he had
many enemies. In connection with some private affair he had given deep
umbrage to Fujiwara-no-Nobuyori, an official holding the office of
_chūnagon kebüshi_ (councilor of state and chief police official), who
had been a favorite of the Emperor Goshirakawa after the latter's
abdication. Minamoto-no-Yoshitomo also was disaffected. Believing that
his services in the Hōgen disturbance had been more meritorious than
those of Taira-no-Kiyomori, he nevertheless saw the latter rewarded with
much greater liberality; and having offered his own daughter in marriage
to a son of Michinori, the proposal had been abruptly declined,
Michinori choosing Kiyomori's daughter in preference. Nobuyori and
Yoshitomo ultimately raised the standard of revolt, in the first year of
the Heiji era (1159 A. D.), and having secured the coöperation of the
ex-Emperor Goshirakawa by intimidation, forced their way into the palace
and obtained possession of the person of the reigning sovereign.
Nobuyori then procured for himself the posts of chief minister of state
and generalissimo, promoted Yoshitomo, and caused Michinori to be put to
death. The revolution was short-lived. Nobuyori had not administered the
affairs of state for ten days before the emperor made his escape to the
mansion of Taira-no-Kiyomori and the ex-emperor fled to the temple
Ninnaji. Thereupon Kiyomori with his son Shigemori attacked the
insurgents and utterly routed them. Nobuyori was captured and slain.
Yoshitomo succeeded in effecting his escape to Owari, but was finally
put to death by the Taira adherents. All the other leaders of the
rebellion and those who had prominently participated in it, were exiled.
This affair is known as the Heiji Insurrection. The power of the
Minamoto clan had been greatly broken in the Hōgen disturbance, when
Tameyoshi and his followers fell, and the loss of Yoshitomo and his
adherents in the Heiji trouble brought the great clan almost to
complete ruin. Among the few of its scions who survived was Yoritomo,
son of Yoshimoto. He was exiled to the eastern provinces, thence to
emerge at a later date and win one of the greatest names in Japanese
history.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account