was the 56th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Seiwa's reign spanned the years from 858 through 876. He was the ancestor of the Seiwa Genji, who later became the leaders of the warrior class.

Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his imina) was , the first member of the Imperial house to be personally named "-hito" 仁. One meaning of the character 仁 is the Confucian concept of ren. Later it has been a tradition to name the personal name of all male members of the Imperial family this way. He was also known as emperor as Mizunoo-no-mikado or Minoo-tei.

Biography

Emperor Seiwa was born four days after his father, Emperor Montoku, ascended the throne. He was the fourth son, following his half-brothers, Princes Korechika, Korejo, and Korehiko. However, under the influence of his maternal grandfather, Fujiwara no Yoshifusa, and against the wishes of his father, he displaced his older siblings and was proclaimed Crown Prince at the age of 8. In 858, upon the death of Emperor Montoku, he ascended to the throne at the age of nine. The ailing Emperor Montoku attempted to have Prince Korechika, six years his senior, succeed to the throne as a temporary successor, but this did not materialize. Due to his young age, Fujiwara no Yoshifusa held all political power as regent. From the site of his tomb the Emperor Seiwa is sometimes referred to as the . It is one of the Heian period imperial tombs whose location is almost certainly confirmed; however, per the emperor's wishes, it was only a simple burial with no mausoleum and was not listed in the Engishiki's listing of imperial mausoleums. During the Edo period, the current site was repaired during the Bunkyu Restoration of Imperial Mausoleums in 1862-1863, at which time the current circular mound with a gate and moat were constructed.

Emperor Seiwa (left) inside Seiryoden|thumb|right

The kami of Emperor Seiwa is venerated at the Seiwatennō-sha, a Shinto shrine near the mausoleum.

Events of Seiwa's life

Originally under the guardianship of his maternal grandfather Fujiwara no Yoshifusa, he displaced Imperial Prince Koretaka (惟喬親王) as Crown Prince. Upon the death of his father in 858, Emperor Montoku, he became Emperor at the age of 9, but the real power was held by his grandfather, Yoshifusa.

  • 7 October 858 (Ten'an 2, 27th day of the 8th month)<!-- NengoCalc 天安二年八月二十七日 -->: In the 8th year of Montoku-tennōs reign (文徳天皇8年), the emperor died;
  • 15 December 858 (Ten'an 2, 7th day of the 11th month)<!-- 天安二年十一月七日 -->: The emperor's official announcement of his enthronement at age 9 was accompanied by the appointment of his grandfather as regent (sesshō). This is the first time that this high honor has been accorded to a member of the Fujiwara family, and it is also the first example in Japan of the accession of an heir who is too young to be emperor. The proclamation of the beginning of Seiwa's reign was made at the Kotaijingu at Ise Province and at all the tombs of the imperial family.
  • 859 (Jōgan 1, 1st month): All New Year's festivities were suspended because of the period of national mourning for the death of Emperor Montoku.
  • 859 (Jōgan 1): Construction began on the Iwashimizu Shrine near Heian-kyō. This shrine honors Hachiman, the Shinto war god.
  • 869 (Jōgan 10): Yōzei was born, and he was named Seiwa's heir in the following year.
  • 876 (Jōgan 17, 11th month): In the 18th year of Seiwa-tennōs reign (清和天皇18年), the emperor ceded his throne to his five-year-old son, which meant that the young child received the succession (senso). Shortly thereafter, Emperor Yōzei formally acceded to the throne (sokui).
  • 878 (Gangyō 2): Seiwa became a Buddhist priest. His new priestly name was Soshin (素真).

Kugyō

is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras.

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 Seiwa's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:

  • Sesshō, Fujiwara no Yoshifusa, 804–872.
  • Udaijin, Fujiwara no Yoshimi (藤原良相), 817–867.
  • Udaijin, Fujiwara no Ujimune (藤原氏宗).
  • Udaijin, Fujiwara no Mototsune, 836–891.
  • Naidaijin
  • Dainagon, Fujiwara no Mototsune.

Notes

thumb|right|120px|[[Imperial Seal of Japan|Japanese Imperial kamon — a stylized chrysanthemum blossom]]

References

  • Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). Gukanshō: The Future and the Past. Berkeley: University of California Press. ;
  • Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society.
  • Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Ōdai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland.
  • Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns. New York: Columbia University Press. ;

See also

  • Emperor of Japan
  • List of Emperors of Japan
  • Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku　Corresponding to three reign of Emperor Seiwa, Yōzei, and Kōkō.
  • Gion Matsuri　Said to have originated during the reign of Emperor Seiwa (r. 858–876).
  • Imperial cult
  • Emperor Go-Mizunoo