was the 59th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Uda's reign spanned the years from 887 through 897.
Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (imina) was or Chōjiin-tei.
Biography
Early life
Emperor was the seventh son of Emperor Kōkō, and his mother was Empress Dowager Hanshi (daughter of Prince Nakano, son of Emperor Kanmu). His father, Emperor Kōkō, was the great-uncle of the previous Emperor Yōzei. Having ascended the throne after Yōzei was forced to abdicate, Emperor Kōkō felt that the throne should return to the legitimate line, such as Prince Sadayasu, Emperor Yōzei's younger brother by the same mother, and in June 884, he bestowed the surname Minamoto upon 26 princes and princesses in his own direct line, demoting them to commoner status. Prince Sadami was one of them, and was known as Minamoto no Sadami. However, before could formally proclaim a successor, Kōkō fell seriously ill in 887, three years after his enthronement. Regent Fujiwara no Mototsune stated that the emperor's preference was for Sadami rather than Sadayasu. Sadayasu was close to the main line of the imperial family and was also Mototsune's nephew, but his mother, Fujiwara no Takaiko, was not on good terms with Mototsune, despite being their full sister, so he was avoided. On the other hand, Mototsune himself was not particularly fond of Sadami, but Sadami was the adopted son of Mototsune's close half-sister, Fujiwara no Yoshiko, and Yoshiko, who had strong influence in the imperial court as a Naishi no Kami (a lady-in-waiting to the emperor), strongly recommended him, so the court decided. There were also problems with the younger brother Sadami succeeding to the throne ahead of his older brother Minamoto no Koretada, so the emperor accepted the recommendation submitted by Mototsune and other ministers and appointed him as Crown Prince. On August 25, Sadami was reinstated as a member of the imperial family and received the title of Imperial Prince. The following day, the 26th, he was appointed Crown Prince, but on that same day, Emperor Kōkō died, so Sadami ascended the throne and was officially enthroned on November 17.
The Akō controversy
Emperor Uda lacked experience, and Fujiwara no Mototsune who had served as regent for four generations, held all political power. Shortly after the enthronement ceremony, on November 21, Emperor Uda issued an imperial decree instructing Mototsune to continue in his position as regent. However, the Emperor, together with Tachibana no Hiromi, then issued a second edict equating "Kanpaku" with the title of "Ako". Ako, which comes from the Chinese title a-heng, was intended to be just an honorific title without any official duties, which would effectively sideline Mototsune from the government. However, the court was dominated by the Fujiwara clan, and those not of the clan were afraid of their influence, so Emperor Uda's interpretation of the title was not accepted, and he was forced to revoke the edict in June 888. The controversy ended with Fujiwara no Mototsune being made kanpaku and the term "Ako" removed from the imperial edict. Uda attempted to reconcile the situation by having Mototsune's daughter, Fujiwara no Onshi, enter the imperial court, and finally calmed the situation in October. It was only after Mototsune died in 891, that Uda was able to begin his direct rule. In 894, Emperor Uda established Ninna-ji as an imperial temple.
Emperor Uda also appointed Mototsune's eldest son, Fujiwara no Tokihira, as a councilor, while also promoting individuals from outside the main line of the Fujiwara clan, such as Minamoto no Yoshiari, Sugawara no Michizane, and Fujiwara no Yasunori. During this period, the dispatch of Japanese missions to Tang China was suspended, envoys to various provinces to inquire about the suffering of the people were sent, the system of allowing entry into the imperial court was established, the Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku and Ruijū Kokushi official national histories were compiled, and numerous government offices were consolidated or abolished.
Abdication
On August 4, 897, Emperor Uda suddenly proclaimed his Crown Prince Atsuhito to be of age, abdicated the throne on the same day, and became the retired emperor. While it was once widely believed that his sudden abdication was to devote himself to Buddhism, as Uda himself had written that he was deeply shocked by the death of Minister of the Right Minamoto no Yoshiari; however, the action enabled him to secure the succession in his own lineage before demands arose from the Fujiwara clan that he select a candidate whom they favored. This is reinforced by the fact that he instructed the newly enthroned Emperor Daigo, to appoint his younger sister, Princess Tamako, as his principal consort, preventing the main line of the Fujiwara Hok-ke from becoming his maternal relatives. Furthermore, in the appointments made just before his abdication, he appointed Sugawara no Michizane as Provisional Grand Councilor, placing him second only to Fujiwara Tokihira, who held the highest position in the Grand Council of State as Grand Councilor. He then ordered both Tokihira and Michizane to serve as Inspectors of the Imperial Household, instructing them to jointly lead the government. However, this appointment was unpopular with the powerful court nobles, leading to an incident where some court officials refused to perform their duties. Michizane pleaded with Emperor Uda to order these court officials to return to service, and the new government finally began.
In 899, ex-Emperor Uda took the tonsure at Tō-ji and entered Ninna-ji as a monk. He made pilgrimages to Mount Kōya, Mount Hiei, and the Kumano Sanzan.
In January 901, Sugawara no Michizane was exiled to Dazaifu on suspicion of attempting to place Prince Tokiyo, Uda's son and his own son-in-law, on the throne. Upon receiving this news, the ex-emperor rushed to the Imperial Palace, but the gates were tightly closed, and the fate of Michizane was decided there. Daigo had no male heir at the time; however, Daigo resented the growing influence of Michizane, and by extension the continued meddling of his father in political affairs. When Fujiwara no Tokihira, who had continuously restrained Uda's actions, died in 909, Uda regained influence over the court.
On April 22, 913, he held a large-scale poetry contest, the "Teiji-in Poetry Contest," in the imperial palace. This helped to promote the flourishing of Japanese culture. As Daigo's health deteriorated, there were instances where Uda acted as his representative in governing affairs. Then, when Daigo died in 930, Uda became regent to the new emperor, Emperor Suzaku.
Ex-emperor Uda died on September 3, 931 at the age of 65. His diary Kanpyō Gyoki is an important source of information on this period in Japanese history.
Uda had five Imperial consorts and 20 Imperial children. Particularly important sons include:
- Prince Atsuhito (884–930)
- Prince Atsuzane (893–967)
Uda Genji
In ancient Japan, there were four noble clans, the Gempeitōkitsu . One of these clans, the Minamoto clan , is also known as Genji. Some of Uda's grandchildren were granted the surname Minamoto, the most used surname for former Japanese royalty. In order to distinguish Uda's descendants from other Genji, they became known as the Uda Genji , some of which moved to Ōmi Province and became known as Sasaki clan or Ōmi Genji .
Among the Uda Genji, Minamoto no Masazane , a son of Prince Atsumi succeeded in the court. Masazane became sadaijin (Minister of the Left). One of Masazane's daughters, Minamoto no Rinshi married Fujiwara no Michinaga and from this marriage three empresses dowagers and two regents (sesshō) were born.
From Masanobu, several kuge families originated including the Niwata, Ayanokōji, Itsutsuji, Ōhara and Jikōji. From his fourth son Sukeyosi, the Sasaki clan originated, and thus Kyōgoku clan originated. These descendants are known as Ōmi Genji today. From this line, Sasaki Takauji made a success at the Muromachi shogunate and the Amago clan originated from his brother.
Tomb of Emperor Uda
Emperor Uda was cremated at a site in Narutaki Utanotani, Ukyō-ku, Kyoto. After cremation, the remains were covered with earth without the collection of bones, and thus the mausoleum was established. Its original location was quickly lost, and it was not until the end of the Edo period that the current Ouchiyama Mausoleum was designated. It is formally named Kaguragaoka no Higashi no misasagi. According to the Imperial Household Agency, its form is a square mound.
- December 5, 887 (Ninna 3, 17th day of the 11th month): Mototsune asked Uda for permission to retire from his duties; but the emperor is said to have responded, "My youth limits my ability to govern; and if you stop offering me your good counsel, I will be obliged to abdicate and to retire to a monastery." Therefore, Mototsune continued to serve as the new emperor's kampaku.
thumb|250px|A garden at Ninnaji
- 888 (Ninna 4, 8th month): Construction of the newly created Buddhist temple of was completed; and a former disciple of Kōbō-daishi was installed as the new abbot.
In the beginning of Uda's reign, Mototsune held the office of kampaku (or chancellor). Emperor Uda's reign is marked by a prolonged struggle to reassert power by the Imperial Family away from the increasing influence of the Fujiwara, beginning with the death of Mototsune in 891. Records show that shortly thereafter, Emperor Uda assigned scholars Sukeyo and Kiyoyuki, supporters of Mototsune, to provincial posts in the remote provinces of Mutsu and Higo respectively. Meanwhile, non-Fujiwara officials mainly from the Minamoto family were promoted to prominent ranks, while his trusted counselor, Sugawara no Michizane rapidly rose in rank within five years to reach the third rank in the court, and supervision of the Crown Prince's household.
The Special Festival of the Kamo Shrine was first held during Uda's reign.