| Emperor Kazan | |
| Succession: | Emperor of Japan |
| Reign: | September 24, 984 – August 1, 986 |
| Coronation: | November 5, 984 |
| Cor-Type: | Japan |
| Predecessor: | En'yū |
| Successor: | Ichijō |
| Posthumous Name: | Tsuigō
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| Royal House: | Imperial House of Japan |
| Father: | Emperor Reizei |
| Mother: | Fujiwara no Kaishi |
| Birth Date: | November 29, 968 |
| Birth Place: | Heian Kyō (Kyōto) |
| Death Place: | Heian Kyō (Kyōto) |
| Burial Place: | Kamiyagawa no hotori no misasagi (紙屋川上陵) (Kyoto) |
was the 65th emperor of Japan,[1] according to the traditional order of succession.[2]
Kazan's reign spanned the years from 984 through 986.[3]
Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (imina) was Morosada-shinnō (師貞親王).[4]
Morasada was the eldest son of Emperor Reizei. The prince's mother was Fujiwara no Kaneko/Kaishi (藤原懐子), who was a daughter of sesshō Fujiwara no Koretada. Morasada was also the brother of Emperor Sanjō.[5]
Prince Morasada was seventeen years of age at the time of the succession.[6]
He commissioned the Shūi Wakashū.
He faced a tough political struggle from the Fujiwara family; and at the age of nineteen, he was manipulated into abandoning the throne by Fujiwara no Kaneie. Kaneie told him that Ichijo (Kaneie's maternal grandson) already held the Regalia, and that there was no purpose in Kazan continuing to rule. Under some pressure, Kazan acquiesced, and went to the Gangyō-ji temple. He was accompanied by Kaneie's second son, Michikane, who was also to enter religion. When they arrived, however, Michikane said he would like to see his parents one final time while he was still a layman. Michikane never came back.
Nyūkaku went on various pilgrimages and 're-founded' the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, which was established in the early 8th century by a monk to the name of Tokudo Shonin. This pilgrimage involves travelling to 33 locations across the eight provinces of the Western Japan.
Some scholars doubt that Kazan, in his unstable mental condition at the time was involved with the founding of the pilgrimage, thereby leaving all of the credit to Shonin.
It is suggested by many scholars that the mental health of Kazan, particularly in later life, was not stable; and therefore, living as a monk may have caused deteriorating behavior.
Daijō-tennō Kazan died at the age of 41 on the 8th day of the 2nd month of the fifth year of Kankō (1008).[11]
The actual site of Kazan's grave is known.[1] This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine (misasagi) at Kyoto.
The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Kazan's mausoleum. It is formally named Kamiya no hotori no misasagi.[12]
He is buried amongst the "Seven Imperial Tombs" at Ryōan-ji Temple in Kyoto.[13] The mound which commemorates the Hosokawa Emperor Kazan is today named Kinugasa-yama. The emperor's burial place would have been quite humble in the period after Kazan 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.[14]
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 have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Kazan's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
The years of Kazan's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.[5]
Consort (Nyōgo): Fujiwara no Shishi (藤原忯子; 969–985), Fujiwara no Tamemitsu’s daughter
Consort (Nyōgo): Fujiwara no Teishi (藤原諟子; d.1035), Fujiwara no Yoritada’s daughter
Consort (Nyōgo): Fujiwara no Chōshi (藤原姚子; 971–989), Fujiwara no Asateru's daughter
Consort (Nyōgo): Princess Enshi (婉子女王; 972–998), Imperial Prince Tamehira's daughter
Nakatsukasa (中務), Taira no Sukeyuki's daughter, – Nurse of Emperor Kazan
Nakatsukasa (中務), Taira no Heishi (平平子), Taira no Suketada's daughter
(from unknown women)