, also known as ''Heijō-tennō'', was the 51st

emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

, Emperor Heizei, Yamamomo Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional

order of succession An order, line or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated, such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.806 to 809.

Traditional narrative

Heizei was the eldest son of the Emperor Kanmu and empress Fujiwara no Otomuro. Heizei had three empresses and seven sons and daughters.Brown, p. 279. Heizei is traditionally venerated at his tomb; the

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...

designates , in

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

, as the location of Heizei's

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

. The site is publicly accessible. Although one of the largest

kofun are megalithic tombs or tumulus, tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century AD.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞 ...

monuments in Japan, archaeological investigations in 1962–1963 indicate that it was constructed in the early 5th century, and that portions of it were destroyed during the construction of

Heijō-kyō was the Capital of Japan during most of the Nara period, from 710 to 740 and again from 745 to 784. The imperial palace is a listed UNESCO World Heritage together with other places in the city of Nara (cf. Historic Monuments of Ancient ...

, calling into question the designation by the Imperial Household Agency.

Events of Heizei's life

Before he ascended to the throne, his liaison with Fujiwara no Kusuko, the mother of his one consort, caused a scandal. Because of this scandal his father considered depriving him of the rank of

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

. * 785: (): Heizei was appointed Crown Prince at the age of 12. * April 9, 806 (): In the 25th year of Emperor Kanmu's reign, he died; and despite an ensuing dispute over who should follow him as sovereign, contemporary scholars then construed that the succession (''senso'') was received by his son. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Heizei is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui''). His title Heizei was derived from the official name of the capital in Nara, Heizei Kyō. During Heizei's reign, the bodyguards were reorganized; the existing Imperial Bodyguards became the Left Imperial Bodyguards, while the Middle Bodyguards became the Right Imperial Bodyguards. Brown and Ishida, p. 280 Both sides were given a new Senior Commander; at this time Heizei appointed Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (758–811) as Senior Commander of the Imperial Bodyguards of the Right. Under Emperor Kanmu, Tamuramaro had been appointed as ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

'' of a military expedition against the Emishi. * 809 (): After a reign of four years, Heizei fell ill; and fearing that he would not survive, Heizei abdicated in favor of his younger brother, who would later come to be known as

Emperor Saga was the 52nd emperor of Japan, Emperor Saga, Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Saga's reign lasted from 809 to 823. Traditional narrative Saga was the second son of ...

. After abdicating, Heizei moved to

and was henceforth known as ''Nara no Mikado'', the "Emperor of Nara". * May 18, 809 (): Emperor Saga was enthroned at age 24. * 810 ('' Kōnin 1''): In Heizei's name, the former emperor's ambitious third wife, , and her brother Nakanari organized an attempted rebellion, but their forces were defeated. Kusuko died in poison and her brother was executed. Heizei took the tonsure and became a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

monk.Ponsonby-Fane, p. 318. Brown and Ishida, pp. 281 * August 5, 824 (): Heizei died at age 51, 14 years after he had abdicated due to illness.

Era of Heizei's reign

The years of Heizei's reign are encompassed within one

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of rule, a t ...

(''nengō''). * '' Daidō'' (806–810)

Kugyō

is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

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 Heizei's reign, this apex of the ''

Daijō-kan The , also known as the Great Council of State, was (i) (''Daijō-kan'') the highest organ of Japan's premodern Imperial government under the Ritsuryō legal system during and after the Nara period or (ii) (''Dajō-kan'') the highest organ of Jap ...

'' included: * ''

Sadaijin The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Sadaijin'' in the context of a cent ...

'' (not appointed) * ''

Udaijin was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 701. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Udaijin'' in the context of a central administrat ...

'', Miwa-no-Oh or Miwa-no-Ohkimi (神王), 798–806. * ''Udaijin'', Fujiwara no Uchimaro (藤原内麿), 806–812. * '' Naidaijin'' * ''

Dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

'', Fujiwara no Otomo (藤原雄友), 806–807 When the daughter of a '' chūnagon'' became the favored consort of the Crown Prince Ate (later known as Heizei''-tennō''), her father's power and position in court was affected. Kanmu disapproved of , former wife of Fujiwara no Tadanushi; and Kanmu had her removed from his son's household. After Kanmu died, Heizei restored this one-time favorite as part of his household; and this distinction had consequences. * '' Chūnagon'', Fujiwara no Tadanushi

Consorts and children

Empress (posthumously elevated '' Kōgō''): Fujiwara no Tarashiko/''Taishi'' (藤原帯子; d.794), Fujiwara no Momokawa’s daughterPonsonby-Fane, P. 318; in 806, 12 years after death, this is first time this posthumously elevated rank was bestowed ''Hi'': Imperial Princess Asahara (朝原内親王; 779–817), Emperor Kanmu’s daughter ''Hi'': Imperial Princess Ōyake (大宅内親王; d.849), Emperor Kanmu’s daughter ''Hi'': Imperial Princess Kan'nabi (甘南美内親王; 800–817), Emperor Kanmu’s daughter ''Shōshi'' Court lady (''Naishi-no-kami''): , former wife of ''Chūnagon'' Fujiwara no Tadanushi and Fujiwara no Tanetsugu's daughter ''Hi'': Fujiwara Tadanushi's daughter Court lady: Ise no Tsuguko (伊勢継子; 772–812), Ise no Ōna's daughter *Third Prince: Imperial Prince Takaoka (高丘親王; 799–865), the Crown Prince in 809 (deposed in 810) *Fourth prince: Imperial Prince Kose (巨勢親王; d. 882) *Imperial Princess Kamitsukeno (上毛野内親王; d. 842) *Imperial Princess Isonokami (石上内親王; d. 846) *Third princess: Imperial Princess Ōhara (大原内親王; d. 863), 14th Saiō in

Ise Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shi ...

(806–809) Court lady: Fujii no Fujiko/''Tōshi'' (葛井藤子), Fujii no Michiyori's daughter *First Prince: Imperial Prince Abo (阿保親王) Court lady: Ki no Iokazu (紀魚員), Ki no Kotsuo's daughter *Imperial Princess Enu (叡努内親王; d. 835)

Ancestry

Notes

References

* * * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan''.
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. * Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

Nihon Ōdai Ichiran , ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings. According to the 1871 edition of the ''American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ...

''; 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. ; {{DEFAULTSORT:Heizei Emperors of Japan 773 births 824 deaths People of the Heian period People of the Nara period 9th-century Japanese monarchs Buddhist clergy of the Heian period Japanese Buddhist monarchs Japanese emperors who abdicated