Emperor Kazan


Emperor Kazan was the 65th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.
Kazan's reign spanned the years from 984 through 986.

Biography

Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was Morosada-shinnō.
Morasada was the eldest son of Emperor Reizei. The prince's mother was Fujiwara no Kaneko/Kaishi, who was a daughter of sesshō Fujiwara no Koretada. Morasada was also the brother of Emperor Sanjō.

Events of Kazan's life

Prince Morasada was seventeen years of age at the time of the succession.
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 already held the Regalia, and that there was no purpose in Kazan continuing to rule. Under some pressure, Kazan acquiesced, and went to the Gangō-ji monastery. 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 Kannon pilgrimage, as a monk to the name of Tokudo Shonin had supposedly already created it. This pilgrimage involved travelling to 33 locations across the eight provinces of the Bando area.
He was told to visit these 33 sites, in order to bring release from suffering, by Kannon Bosatsu in a vision.
It is said that the first site of the pilgrimage was the Sugimoto-dera in Kamakura. This site is also the first site on the Kamakura pilgrimage.
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.
. Kazan is amongst six other emperors entombed near what had been the residence of Hosokawa Katsumoto before the Ōnin War.Daijō-tennō Kazan died at the age of 41 on the 8th day of the 2nd month of the fifth year of Kankō.
The actual site of Kazan's grave is known. This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine at Kyoto.
The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Kazan's mausoleum. It is formally named Kamiya no hotori no misasagi.
He is buried amongst the "Seven Imperial Tombs" at Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto. 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 which were ordered by Emperor Meiji.

Kugyō

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 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.
Consort : Fujiwara no Shishi, Fujiwara no Tamemitsu’s daughter
Consort : Fujiwara no Teishi, Fujiwara no Yoritada’s daughter
Consort : Fujiwara no Chōshi, Fujiwara no Asateru's daughter
Consort : Princess Enshi, Imperial Prince Tamehira's daughter
Nakatsukasa, Taira no Sukeyuki's daughter, – Nurse of Emperor Kazan
Nakatsukasa, Taira no Heishi, Taira no Suketada's daughter