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Japanese Insei System

Type Object Region East Asia Time 1086–1221

Insei was a political system in late Heian to early Kamakura Japan in which retired emperors governed from the In-no-Chō;…

Timeline

  1. 1086Shirakawa Palace, Kyoto · Kyoto PrefectureAfter abdicating, Emperor Shirakawa established the In-no-Chō at Shirakawa Palace, intervening in court government under the name of insei, weakening the monopoly of regency politics and establishing the paradigm of retired emperors directing state affairs.
  2. 1123–1156Toba Palace, Kyoto · Kyoto PrefectureAfter abdicating, Emperor Toba controlled appointments and estate litigation through insei; between 1131 and 1140 Emperor Sutoku reigned while real power rested with the In, and the In-no-Chō system and the Hokumen warrior force continued to grow.
  3. 1156–1192Kyoto · Kyoto PrefectureAfter the Hōgen Disturbance, retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa's insei reached its peak, but warrior power grew, intensifying the contest between insei, warriors, and temple-shrine forces, as the political center began shifting toward the warrior government.
  4. 1221Kyoto · Kyoto PrefectureIn the Jōkyū War the shogunate defeated the side of retired Emperor Go-Toba, the military foundation of insei collapsed, the system of retired emperors directing state affairs effectively ended, and the warrior government became the dominant force.

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