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Emperor Sutoku

Type Figure Region Japan Time 1119–1164 Also known as 崇徳天皇、Sutoku Tennō、Emperor Sutoku

Emperor Sutoku (1119–1164) was the 75th emperor of Japan, acceding in 1123 and abdicating to Emperor Konoe in 1142 to become a retired emperor.…

Timeline

  1. 1123–1141Heian-kyō · KinaiAcceded in childhood as a son of Emperor Toba. During his nearly twenty-year reign, court affairs were controlled by Fujiwara no Tadafusa and other regency figures, while Retired Emperor Toba gradually strengthened cloistered rule. Sutoku and the retired emperor grew ever more divided over the succession issue, planting the seeds of a future succession crisis.
  2. 1142–1150Heian-kyō · KinaiIn 1142 he was forced to abdicate to his half-brother Emperor Konoe and withdrew as a retired emperor. During this period Retired Emperor Sutoku's faction was marginalized, and tensions with Retired Emperor Toba, Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa, and Regent Tadafusa intensified. Sutoku continued to cultivate political networks in Kyoto, accumulating strength for future armed conflict.
  3. 1151–1164Sanuki Province · ShikokuAfter Emperor Konoe's death, the succession issue again intensified conflict; in 1156 Retired Emperor Sutoku joined Minamoto no Yoshitomo and others to launch the Hōgen War, was defeated and captured. Thereafter he was exiled to Sanuki, where he died in 1164. His vengeful-spirit legend profoundly influenced medieval Japanese religion and political culture.

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