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Fujiwara Regency Government

Type Object Region Japan Time c. 858–1160

A political system in mid-to-late Heian Japan in which the Fujiwara clan monopolized court power through the offices of regent and kampaku, binding i…

Timeline

  1. c. 858–899Heian-kyō · JapanFujiwara no Yoshifusa and Fujiwara no Mototsune successively served as regents, taking charge of court affairs in their capacity as imperial in-laws and laying the institutional foundation for the Fujiwara's long-term participation in government.
  2. c. 900–1068Heian-kyō · JapanFujiwara no Tadakane established the office of kampaku; during the eras of Fujiwara no Michinaga and Fujiwara no Yorimichi the regency house's power reached its peak, controlling several emperors through marriage alliances and forming the full flowering of 'regency government'.
  3. c. 1068–1129Heian-kyō · JapanEmperor Go-Sanjō inaugurated cloistered rule, with retired emperors intervening in court affairs and forming a balance of power against the regency house; the Fujiwara still held key posts such as kampaku and Grand Minister of State, and continued to dominate the estate economy and court order.
  4. 1131–1140Heian-kyō · JapanDuring the reign of Emperor Sutoku, Fujiwara no Tadafuni served as regent and the regency house remained at the center of the court; as samurai forces gradually rose, court political tensions intensified on the eve of the Hōgen Disturbance, and the regency system faced a turning point.

Sources