Fujiwara Regency Government

Timeline

1. 866–995Heian-kyō · Kinki regionFujiwara no Yoshifusa and Mototsune successively served as regents, establishing the practice of maternal relatives governing on behalf of a child emperor; Fujiwara no Norimichi, Norimune, and others continued the hereditary regency, and the Fujiwara gradually monopolized supreme decision-making.
2. 995–1028Heian-kyō · Kinki regionFujiwara no Michinaga served as kanpaku, placing his daughters as empress and principal consort, reaching the peak of power; his son Yorimichi built Byōdō-in at Uji, and the regency house consolidated its control over the court through manor economics and ceremonial politics.
3. 1028–1107Heian-kyō · Kinki regionAfter Michinaga the regency house split into branches such as the Northern and Southern houses, and its real power weakened compared to its zenith; after the establishment of Shirakawa's cloistered rule in 1086, Fujiwara no Sanemasa and others still served as kanpaku in the 1100s, but faced rivalry from the retired emperor and samurai forces, as regency politics entered its twilight phase.