Emperor Heizei
Emperor Heizei (773 – 824, reigned 806 – 809), also known as Heijō-tennō, was the 51st emperor of Japan. Heizei was the eldest son of Emperor Kanmu and Empress Fujiwara no Otomuro. His birth name was Ate. Heizei had three empresses and seven sons and daughters.
In 785, Ate became the crown prince to succeed his uncle, Prince Sawara. Prince Sawara was the younger brother of Emperor Kanmu and had been named as Crown Prince in 781. In 785, Fujiwara no Tanetsugu, the administrator in charge of the new capital of Nagaoka-kyō, was assassinated. Prince Sawara was implicated because of his opposition to moving the capital from Nara. He was exiled but mysteriously died along the way.
Before Ate ascended to the throne, his liaison with Fujiwara no Kusuko caused a scandal. Kusuko was the mother of his consort, daughter of Fujiwara no Tanetsugu, and former wife of Fujiwara no Tadanushi (760 – 817), a high government official. Kanmu disapproved of Kusuko and ordered Kusuko to leave the palace. Because of this scandal Emperor Kanmu even considered depriving Ate of the rank of crown prince.
The scandal became moot in April 806 when Emperor Kanmu died. Crown Prince Ate was able to receive the succession (senso). Ate was enthroned in May 806 becoming Emperor Heizei .
In the early stage of Heizei’s reign, he dealt aggressively with politics, trying to combine or remove officials, stopping annual events or improving working conditions for middle- and low-class officials to restore the politics and finances to ease ordinary people.
Heizei reorganized the Imperial Bodyguards. Heizei appointed Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (758 – 811) as Senior Commander of the Imperial Bodyguards of the Right. Under Emperor Kanmu, Tamuramaro had been appointed as shogun of a military expedition against the Emishi.
Heizei’s Empress Fujiwara no Tarashiko (? – 794), also known as Taishi, had died around the time Kanmu moved his capital to Heian-kyō. Heizei had her posthumously elevated to Kōgō in 806. Kōgō is the title of a non-reigning empress consort. The title, still in use, is generally conferred on an emperor’s wife who had given birth to the heir to the throne. This was the first time the title had ever been awarded posthumously.
Heizei restored Fujiwara no Kusuko, his favorite, as part of his household. Her ex-husband, Fujiwara no Tadanushi, became more powerful, eventually landing the position of chūnagon and junjii (Junior Second Rank, posthumously). At the Imperial Palace, Heizei gave Kusuko the important position of Naishi no Tsukasa, in which she was entrusted with the handling of day-to-day affairs in the palace.
Heizei restored an article of the incident the assassination of Fujiwara no Tanetsugu in Shoku Nihon Gi (Continuation of Chronicles of Japan). His motivations may either have been because Kusuko was Tanetsugu’s daughter, or he intended to show why he and not Crown Prince Sawara had been elevated to the imperial throne.
In April 809, Heizei fell ill; and fearing that he would not survive and, perhaps, Sawara’s vengeful spirit, Heizei abdicated in favor of his younger brother. In May 809, Crown Prince Kamino (Emperor Saga) succeeded to the Imperial Throne. Emperor Saga then appointed Prince Takaoka (Former Emperor Heizei’s son) as the crown prince.
After abdicating, Heizei moved to Nara and was henceforth known as Nara no Mikado, the “Emperor of Nara” and took residence at Heijo Palace in Heijo-kyō (Nara). By 810, Retired Emperor Heizei was already having disagreements with Emperor Saga over the changes Saga had made during his reign. Heizei found ready cohorts in Kusuko, who still held an important governmental position and her brother, Fujiwara no Nakanari. This even escalated to Emperor Heizei attempting to move the capital city to Heijo-kyō (Heijo Palace in Nara).
This did not end well. Heizei’s empresses who were daughters of Emperor Kanmu, Princess Asahara (779–817), and Princess Ōyake (?–849), quit his retinue. Emperor Saga sent Sakanoue no Tamuramaro to control the revolt. Heizei attempted to raise an army from eastern Japan but was unsuccessful. He eventually gave up.
Fujiwara no Nakanari was executed, an extremely rare occurrence in Heian times. Kusuko poisoned herself. Heizei shaved his head, took tonsure, and became a Buddhist priest.
Emperor Saga showed some leniency. Heizei was allowed to stay at Heijo-kyō in Heijo Palace. He kept the title Dajo Tenno (Retired Emperor). The princes Abo and Takakura (Dazai no gon no sochi) were ensured of being treated well and were allowed to have the level of Shihon Shinno. Crown Prince Takaoka (799 – 865) was stripped of his title but was allowed to achieve the level of Shihon Shinno. Takaoka left politics and became a famous disciple of Kūkai.
(Shinno is the title given to the male members in an Imperial family. From the Heian period to the Edo period, under to the Ritsuryō code, a Shinno would be bestowed a honi (rank) from ‘Ippon’ (First Order of an Imperial Prince) to ‘Shihon’ (Fourth Order of an Imperial Prince).)
Heizei died on August 5, 824 at the age of 51.
Later, when Emperor Saga intended to abdicate, it was opposed by his chief minister Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu on the grounds that it would cost too much for the Imperial Palace to have two retired emperors if Saga were treated the same as the Retired Emperor Heizei.