Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 11| «Part 2» Jyokyu-no-Hen (1221) and Gotoba-Joko, Uncategorized

43 | Part 2 of –10 Jyokyu-no-Ran and Gotoba-joko (承久の乱)

This chapter is a detailed part of Chapter 10, Jyokyu-no-Ran (承久の乱 ) 1221.  Please read Chapter 10 before reading this section.

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                            The red circle above indicates the time we discuss in this chapter.

Chapter 10 explained how Jokyu-no-ran (承久の乱) started.  In the end, Emperor Gotoba (or Gotoba Joko) was exiled to Oki Island (隠岐の島). 

Emperor Gotoba was a highly talented individual in many fields.  He was good at waka (和歌), a Japanese short poem.   To compose a waka requires including several elements, such as scenery, the season, personal feelings expressed with refined sentiment, or the surrounding environment, all within a very limited number of words.  It requires literary talent.  He was also proficient in equestrianism, kemari (a ball game played by the upper class at that time), swimming, sumo wrestling, music, archery, swordsmanship, calligraphy, painting, and even sword-making.  His contributions to the sword field led to the golden age of sword-making during the middle Kamakura period.  Surprisingly, Gotoba Joko was not only talented in many different arts but also mastered them at the highest level.  His waka (poetry) was particularly highly regarded.  He edited the Shin- Kokin- wakashu (新古今集), a collection of 1980 waka poems.                                                                          

Emperor Gotoba, Enthroned at the Age Four

Emperor Gotoba was enthroned at the age of four (some say three).  The problem was that Emperor Antoku was already on the throne.  They were both about the same age.  Having two emperors simultaneously creates a problem.  How did this happen? 

To establish a new emperor, the head of the imperial family must appoint the next emperor.  While Emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河天皇) was imprisoned, Emperor Antoku was appointed by Taira-no-Kiyomori (平清盛).  Although Kiyomori was the head of the Heishi, the most powerful samurai group, he was not a member of the imperial family.  That went against tradition.  This was unacceptable to Emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河天皇).  Emperor Go-Shirakawa was furious at Taira-no-Kiyomori; he chose Emperor Gotoba and enthroned him.  This is why the two emperors coexisted.  

There was one more thing.  To be an emperor, one must possess the Sanshu-no-jingi (三種の神器: Three imperial regalia). These are the three items an emperor needs to have to be a legitimate emperor.  They are a mirror, a sacred sword, and a magatama (jewelry)*.   

However, the Sanshu-no-jingi were taken by the Heike family along with Emperor Antoku when they fled from the Genji.  The Heike clan was chased by the Genji all the way to Dan-no-ura (壇ノ浦), where they were defeated.   Dan-no-ura is a sea located between Kyushu (九州) and Honshu (本州).  When it became clear to the Heike family that they had been defeated, all of the Heike people, including the young Emperor Antoku, jumped into the sea and drowned.  They took the Sanshu-no-jingi with them into the sea.  

Later, people frantically searched for the Sanshu-no-jingi; however, they only recovered the jewelry and the mirror, not the sword.  Because of tradition, the emperor must possess the Sanshu-no-jingi; otherwise, he would not be recognized as a legitimate emperor.  Gotoba Joko was tormented for a long time for not having all three. 

Today, the jewelry is with the current emperor’s family, and the mirror is at the Ise Jingu Shrine (伊勢神宮).  The sword is still missing somewhere in the ocean.  Some say that the sword that fell into the sea was a replica, and the one kept at Atsuta Jingu Shrine (熱田神宮) is the real one.                                                                                                                                                 * Sanshu-no-Jingi (三種の神器) ————- 1. The sword; Kusanagi-no-tsurugi (草薙の剣)   2. The mirror; Yata-no-kagami (八咫の鏡),   3. The magatama (Jewelry); Yasakani-no-magatama (八尺瓊勾玉) by Token World: www.touken-world.jp/tips/32747/

Politics by Emperor Gotoba

Emperor Gotoba sought to regain political power from the Kamakura bakufu.  He was impulsive, passionate, unpredictable, and quick-tempered.  He tried to revive the Chotei (朝廷) power.  The Chotei is the central government controlled by the emperor and aristocrats.  Emperor Gotoba decided to rely on the armed forces to achieve this goal and established the Saimen no Bushi (armed forces directly under the emperor).

Upon seeing Minamoto-no-Sanetomo dead, he realized that the Kamakura bakufu was in turmoil.  Recognizing this as a good chance, he sent out the emperor’s order to all the daimyo to fight against the Kamakura bakufu.  He expected an easy victory, but the Kamakura bushi remained strongly united and fought well under Hojo Masako’s leadership, the “Nun Shogun.”   She organized a strongly united armed force, while Emperor Gotoba’s side was disorganized.  They were not accustomed to fighting.   

In the end, Emperor Gotoba’s side lost.  When he realized he had lost, he claimed it was not he but his men who had acted independently.  He insisted that it had nothing to do with him.  Therefore, it was wrong to punish him.  But of course, Hojo Masako and the Kamakura bakufu did not believe Emperor Gotoba and exiled him to Oki Island.  Emperor Gotoba ended his life there.  Although he was intelligent and accomplished in many areas, he could not defeat the grandma, “Nun Shogun,” Hojo Masako.

Sword-Making by Gotoba Joko

Gotoba Joko had an exceptional ability to evaluate swords, and he became a great swordsmith himself.   He invited many top-level swordsmiths from various groups to his court, gave them titles, and treated them with respect.  He also appointed them as his instructors and assistants.  Gotoba Joko brought in skilled swordsmiths from various places in rotation.  Those who were invited to the palace were called gobankaji (御番鍛冶), an honorary title.  On the sword he created, he inscribed a chrysanthemum with 16 petals.  The current emperor still uses this design as his imperial crest.  The sword with the chrysanthemum design is called Kikugosaku (菊御作).                                                                                                

Today, you can visit the Emperor Gotoba Museum on Oki Island, where some sites are believed to be the emperor’s sword-making site.  Some people say it is debatable whether these sites are real.  Today, Oki Island is a beautiful resort destination.  It can be reached by ferry from Shimane Prefecture, which takes about two hours.  It can also be reached by airplane directly from Osaka.

11 «part 2» Gotoba Joko photo

          Gotoba Joko, owned by Minase Shrine (This picture is in the public domain)

Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 18 Nanboku(Yoshino) Cho--North and South dynasty, Uncategorized

17| Nanboku-cho Period History 1333-1392(南北朝歴史）

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            The red circle above indicates the time we discuss in this section.

After Jokyu-no-ran (Chapter 10 Jokyu-no-ran), the power of the Imperial Court declined significantly.  The successor, the Hojo clan, which was a dominant force during the Kamakura period, also began to face financial difficulties and began to lose control over regional lords.  One reason was the costs incurred by the Mongol invasion.  The Kamakura bakufu (government) could not adequately reward the samurai who fought hard during the war.  As a result, they became very dissatisfied with the bakufu.  Seeing this as an opportunity, Emperor Go-Daigo attempted to attack the Kamakura bakufu twice but failed both times.  He was exiled to Oki Island.  In the meantime, Ashikaga Takauji (足利尊氏) and several groups of anti-Kamakura samurai gathered armed forces and succeeded in destroying the Kamakura bakufu in 1333.  This war ended the Kamakura period.                                                                                                                                                  

Emperor Go-Daigo, who had been exiled to Oki Island, returned to Kyoto and attempted political reforms.  This reform was known as Kenmu-no-chuko (or Kenmu-no-shinsei, 建武の中興).  However, his reforms failed to satisfy most of the ruling class.  Seeing an opportunity, Ashikaga Takauji attacked the Imperial Court in Kyoto, deposed Emperor Go-Daigo, and installed a member of a different branch of the Imperial family as emperor. 

Emperor Go-Daigo, however, insisted on his legitimacy, moved to Yoshino in the south of Kyoto, and established another Imperial court.  Thus, the Northern and  Southern Dynasties began.  With much strife between these rival courts and internal problems within each court,  more samurai groups began to move to the Northern Dynasty.  About sixty years later, the Southern Dynasty was forced to accept the Northern Dynasty’s proposal.  Consequently, the Northern Dynasty became the legitimate imperial court.  This sixty-year period is referred to as the Nanboku-cho or Yoshino-cho period. 

During the Nanboku-cho period, samurai preferred longer, more elaborate, yet practical swords.  The Soshu-den was at the height of its prominence.  However, the Soshu group was not the only one to produce Soshu-den-style swords.  Other schools and provinces in different areas also made Soshu-den-style swords.

Late Kamakura Period Swordsmiths (Early Soshu-Den time)

  • Tosaburo Yukimitsu (藤三郎行光)  
  • Goro Nyudo Masamune (五郎入道正宗)     
  • Hikoshiro Sadamune (彦四郎貞宗)

 17 Masamune hamon (Sano)             Masamune from Sano Museum Catalog (permission granted)

Nanboku-cho Period Swordsmiths  (Middle Soshu-Den time)

  • Hiromitsu (広光)   
  • Akihiro (秋広)

 20 Hitatsura Hiromitsu Hitatura )                  Hiromitsu from Sano Museum Catalog (permission granted)

Muromachi Period Swordsmiths (Late Soshu-Den time)

  • Hiromasa (広正)    
  • Masahiro (正広)

Yurie Endo 遠藤由利江 11| Jokyu-no-ran

10| Jokyu-no-ran 1221 (承久の乱)

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 The circle indicates the time we discuss in this section.

Jyokyu-no-Ran (承久の乱)

After Minamoto-no-Yoritomo (源頼朝) died, his son, Yoriie (頼家), became shogun.  His mother, Hojo Masako (北条政子), Yoritomo‘s wife, thought her son was too incompetent.  She worried others might take over the Kamakura bakufu (Kamakura government).  To prevent this, she established a council of 13 members, including herself, her father, Hojo Tokimasa (北条時政), and her brother, Hojo Yoshitoki (北条義時). 

Shogun Yoriie’s in-laws gained power over time.  During the Heian and Kamakura periods, the wife’s family was considered very important.  To suppress her son’s in-laws, Masako and her father, Tokimasa, planned and carried out Yoriie’s assassination.

After Yoriie‘s death, Masako’s younger son, Sanetomo (実朝), became the next shogun.  Now, his grandfather, Hojo Tokimasa’s second wife, wanted her son-in-law to be the next shogun.  To please his young wife, Hojo Tokimasa attempted to kill Sanetomo but failed.  When she found out about the plot, Hojo Masako imprisoned her father, Tokimasa.  Although Sanetomo was Masako’s son, she was once again very disappointed by his incompetence.  Ultimately, Shogun Sanetomo was killed by his nephew Kugyo, the son of the previous shogun, Yoriie. 

After all these incidents, Masako’s brother, Hojo Yoshitoki, took control of the Kamakura bakufu and installed a figurehead from the Fujiwara family, a powerful aristocratic family in Kyoto.   After all the turmoil, the Hojo family eventually gained complete control of the Kamakura bakufu (government).

Meanwhile, in Kyoto, Emperor Gotoba was planning an attack on the Kamakura bakufu.  He had built up military strength.  When Sanetomo was killed, Emperor Gotoba saw an opportunity to attack Kamakura.  He ordered local feudal lords to attack the Kamakura bakufu, but few obeyed.  Instead, the Hojo family captured the emperor and exiled him to Oki Island.  This occurred in 1221 and is known as Jokyu-no-ran or Jokyu-no–hen.

Emperor Gotoba encouraged sword-making and showed respect for swordsmiths.     After the Jokyu-no-ran, the Imperial family’s power declined, and the Kamakura bakufu became a strong and stable regime.  From the time of Minamoto-no-Yoritomo‘s death until the end of the Jokyu-no-ran, the Kamakura bakufu remained unstable.  It was Hojo Masako who led the Kamakura bakufu to a stable regime.  She was called “Ama Shogun” or “Nun Shogun.”   She was a sharp, talented, yet tough, critical, and often harsh politician.

Kamakura locals, including myself, hold Hojo Masako in high regard.  Minamoto-no- Yoritomo and Hojo Masako are both buried in Kamakura City.  Minamoto-no-Yoritomo is at Shirahata Shrine (白幡神社), and Hojo Masako is at Jufukuji Temple (寿福寺). 

Kamakura is roughly an hour from Tokyo by train on the Yokosuka Line.  Both Jufuku-ji Temple and Shirahata Shrine are within walking distance of Kamakura Station.

 

Jufuku-ji (寿福寺) Temple, sourced from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository

The tomb of Minamoto-no-Yoritomo.  From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository.