Fujiwara Regent Politics

In the middle of the Heian period, the Fujiwara clan married its daughters to emperors, became maternal relatives of the imperial family, and seized real power as regents and chief advisers. Let us examine regent politics, which reached its peak under Fujiwara no Michinaga and his son Yorimichi.

Basic Knowledge

Regent politics was a form of government in which the Fujiwara clan monopolized the positions of sessho and kampaku and governed the country.
・Sessho: An official who governed on behalf of a child emperor
・Kampaku: An official who assisted an adult emperor
The Fujiwara clan married its daughters to emperors. When a son born to one of these daughters became emperor, the daughter's father became the emperor's maternal grandfather and assumed the positions of sessho or kampaku. In this way, the Fujiwara clan used the authority of the emperor to run the government in practice.
Main Fujiwara figures:
・Fujiwara no Yoshifusa: In 858, became the first member of the nobility to serve as sessho（maternal grandfather of Emperor Seiwa）
・Fujiwara no Mototsune: In 887, became the first kampaku
・Fujiwara no Michinaga: Married four daughters to emperors and crown princes and established the peak of Fujiwara power
・Fujiwara no Yorimichi: Michinaga's son; served as regent for about 50 years
Michinaga expressed his power at its height in the famous poem, “I feel this world is mine; nothing is lacking, just as the full moon is complete.”

Further Study (Background and Influence)

The system of regent politics was based on a clever family strategy:
① Marry a daughter to an emperor
② Have the daughter give birth to a prince
③ Place that prince on the throne
④ Become sessho or kampaku as the prince's maternal grandfather
⑤ Seize real political power
This “maternal-relative politics” was possible because the Fujiwara clan was deeply connected to the imperial family by blood. Fujiwara no Michinaga had four daughters made empresses and accomplished the remarkable feat of becoming the maternal grandfather of three emperors. At the height of his power, aristocrats crowded into Michinaga's residence to learn his wishes.
The “Full Moon Poem” showing Michinaga's power（1018）: “I feel this world is mine; nothing is lacking, just as the full moon is complete.”
（This world is like my own. It seems complete, with nothing missing, like a full moon.）
Michinaga's son, Yorimichi, served as regent for about 50 years. However, Yorimichi's daughter had no male child, and Emperor Go-Sanjo, who had no Fujiwara blood, ascended the throne. As a result, regent politics declined.
Sugawara no Michizane was a scholar-turned-politician who could oppose the Fujiwara clan. Through the schemes of Fujiwara no Tokihira, however, he was demoted and sent to Dazaifu in 901 and died in sorrow in 903. Fearing his vengeful spirit, people enshrined him at Tenmangu Shrines; he is now worshiped as the deity of learning.

Points to Note (Easily Confused)

① The difference between sessho and kampaku: sessho served when the emperor was a child, while kampaku served when the emperor was an adult. ② Michinaga and Yorimichi were father and son. Michinaga was the father and Yorimichi the son. ③ “Maternal relative” means a relative on the mother's side. The Fujiwara clan became maternal relatives through their daughters. ④ The “Full Moon Poem” was composed in 1018, at the height of Michinaga's power. ⑤ Sugawara no Michizane was a politician from a scholarly background, not a member of the Fujiwara clan. Remember that he was sent to Dazaifu in 901. ⑥ Regent politics formally continued until cloistered rule began in 1086, although it had substantially declined by the later years of Yorimichi's life.

Practice

1. Explain the difference between sessho and kampaku.
2. Explain how the Fujiwara clan used its relationship with the imperial family to seize power.
3. State the common name of the poem Michinaga composed in 1018 and what situation it expressed.