| Emperor En'yū | |
| Succession: | Emperor of Japan |
| Reign: | September 27, 969 – September 24, 984 |
| Coronation: | November 5, 969 |
| Cor-Type: | Japan |
| Predecessor: | Reizei |
| Successor: | Kazan |
| Posthumous Name: | Tsuigō
|
| Spouses: | |
| Issue: | Emperor Ichijō |
| Royal House: | Imperial House of Japan |
| Father: | Emperor Murakami |
| Mother: | Fujiwara no Anshi |
| Birth Date: | April 12, 958 |
| Birth Place: | Heian Kyō (Kyōto) |
| Death Place: | Heian Kyō (Kyōto) |
| Burial Place: | Nochi no Mukarami no misasagi (後村上陵) (Kyōto) |
was the 64th emperor of Japan,[1] according to the traditional order of succession.[2]
En'yū's reign spanned the years from 969 through 984.[3]
Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (imina) was Morihira-shinnō.[4]
Morihira-shinnō was the fifth son of Emperor Murakami by the empress consort Anshi, the daughter of Fujiwara no Morosuke, therefore the brother of Emperor Reizei.
In 967, Morihira-shinnō was appointed as the crown prince, bypassing his elder brother by the same mother, since his brother had no support from the Fujiwara clan.
En'yū had five Empresses or Imperial consorts and one Imperial son.[5]
In his reign there was a severe struggle between the Fujiwara clan over who would be appointed kampaku. Emperor En'yū followed his mother's advice and favored Fujiwara no Kanemichi, his maternal uncle. He had only one son, later the emperor Emperor Ichijō by Senshi, a daughter of his uncle Fujiwara no Kaneie,[8] who was another brother of his mother. He made the daughter of Kanemichi the empress consort, though she bore no children. Senshi and her father Kaneie were angry at this elevation of their rival and were absent from the court for a long time, staying at the mansion of Kaneie with the child.
Imperial processions to the Hachiman and Hirano Shrines were first made during the reign of Emperor En'yū.[5]
The actual site of En'yū's grave is known.[1] This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine (misasagi) at Kyoto.
The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as En'yū's mausoleum. It is formally named Nochi no Mukarami no misasagi.[9]
is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras.
In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During En'yū's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
The years of En'yū's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name (gengō or nengō).[11]
Empress (Chūgū): Fujiwara no Koshi (藤原媓子), Fujiwara no Kanemichi’s daughter
Empress (Chūgū): Fujiwara no Junshi/Nobuko (藤原遵子), Fujiwara no Yoritada’s daughter
Consort (Nyōgo): Imperial Princess Sonshi (尊子内親王; 966–985), Emperor Reizei’s daughter
Consort (Nyōgo): Fujiwara no Senshi (藤原詮子; 962–1002), Fujiwara no Kaneie’s daughter; later, Nyoin (女院) 'Higashi-sanjō In' (東三条院)
Court Attendant (Koui): Chujo-Miyasudokoro (中将御息所), Fujiwara no Kanetada's daughter
Court Attendant (Koui): Shōshō kōui (少将更衣)