Emperor Go-Reizei

A kasôzuka (lit. "cremation mound") at Senbon-Kitaôji in Kyoto, enshrining cremated remains of Emperor Go-Reizei. The site of Go-Reizei's main tomb/mausoleum is a short distance away, at the temple Ryôan-ji.

• Born: 1025/8/3
• Died: 1068/4/19
• Reign: 1045-1068
• Japanese: 後冷泉天皇 (Go-Reizei Tennou)

Emperor Go-Reizei was the 70th Emperor of Japan; he reigned in the mid-Heian period, from 1045 to 1068.

He was the first son of Emperor Go-Suzaku and Imperial consort Fujiwara no Kishi. He ascended to the throne following his father's death, and his uncle Fujiwara no Yorimichi served as kanpaku (regent).

Some of the key events of his reign included:

• Rise in popularity of Pure Land Buddhism
• Construction of the Byôdôin in Uji
• Zenkunen War (1051-1062) in which Minamoto no Yoriyoshi and Minamoto no Yoshiie are sent to the far north by the Court, to lead a punitive expedition against the Abe clan, which had been avoiding or escaping submitting to Imperial authority.

Go-Reizei died in 1068, and is buried at Ryôan-ji.

References

• "Go-Reizei Tennô." Digital-ban Nihon jinmei daijiten デジタル版 日本人名大辞典. Kodansha, 2009.