Emperor Kanmu, or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that Japanese imperial power reached its peak.
Emperor Saga was the 52nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Saga's reign spanned the years from 809 through 823.
Emperor Ninmyō was the 54th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Ninmyō's reign lasted from 833 to 850, during the Heian period.
Fujiwara clan was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. They held the title of Ason. The abbreviated form is Tōshi (藤氏).
The Heian period is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved from the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō. It is a period in Japanese history when the Chinese influences reached its peak. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art, especially poetry and literature. Two types of Japanese script emerged, including katakana, a phonetic script which was abbreviated into hiragana, a cursive alphabet with a unique writing method distinctive to Japan. This gave rise to Japan's famous vernacular literature, many of which were written by court women who were not as educated in Chinese compared to their male counterparts.
Minamoto (源) was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during the Heian period, although its last occurrence was during the Sengoku period. The Taira were another such offshoot of the imperial dynasty, making both clans distant relatives. The Minamoto clan is also called the Genji (源氏), or less frequently, the Genke (源家), using the on'yomi reading for Minamoto.
The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided into four major groups, named after the emperor they descended from: Kanmu Heishi, Ninmyō Heishi, Montoku Heishi, and Kōkō Heishi.
This is a list of Japanese clans. The old clans (Gōzoku) mentioned in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki lost their political power before the Heian Period, during which new aristocracies and families, Kuge, emerged in their place. After the Heian Period, the samurai warrior clans gradually increased in importance and power until they came to dominate the country after the founding of the first shogunate.
Taira no Masakado was a Heian period provincial magnate (gōzoku) and samurai based in eastern Japan, notable for leading the first recorded uprising against the central government in Kyōto.
The Chiba clan was a branch family of the Kanmu Taira clan descended from Chiba Tsunetane, son of Taira no Tadatsune. The Chiba governed in Shimōsa Province, and the clan was based in present-day Chiba City. Additionally, for a period, the clan controlled the Sōma shōen that extended into present-day Ibaraki. After the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, the head of the Chiba clan became the hereditary shugo governor of Shimōsa Province.
Onmyōji (陰陽師) is a 2001 Japanese film directed by Yōjirō Takita. It tells of the exploits of famed onmyōji Abe no Seimei, who meets and befriends bungling court noble, Minamoto no Hiromasa. Together they protect the capital of Heian-kyō against an opposing onmyōji, Dōson, who is secretly plotting the downfall of the emperor.
Minamoto no Tsunemoto was a samurai and Imperial Prince during Japan's Heian period, one of the progenitors of the Seiwa Genji branch of the Minamoto clan. He was a son of Sadazumi-shinnō and grandson of Emperor Seiwa. Legend has it that Tsunemoto, in his childhood, was called Rokusonnō (六孫王), with "roku" meaning that his father was the sixth son of Emperor Seiwa, and "son" meaning that he was a grandson of the Emperor.
Tachibana clan was one of the four most powerful kuge families in Japan's Nara and early Heian periods. Members of the Tachibana family often held high court posts within the Daijō-kan, most frequently Sadaijin. Like the other major families at court, they also constantly sought to increase and secure their power by marrying into the imperial family. However, as the Fujiwara clan gained power over the course of the 9th and 10th centuries, the Tachibana were eclipsed and eventually became scattered across the country. Though serving in high government posts outside the capital, they were thus denied the degree of power and influence within the court at Kyoto (Heian-kyō) which they once enjoyed.
The Kobayakawa clan was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Taira clan. Their holdings were in the Chūgoku region. They were a powerful clan during the Sengoku period but were disbanded during the Edo period after the Battle of Sekigahara. However, the Kobayakawa clan was restored by the Mōri clan during the Meiji period and granted a title of baronage in the new nobility. In addition, the Kusai clan of Takehara which is a branch of the Kobayakawa were granted a rank of nobility.
Taira no Sadamori (10th century) was a samurai of the Taira clan who was involved in suppressing the revolt of Taira no Masakado in the 930s-940. He was the son of Taira no Kunika and grandson of Taira no Takamochi, the founder of the Kammu Heishi line. Sadamori was an ancestor of the Hōjō clan which wielded considerable political power several centuries later, during the Kamakura period; his fourth son, Taira no Korehira, was the progenitor of the Ise Taira branch family.
Ason was a prestigious hereditary noble title in Japan, used mainly between Asuka and Heian periods. At first, it was the second highest, below Mahito, which was given to members of the Imperial family, but after Heian period it became the highest of the eight noble titles: Ason, Mahito, Sukune, Imiki, Michinoshi, Omi, Muraji, and Inagi.
Fujiwara no Nagara, also known as Fujiwara no Nagayoshi, was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician of the early Heian period. He was the grandfather of Emperor Yōzei.
Fujiwara no Tanetsugu was a Japanese noble of the late Nara period. He was the grandson of the sangi Fujiwara no Umakai, the founder of the Fujiwara Shikike. He reached the court rank of shō san-mi (正三位) and the position of chūnagon. He was posthumously awarded the rank of shō ichi-i (正一位) and the position of daijō-daijin.
The Jōwa incident was a Japanese succession dispute that occurred in 842, during the early Heian period. Fujiwara no Yoshifusa's nephew, the future Emperor Montoku, took over the role of Crown Prince, while the former crown prince Prince Tsunesada and a number of Yoshifusa's rivals were removed from power. It brought an end to thirty years of uneventful successions that the court had enjoyed by the wishes of Emperor Kanmu and the power of Emperor Saga.
The Soga clan was a samurai family in Sagami Province descending from the Taira clan. The clan is not related to the Soga clan (蘇我氏) of the Yamato period.
