Stories of the Japanese 00610 [Early Kamakura Period] The 84th Emperor Juntoku
The power-hungry Retired Emperor Go-Toba further strengthened his one-man rule, managing personnel and financial affairs within the Imperial Court as he pleased.
I have already mentioned that because rumors once spread that Ariko was having an affair with Michichika, Retired Emperor Go-Toba's favor shifted from Ariko and the Emperor Tsuchimikado she bore, to Shigeko and the Imperial Prince Morinari she bore. During this period, Retired Emperor Go-Toba treated his eldest son, the Retired Emperor Tsuchimikado, coldly and favored his second son, Imperial Prince Morinari, in various ways.
An example of this can be seen in the handling of the Hachijo-in estate group.
The Hachijo-in estates were a large-scale collection of manors that had received donations from various temples, shrines, and aristocrats back when the Retired Emperor Toba and his favorite consort, Bifukumon-in no Nariko, were wielding power. After the deaths of Retired Emperor Toba and Bifukumon-in no Nariko, Hachijo-in Akiko (1137–1211), who was born between them, inherited these lands.
Incidentally, Hachijo-in Akiko is the person suspected of having become the foster mother of Prince Mochihito, who was born between Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa and Fujiwara no Nariko, and of having financially supported Prince Mochihito's uprising. Although Kiyomori also suspected Hachijo-in Akiko, it is said that he could not bring himself to touch Hachijo-in, who possessed vast lands and economic influence, and left the matter unquestioned.
Hachijo-in Akiko later fell ill, and Shunkamon-in Nobuko (1195–1211), who had been adopted by Akiko, inherited them.
On August 8, in the second year of Jogen (1208), Retired Emperor Go-Toba designated the 12-year-old Nobuko as the junbo (quasi-mother) of the 10-year-old Imperial Prince Morinari. A junbo is someone who acts as a surrogate mother for an emperor during various ceremonies when the emperor's actual mother has passed away or is of too low a status to attend. You can think of it as something similar to an adoption.
The goal of making Nobuko, who was only two years older than Imperial Prince Morinari, his junbo was clearly to have the vast Hachijo-in estates inherited by Imperial Prince Morinari. In order to leave property to Imperial Prince Morinari, Retired Emperor Go-Toba attempted to strengthen his position through forceful and blatant methods.
On November 25, in the fourth year of Jogen (1210), Retired Emperor Go-Toba finally ordered Emperor Tsuchimikado to abdicate. Thus, the Crown Prince, Imperial Prince Morinari, ascended to the throne. This was Emperor Juntoku.
After that, with the death of Imperial Princess Nobuko on November 8, in the first year of Kenryaku (1211), Emperor Juntoku inherited the Hachijo-in estates. Just as Retired Emperor Go-Toba had intended, Emperor Juntoku came into possession of a vast fortune.