Stories of the Japanese 00445 [Late Heian Period] Summary of the Late Heian Period

We have looked at the 112 years from the accession of Emperor Go-Sanjo in the 4th year of Jiryaku (1068), through the period of cloistered rule by Emperors Shirakawa, Toba, and Go-Shirakawa, until Taira no Kiyomori took control of the realm in the 4th year of Jisho (1180).
In the mid-Heian period, when power was concentrated in the Fujiwara regental family, the main method of power struggle was to 'frame political rivals and have them demoted.' However, in the late Heian period, military force began to be used overtly, and cases where the losers were sentenced to death or murdered in exile increased. Furthermore, it can be said that there were more cases like Shinzei and Taira no Kiyomori, where capable individuals could overturn conventional expectations and attain high-ranking positions.
A particularly noteworthy change is that the samurai, whose primary duty was combat, began to hold power. The Minamoto and Taira clans, who became samurai after being demoted from imperial rank in the early Heian period, made names for themselves by suppressing local rebellions and pirates. Furthermore, they gained recognition for their capabilities by using their military strength to mediate the era's greatest social issue: the conflict between manor lords and provincial governors. Go-Shirakawa initially intended to use the Taira clan's power by promoting them, but Kiyomori, who had gained power beyond Go-Shirakawa's expectations before anyone realized it, ultimately resorted to the hardline tactic of confining Go-Shirakawa to rule the realm.
Since the transition from aristocratic government to samurai government is the transition from the ancient to the medieval period, the gap between the mid-Heian and late Heian periods is precisely the boundary between the ancient and medieval eras.
Now, in the summary of the mid-Heian period, I explained that the reason the regental government did not last long was that 'it was a political system that relied on the accidental element of needing the regent or chief advisor to marry his daughter to the emperor and have her bear a son.' So, what was the reason that cloistered rule did not last long in the late Heian period?
I believe the essence of cloistered rule lies in the fact that a retired emperor with a strong personality gains power by freely manipulating armed samurai to resolve disputes over manors and family succession. This means that power struggles within the imperial family depended on 'how to win over strong samurai.' While Retired Emperor Toba and Emperor Go-Shirakawa won over Taira no Kiyomori and Minamoto no Yoshitomo, Retired Emperor Sutoku was only able to win over Minamoto no Tameyoshi and Taira no Tadamasa, which is why he was defeated.
In such a political system, it is inevitable that once individuals with strong personalities and political sense emerge within the samurai class, the system will collapse and power will be seized. And so, the Taira clan, which produced excellent samurai for two consecutive generations—Taira no Tadamori and Kiyomori—ended up seizing supreme power.
From the next chapter onwards, we will look at how the Taira regime, established in the 3rd year of Jisho (1179), collapsed in just six years.