Name: Emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河天皇)
Birth/ Death: (1127-1192) Reign: (1155-1158)
Appearance: Book 1 Episode 5-7, 9, 11-14; Book 2 Episode 1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 16; Book 3 Episode 1, 3, 15, 19; Book 4 Episode 1-4, 6, 8; Book 5 Episode 1, 10, 11; Book 6 Episode 1, 4, 5, 7, 10, 12; Book 7 Episode 13, 16, 20; Book 8 Episode 1, 2, 5, 10, 11; Book 9 Episode 1, 5, 17; Book 10 Episode 1, 5, 13; Book 11 Episode 13; Book 12 Episode 1; The Initiates Book Episode 3, 4
Bio:
Go-Shirakawa was an emperor of Japan who fathered Emperor Takaura and Prince Mochihito, and he was also the grandfather of Emperors Antoku and Go-Toba. He played a major role in the Hogen Conflict and was a powerful and active retired emperor. Furthermore, he is often referred to as "Cloistered Emperor" or "Cloistered Eminence"
Book 1:
Go-Shirakawa's presence is seen throughout the middle and end of Book One, and, for the most part, he serves as an adviser to the reigning emperor. In Episode 7 of Book 1, Go-Shirakawa is seen attempting to dissuade the current emperor from taking the previous emperor's wife to be his own, though to no-avail.
Then, in Chapter 9, Go-Shirakawa is depicted as a powerful person, because a rumor is started that he ordered the Enryakuji monks to suppress the Heike. Since his name carried so much weight that the Heike had actually mobilized to defend themselves from this imaginary threat, Go-Shirakawa had to personally dissolve these rumors
Go-Shirakawa is also depicted as being very respectful, somewhat out of reverence but also out of caution, of the monks of Mount Hiei and is quoted as saying "A complaint from the Mountain is difficult to ignore" and also "The flow of the Kamo River, dice at backgammon, and the monks of Hiei--these are things beyond my control". So, he was often consulted on how to deal with these monks.
Book 2:
The second book of The Tale of the Heike starts out with the Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa exercising his power and influence by ordering the abbot Meiun of Mount Hiei to step down from his service, to return his seal and keys, and to go into exile. All of this was because he allowed his monks to act rashly and violently, as described in Book One, and did little to dissuade them.
Furthermore, the Cloistered Emperor has a more subtle role throughout Book Two compared to Book One, as he is indirectly linked to the rebellion that also involved Narichika, Naritsune, and Yasuyori. Kiyomori and others strongly suspected that Go-Shirakawa was the backing force of the failed coup, though there lacked substantial proof.
Book 3:
In the third book, Go-Shirakawa is at first hailed as a miracle worker for essentially taming the restless spirits and allowing the birth of a boy for Kiyomori’s lineage. However, later in the book, Kiyomori attempts to strengthen his grip on the government and confines Go-Shirakawa to the Toba villa, outside Kyoto.
Book 4:
In Book Four he is no longer the only retired Emperor as his son, Takakura, is forced to abdicate. He is permitted to leave the Toba mansion and return to his Hōjūji residence, but his son Prince Mochihito is killed in the rebellion that he raises with Yorimasa.
Book 5:
In the fifth book, Go-Shirakawa remains on the sidelines of the main narrative. He is listed as one of the notable mourners for the Nara temples, which were burned to the ground by Kiyomori's fourth son, Shigemori.
Book 6:
In Book Six, we see that Go-Shirakawa is back to living a rather quiet life following the burning of Nara. The first episode describes how he "went nowhere" and that all festivities stopped. "No music played, no dancers danced; no Kuzu villagers came from Yoshino." He then laments the end of the Buddha's and Sovereign's Ways.
When his son, Retired Emperor Takakura, passes away at an early age, Go-Shirakawa mourns; and the rest of the realm joins him.
Book 7:
Episode 13 of The Tale of the Heike characterizes the flight of the Emperor, and others, as battle rages in and around the capital. In order to protect him, the Heike removed the Emperor from the capital and planned to take Go-Shirakawa as well. However, Go-Shirakawa had heard that the Heike were coming for him, so he fled. Many of the Heike believed that he was kidnapped and were thrown into a panic due to this disappearance, thinking that their enemies may soon overrun them entirely. It is unclear if Go-Shirakawa thought that the Heike were coming to capture him or if he just decided to flee the area before the Heike decided they should also escape.
Book 8:
In the eighth book of Tale of the Heike, Go-Shirakawa plays a more active role in what is happening throughout Japan than he has in a while. At the beginning of Book Eight, Go-Shirakawa takes refuge at Mount Hiei, and many important people flocked there to be with him; including palace ministers, counselors, and other gentlemen; hoping to earn a promotion. While at Mount Hiei, the Cloistered Eminence names the Fourth Prince as the successor to the throne, though the prince ends up getting murdered soon after.
Later on, in Episode 5, Go-Shirakawa sets about appointing a supreme commander to take on the Heike. He decides to appoint Yoritomo to that position, and Yoritomo accepts but only when he is in a setting that he deems fitting to receive the Cloistered Eminence's approval. Shortly after, one of the other Minamoto generals, Yoshinaka, started causing a ruckus, so Go-Shirakawa sent out orders for him to cease his actions and to continue on with the war efforts. Go-Shirakawa took the war with the Heike so seriously that he ordered civilians to stone any soldier who fled from battle.
Book 9:
In the Book Nine, Episode 1, Go-Shirakawa, gave orders for Kiso no Yoshinaka to suppress the Heike in the western provinces. He remains rather inactive during the conflict that leads up to Yoshinaka's death, but when Higuchi no Jiro was captured, he is called upon to act as decision-maker once more. With a little bit of persuasion from Yoshitsune, Go-Shirakawa spares Higuchi's life, but after a great many nobles close to the sovereign protested, he reversed his decision and had him executed.
Book 10:
Go-Shirakawa, once again shows how despite his power and prominence, he is still greatly influenced by those around him. In the first episode of Book 10, Noriyori and Yoshitsune asked His Cloistered Eminence for permission to have the heads paraded through the capital and hung in trees before the prison gate. Go-Shirakawa wisely chose to consult with the chancellor, the left and right ministers, and other palace officials, and after concluding that such an act was both unprecedented and disrespectful, they forbade the grisly display. However, after Noriyori and Yoshitsune plead their case to him a little more, Go-Shirakawa relented and allowed them to parade the heads of the fallen through the capital.
After this, His Cloistered Eminence becomes less involved by deferring Shigehira's request, in Episode 5, for permission to renounce the world until Yoritomo meets with him. Later on in Episode 13, Go-Shirakawa, without conferring with the imperial court, transfers the remains of Retired Emperor Sutoku to a new shrine at the in Oi-no-mikado to be honored as a god. After reinstating Yorimori's position and possesions, Go-Shirakawa returned to his minimal involvement in the world of the capital.
Book 11:
In Book 11, Go-Shirakawa plays a very minor role compared to many of the previous books in Tale of the Heike, as this book mostly follows the stories of those carrying out his orders of taking down the Heike. He finally appears in Episode 13, when he hosts the Second Prince, Morisada, who had been removed from the capital by the Heike three years prior. It was shortly after this reunion that the Heike prisoners were brought into the capital.