鳥羽

Toba (1103-1156) was an Emperor of Japan in the late Heian Era. Toba reigned as puppet boy-emperor from 1107-1123, and then assumed the actual reins of power as retired emperor from 1129 until his death in 1156.

For much of Toba's reign and later cloistered rule, the court was dominated by three women who wielded great influence in both politcal and cultural matters. These women--Taikenmon'in, Bifukumon'in, and Kayanoin--were Toba's three chief consorts, but they were also his trusted allies, strategists, and friends during various factional disputes that shook the court throughout his lifetime. On one hand, the three women fiercely competed to secure favors for their own children at the expense of the others, but on the other hand they were partners, united by their common interest in advancing the interests of their lord, Emperor Toba. Taikenmon'in, Bifukumon'in, and Kayanoin were also great patrons of the arts, and of Buddhist learning.

The schemes of the three women would later lead to the succession dispute that caused the Hogen Incident of 1156 as Taikenmon'in's sons Go-Shirakawa and Sutoku and Bifukumon'in's sons Konoe and Nijo traded the throne back and forth.

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