Sutoku

Sutoku (born July 7, 1119, Kyōto—died Sept. 14, 1164, Sanuki Province, Japan) was the 75th emperor of Japan; his attempt to usurp his brother’s throne resulted in the bloody Hōgen War, which allowed the powerful warrior Taira clan to gain control of the government.

He ascended the throne in 1123, taking the reign name Sutoku, after the abdication of his father, the emperor Toba; despite his abdication Toba continued to hold power. In 1141 Sutoku also abdicated, and his younger brother came to the throne as the emperor Konoe. When Konoe died in 1155, their father’s third and favourite son was selected to ascend the throne as Go-Shirakawa, much to the displeasure of Sutoku, who had expected the succession to pass to his own son. When Toba died the following year, Sutoku, aided by warriors of the Minamoto clan, attempted a coup (the Hōgen Disturbance). The coup was defeated by the forces of Taira Kiyomori, who then dominated the Emperor. Sutoku was exiled from the capital.