Cry for noble Saichō (哭最澄上人), which was written by Emperor Saga for Saichō's death. Saga was a scholar of the Chinese classics. He was also renowned as a skillful calligrapher. Chinese calligraphic influence was weakened during the Heian period; this text was an example of the different way it was evolving in Japan.
Saga was born in 784 as the second son of Emperor Kanmu and Fujiwara no Otomuro.[4][5] His personal name was Kamino (神野), taken from the birthplace of his wet nurse Kamino Sukune, as was the common practice of the time.[6] He came of age in 799 and had good relations with his father, Emperor Kanmu, unlike his elder brother, the future Emperor Heizei. In 806, upon the accession of his older brother as Emperor Heizei, he was appointed Crown Prince. Emperor Heizei already had two sons, Prince Takaoka and Prince Abo, and the decision to appoint his younger brother as Crown Prince was made by the newly-retired Emperor Kanmu. He ascended the throne in 809 upon the abdication of Emperor Heizei, and appointed Prince Takaoka, Emperor Heizei's son and his nephew, as Crown Prince.
In 810, the "Kusuko Incident" occurred, in which the retired Emperor Heizei attempted to regain the throne. As a result, Prince Takaoka was deposed, but his half-brother, Prince Ōtomo (later Emperor Junna), was appointed Crown Prince. The retired Emperor Heizei continued to receive the title and honors of Grand Emperor after this incident. Following this incident, Emperor Saga established the Kebiishi, a police force responsible for maintaining order and conducting trials within the capital. He established the Kurōdo-dokoro (Chamberlain's Office) to ensure that male officials cooperated with the Emperor to prevent unrest caused by female court officials. Kose no Notari and Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu were appointed as Kurōdo-gashira (Head of the Chamberlain's Office). In 812, he entrusted government affairs to officials, primarily Fujiwara no Sonohito, who became Minister of the Right, and devoted himself to cultural affairs, such as holding poetry banquets. In 818, he renamed the twelve gates of Heian-kyō to Tang-style names. and adopted Tang-style court ceremonies.
He then ruled peacefully for approximately 40 years, during a period of flourishing court culture. He excelled in Chinese poetry and calligraphy, and is counted among the Three Great Calligraphers along with Kūkai and Tachibana no Hayanari. He held the first imperial poetry competitions (naien).[7] His calligraphic works include the "Kōjō Kaichō" housed at Enryaku-ji. He is also said to be the founder of the Saga Go-ryū school of ikebana flower arrangement. In April of the 6th year of the Kōnin era (815), while on an imperial visit to Shiga County in Ōmi Province, he stopped his palanquin at Bonshaku-ji and is said to have drunk tea brewed by the monk Eichū, who had returned from Tang China.
Emperor Saga had many sons and daughters. To avoid financial strain, in May 814, he initiated "dynastic shedding", by granting the surname "Minamoto" to many of his children, starting with his seventh son—Minamoto no Makoto, demoting them to commoner status[8] One of these demoted princes was Minamoto no Tōru, is thought to be an inspiration for the protagonist of the novel The Tale of Genji.[9]
In 815, he deposed his half-sister, Princess Takatsu, who had been his consort (the exact date is unknown), and in the same month, he appointed Tachibana no Kachiko as Empress.
In 818, the Kōnin Code was issued. Around this time, agricultural production was in a severe slump, and financial difficulties were serious. As a countermeasure, the law on permanent private ownership of reclaimed land was revised to ease restrictions on large-scale land ownership, promoting the development of uncultivated land, and publicly owned and imperially designated fields were established.
In 823, he bestowed the temple of Tō-ji upon Kūkai.[10]; the previous year, he had recognized Saichō's long-cherished wish to establish an ordination platform.
Also in 823, Saga abdicated in favor of Prince Otomo (later Emperor Junna), becoming a retired emperor and appointing his son, Prince Masayoshi (later Emperor Ninmyō), as crown prince. At this time, Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu, who advocated for financial austerity to maintain the Ritsuryō system, and a close confidant of Emperor Saga, opposed the abdication, arguing that having another retired emperor in addition to Emperor Heizei would be a significant financial burden amidst a series of poor harvests. However, Emperor Saga proceeded with the abdication, possibly to defy the custom that the eldest son of the emperor would, in principle, succeed to the throne, and instead to allow another son of Emperor Kanmu to inherit the throne. HIs abdication at a relatively young age was also considered to be out of consideration for his half-brother, Prince Otomo who was the same age.
After the abdication, the nature of the retired emperor changed significantly. Under the Ritsuryō system, the retired emperor possessed political powers equal to those of the emperor and held the position of co-regent. However, Emperor Saga declined the official title of retired emperor, and refused further participation in national politics. The only known instance of Emperor Saga's iinterference in national politics is the recall of those exiled in connection with the Kusuko Incident in 824, the month after the death of Emperor Heizei.
In 833, ex-Emperor Saga he had a new palace built at Saga-in (later Daikaku-ji), a detached palace outside Kyoto that had been established during his reign. He moved there with Empress Dowager Kachiko. The garden of the palace features Ōsawa Pond, is one of the oldest Japanese garden ponds to survive from the Heian period,[11]which was modeled after Lake Dongting in China.
Ex-Emperor Saga died in 842 at the age of 57. His is known to have left a will quoting Chinese classics in which he stated his desire for a simple funeral, unlike previous emperors and retired emperors.
Emperor Saga's tomb
Emperor Saga is traditionally venerated at a location the Imperial Household Agency designates Saganoyamanoe no Misasagi (嵯峨山上陵, Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum), in Ukyō-ku, Kyoto.[1] The tomb is a 38-meter diameter circular mound located on the summit of Asaharayama (also known Gobyōyama, 190 meters), facing southeast. Per the Shoku Nihon Koki. The Emperor repeatedly requested a simple funeral, and left instructions that his grave should be in a "remote, barren land north of the mountains," without a seal or mound of earth, simply leveled, with a hole large enough to hold the coffin, without trees planted, left to grow naturally, and without any rituals being performed there for a long time. Accordingly, the funeral was completed on the same day of his death, and his remains were buried in a remote mountain area to the northwest of Daikaku-ji. For this reason, it is not recorded in Engishiki, and from the Kamakura period onward, the location became unknown. The stone pagodas within Nison-in and Seiryō-ji (both in Ukyō-ku, Kyoto) were traditionally considered to be his tomb. In the late Edo period, in 1808, the Confucian scholar Gamō Kunpei (1768-1813) designated the current location as Emperor Saga's tomb, based on seven large stones discovered on the mountainside. The tomb was restored in 1862-1863 and surrounded by stone walls and wooden fences; however, there is no physical or documentary evidence to support the supposition that this is actually his tomb.
Events of Saga's life
806 Saga became the crown prince at age 21.
June 17, 809[12] (Daidō 4, 1st day of the 4th month[13]): In the 4th year of Emperor Heizei's reign, he fell ill and abdicated; and the succession (senso) was received by Kanmu's second son Saga, the eldest son having become a Buddhist priest. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Saga is said to have acceded to the throne (sokui).[14]
Soon after his enthronement, Saga himself took ill. At the time the retired Heizei had quarreled with his brother over the ideal location of the court, the latter preferring the Heian capital, while the former was convinced that a shift back to the Nara plain was necessary, and Heizei, exploiting Saga's weakened health, seized the opportunity to foment a rebellion, known historically as the Kusuko Incident; however, forces loyal to Emperor Saga, led by taishōgunSakanoue no Tamuramaro, quickly defeated the Heizei rebels which thus limited the adverse consequences which would have followed any broader conflict.[15] This same Tamuramaro is remembered in Aomori's annual Nebuta Matsuri which feature a number of gigantic, specially-constructed, illuminated paper floats. These great lantern-structures are colorfully painted with mythical figures; and teams of men carry them through the streets as crowds shout encouragement. This early ninth century military leader is commemorated in this way because he is said to have ordered huge illuminated lanterns to be placed at the top of hills; and when the curious Emishi approached these bright lights to investigate, they were captured and subdued by Tamuramaro's men.[16]
August 24, 842 (Jōwa 9, 15th day of the 7th month[17]): Saga died at the age of 57.[18]
Eras of Saga's reign
The years of Saga's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name (nengō).[19]
Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras.[20] In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Saga's reign (809–823), this kugyō included:
Further informationon terms related to imperial consorts: Kōkyū §consorts
Saga had 49 children with at least 30 different women. Many of the children received the surname Minamoto, thereby removing them from royal succession.
Empress: Tachibana no Kachiko (橘嘉智子), also known as Empress Danrin (檀林皇后, Danrin-kōgō), Tachibana no Kiyotomo's daughter.[22]
Second Son: Imperial Prince Masara (正良親王) later Emperor Ninmyō
