The 995 Epidemic and Michinaga’s Rise at Court

An epidemic struck the capital in 995 as the Fujiwara family lost two successive leaders. Regent Fujiwara no Michitaka died, and his brother Michikane, who succeeded him, died shortly afterward. Their younger brother Michinaga competed with Michitaka’s son Korechika for influence over Emperor Ichijō.

Michinaga had an important supporter in his sister Senshi, Ichijō’s mother. Korechika was the brother of Ichijō’s empress Teishi and retained his father’s connections. The emperor granted Michinaga nairan, the right to examine government documents before they reached the throne, and appointed him minister of the right. Access to documents gave Michinaga a means to shape court business before he held a regency.

The contest continued into 996. Korechika and his brother Takaie were punished after an armed night encounter involving retired Emperor Kazan; accounts report that arrows were shot. Michinaga became minister of the left. These appointments and punishments explain his advance more precisely than treating an epidemic as a political decision. The deaths left openings, but the emperor, his mother and surviving courtiers determined who occupied them.