Fujiwara no Michinaga

Michitaka fue regente desde 990 hasta 995, año en que falleció. Michikane lo sucedió, gobernando como regente durante tan solo siete días antes de morir también de una enfermedad. Tras la muerte de sus dos hermanos mayores, Michinaga se enfrentó a Fujiwara no Korechika , el hijo mayor de Michitaka y el sucesor que él mismo había designado. La madre de Ichijō, Fujiwara no Senshi, obligó a Ichijō a otorgarle a Michinaga el título de Nairan (内覧) en el quinto mes de 995. La posición de Korechika se vio arruinada por un escándalo que tuvo lugar al año siguiente, probablemente orquestado por Michinaga.

Korechika mantenía una relación amorosa con una amante en uno de los palacios Fujiwara. Le informaron que el emperador retirado Kazan había visitado la misma casa durante la noche; Korechika supuso que Kazan también se encontraba con la misma amante. En consecuencia, él y su hermano Takaie emboscaron al emperador y le dispararon. Una flecha impactó en la manga de Kazan. Michinaga y sus partidarios presentaron entonces cargos de lesa majestad . Si bien los juristas que examinaron el caso determinaron que los sirvientes de Kaneie y Takaie eran los culpables, Korechika fue acusado de lanzar una maldición sobre Senshi.

Durante su lucha, Michinaga obtuvo el cargo de Ministro de la Derecha, o Udaijin (右大臣), el día 19 del sexto mes de 995. Posteriormente, en 996, Michinaga se convirtió en Ministro de la Izquierda, Sadaijin (左大臣), el cargo más alto del gobierno aparte del de Canciller (Daijō-daijin). ^{[ 3 ]}

During his lifetime, Michinaga was called the Mido Kampaku, a title referencing the name of his residence, Mido, and that he was Regent in all but name.^[4] Although Ichijō already had an Empress, Teishi, Michinaga made her Kogo empress and had his first daughter, Shoshi, also marry him as Chūgū empress. When Teishi died of childbirth in 1001, Michinaga's influence over Ichijō was absolute. Kenshi, Michinaga's second daughter, married the future Emperor Sanjō. Ichijō and Shoshi had two sons, both future emperors, and it was to these that Michinaga's third and fourth daughters were married: Ichijō's eldest son, Go-Ichijō, married the third daughter, Ishi; and Ichijō's second son, Go-Suzaku, married the fourth daughter, Kishi.

Michinaga made alliances with the Minamoto (or more specifically, the Seiwa Genji); his wives were both Minamoto. Minamoto no Yorimitsu and Minamoto no Yorinobu were his two principal commanders. Michinaga never formally took the title of Kampaku. In 1011, he was granted the privilege of travelling to and from the court by ox-drawn cart.^[5] In the same year, Ichijō's second son, Atsunari, was proclaimed Crown Prince.

During Sanjō's reign as Emperor, he and Michinaga often came into conflict. Consequently, Michinaga attempted to pressure Sanjō into retirement. In 1016, he was successful. The youth of Go-Ichijō meant that Michinaga ruled as Sesshō, the Regency assumed. He briefly became Chancellor in the final month of 1017 before resigning in the second month of the following year. A month after his resignation, he also resigned from the position of Sesshō in favour of Yorimichi, his eldest son. In 1019, he took the tonsure, becoming a monk at the Hōjō-ji, which he had built. He took the Dharma nameGyōkan (行観), which was later changed to Gyōkaku (行覚).