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The Emperor Who Sang Until His Voice Gave Out — Goshirakawa and Ryojin Hisho

Goshirakawa was obsessed with imayo (popular songs), singing through the night until he lost his voice. He compiled over 1,000 songs into Ryojin Hisho. 'Were we born just to play?' — this line captures the spirit of the age.

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Goshirakawa was so obsessed with imayo (popular songs) that he sang until he lost his voice, calling the genre ‘born and ending with me.’ His Ryojin Hisho anthology of over 1,000 songs captured the voice of the people — monks, warriors, peasants, and courtesans alike. ‘Were we born just to play?’ lives on as its most famous line.

Sanjusangendo, Kyoto — built by Goshirakawa, home to 1,001 Kannon statues in the world's longest wooden building

Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Heian court ritual — in a world dominated by classical music, Goshirakawa poured his passion into the popular songs of commoners

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

1,000 Kannon statues at Sanjusangendo — the crystallization of the song-loving emperor's devotion and cultural passion

Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

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Key Figures

Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa