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The Man Yoritomo Called 'Japan's Greatest Tengu' — Goshirakawa's Political Cunning

Yoritomo called Goshirakawa 'Japan's Greatest Tengu' — a demon who bewitches people. It was the highest compliment and deepest insult. Goshirakawa manipulated Kiyomori, Yoshinaka, Yoshitsune, and Yoritomo in turn, always surviving.

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Goshirakawa’s 30-year political survival strategy: use the powerful, then discard them. He exploited Kiyomori, then fought him; used Yoshinaka, then had him killed; used Yoshitsune, then abandoned him. Yoritomo, who couldn’t be discarded, called him ‘Japan’s Greatest Tengu’ — the demon who bewilders men.

Sanjusangendo, Kyoto — the magnificent hall with 1,001 Kannon statues, built by Goshirakawa

Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Portrait of Emperor Go-Daigo — a century after Goshirakawa, another emperor who fought against the warriors

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Thousand-armed Kannon at Sanjusangendo — treasures of late Heian Buddhist art commissioned by Goshirakawa

Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Key Figures

Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa