Heiji Rebellion

Part of Minamoto–Taira clan disputes of the Heian period

Emperor Nijō escaping from the imperial palace

Date	January 19—February 5, 1160
Location	Kyōto, Japan and surrounding areas
Result	Taira victory; Minamoto leaders banished

Belligerents

Taira clan, forces loyal to Emperor Nijō, forces loyal to Emperor Go-Shirakawa

Minamoto clan

Commanders and leaders

Taira no Kiyomori
Taira no Shigemori
Fujiwara no Michinori

Minamoto no Yoshitomo
Minamoto no Yoshihira
Minamoto no Yoritomo
Fujiwara no Nobuyori

Strength

few thousand

Casualties and losses

unknown

unknnown

unknown

The Heiji Rebellion (平治の乱, Heiji no ran^?, January 19—February 5, 1160) was a short civil war fought in order to resolve a dispute about political power. The Heiji no ran encompassed clashes between rival subjects of the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan in 1159. It was preceded by the Hōgen Rebellion in 1156.Heiji no ran is seen as a direct outcome of the earlier armed dispute; but unlike Hōgen no ran, which was a dispute between members of the same clan, this was rather a struggle for power between two rival clans. It is also seen as a precursor of a broader civil war.

Emperor Go-Shirakawa stepped back from his formal role as emperor, but his abdication implied no cession of political or other powers to his successor.

After Nijō was formally enthroned, the management of all affairs continued to rest entirely in the hands of Go-Shirakawa.

In late 1159, Taira no Kiyomori, head of the Taira clan and supporter of Emperor Nijō, left Kyōto with his family, on a personal pilgrimage. This left his enemies, Fujiwara no Nobuyori and the Minamoto clan, a perfect opportunity to effect an uprising.

In the Siege of Sanjō Palace, Nobuyori and his Minamoto allies abducted the former emperor Emperor Go-Shirakawa and Emperor Nijō and set fire to the Palace.

Minamoto no Yoshitomo and Fujiwara no Nobuyori placed Go-Shirakawa and Emperor Nijo under house arrest and killed his retainer, the scholar Fujiwara no Michinori. Nobuyori had himself declared imperial chancellor, and began to see his plans for political power fall into place.

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Wikipedia