Aide to Emperor Takakura Born the heir of the
Murakami Genji branch of the
Minamoto clan in 1149, and in 1158 was granted the , via the Minamoto family head's prerogative to thus promote one individual each year. The Murakami Genji had previously enjoyed prosperity as the maternal relatives of
Emperor Horikawa, but after this were pushed back by descendants of
Fujiwara no Kinsue's branch of the
Fujiwara clan, the . Michichika's father Masamichi served
Bitokumon-in during
Emperor Toba's cloistered rule, but changed his role under the cloistered rule of
Emperor Go-Shirakawa. In 1168, when Go-Shirakawa's wife became
kōtaigō, Masamichi became . Michichika was permitted entry into the court along with
Emperor Takakura's ascension in the same year, serving as a close aid to the young emperor. Michichika's first wife was a daughter of the
daijō-daijin , but he soon took a daughter of
Taira no
Norimori or
Michimori as his second wife, strengthening his ties with that powerful clan. In 1179, Michichika became head of the
Kurōdo-dokoro, and in 1180 he was promoted both to
sangi, thus joining the ranks of the
kugyō, and to . After
Taira no Kiyomori's
coup d'etat in late 1179, Emperor Takakura reluctantly abdicated the throne to begin his own cloistered rule, and Michichika supported his inexperienced efforts as head of his cloistered government. Michichika joined the imperial outing to
Itsukushima and relocation of the capital to
Fukuhara-kyō in the first half of the year, but as the country fell into upheaval after the
first battle of Uji, he returned to
Heian-kyō in the autumn. The retired emperor Takakura's physical condition worsened and he fell ill. Michichika composed a poem praying for his recovery, but in 1181, Takakura died at 21 years old. As a close attendant of the dead sovereign, Michichika was bestowed an undyed white mourning dress. Lamenting the death of his longtime master, he recorded his plaintive feelings in the .
Genpei War Shortly thereafter Taira no Kiyomori died and Go-Shirakawa reopened his cloistered rule, and the center of power continued to change at a dizzying pace. Meanwhile, Michichika avoided relying on the patronage of any particular power, but participated passionately in debates at Go-Shirakawa's palace and worked diligently at the business of government, increasing his presence in the court. When the Taira clan fled the capital in 1183, he went visited Go-Shirakawa in order to bid them farewell. When
Emperor Go-Toba took the throne in the next month, the Imperial Regalia were in the possession of the Taira. Michichika raised the examples of
Emperor Guangwu of Han and
Emperor Yuan of Jin, who obtained their imperial seals only after assuming the throne, in order to help Go-Toba ascend smoothly. He was present at
Hōjūjidono during the
Siege of Hōjūjidono that autumn. Michichika's loyalty was recognized, and in spring of 1185 he was promoted to provisional
chūnagon, and that winter was appointed as one of ten ministers appointed to oversee the court, called . He was granted
Inaba Province as a fief and recommended his second son as its
governor. He married Emperor Go-Toba's wetnurse, , and adopted her daughter . As Michichika headed the event teams for
Kujō Kanezane's proclamations as
nairan and head of the
sekkan Fujiwara clan, and Kanezane praised Michichika's hard work in turn, the relationship between the two appears to have been healthy at the time. Under Kanezane's conservative administration, though, Michichika's promotion stalled. In 1188, Michichika protested against the promotion of Kanezane's younger and less experienced son
Kujō Yoshitsune over him to the , requesting that he too be promoted. Kanezane criticized Michichika harshly, calling him ungrateful for his promotion to the previous year, and in this no different from a bird or animal. After this, their relationship soured, and Michichika began to look for an opportunity to take Kanezane down.
Guardian to Senyōmon-in In late 1189, Michichika invited Go-Shirakawa to the Koga estate and presented him with various gifts. A month and a half later, Go-Shirakawa's youngest daughter was proclaimed an imperial princess, and Michichika was appointed as her guardian, strengthening his relationship with her birth mother . In 1191, Princess Kinshi was bestowed the Buddhist name of , and Michichika became the steward of her household, appointing his sons Michitomo and Michimune to positions within it. When Go-Shirakawa died in 1192, it was Senyōmon-in who inherited his largest territory , and as Michichika was its effective manager, he brought the courtiers in control of it into his jurisdiction, forming a strong political foothold for himself. When
Minamoto no Yoritomo entered the capital in 1190, Michichika remembered to curry favor with him by acting as event manager for his appointment to , but also planned to strengthen his relationship with Yoritomo's confidant
Ōe no Hiromoto. In 1191, he broke with tradition by appointing Hiromoto as a in the
Daigaku-ryō and . After Go-Shirakawa's death, Kujō Kanezane controlled the court through the young Emperor Go-Toba, but his strict adherence to tradition and stress on lineage in personnel affairs fostered opposition amongst the middle and lower ranking nobles, and he gradually lost popularity in the court. Michichika won over the noble families of
Fujiwara no Akisue and the branch of the Fujiwara, who Kanezane had treated coldly, as allies. Meanwhile, he used Takashina no Eishi as an intermediary to alienate Yoritomo, who wanted to marry his daughter
Ō-hime to the Emperor, from Kanezane, who had already married his own daughter
Kujō Ninshi to said emperor. In 1195, Michichika was promoted to
dainagon, and when his adopted daughter Zaishi bore the Emperor a prince, the future
Emperor Tsuchimikado, his position in the court suddenly solidified. In 1196, he made Kujō Ninshi leave the palace and overthrew Kanezane, replacing him with
Konoe Motomichi in a coup d'etat.
Minamoto Hakuriku In 1198, Michichika forced the enthronement of Emperor Tsuchimikado against both precedent and the opposition of the shogunate. Though Michichika tried to use the case of
Emperor Kōnin as a precedent for the sudden enthronement,
Fujiwara no Teika scathingly commented "If Tsuchimikado is Kōnin, then who is
Dōkyō?" After this, Michichika reached the height of his power as the Emperor's maternal grandfather, and was called . The term "Hakuriku" here refers to the position of
kampaku, although Michichika himself never officially held the title. In 1199, Michichika became a . He tried to lessen the shogunate's opposition by appointing the heir
Minamoto Yoriie as , but shortly thereafter received news that Yoritomo had fallen seriously ill. Once Yoritomo's death was publicly announced, it would become necessary to delay Yoriie's promotion, and so Michichika hurriedly conducted both appointments in a simplified fashion. Teika once again criticized Michichika for enforcing the appointment while knowing of Yoritomo's demise and then expressing his condolences and making a show of mourning the next day, calling this an "egregious plot". Yoritomo's death upset the political situation, and in the capital plotted an attack on Michichika, forcing him to hide in the retired emperor's palace. Executives of the shogunate, with Ōe no Hiromoto at the center, supported Michichika, suppressing the movement to remove him and restoring peace to the capital. Michichika made various preparations, rebuilding Tsuchimikado's palace and adding a gate, and that summer was promoted to
naidaijin. While respecting the viewpoint of the now-mature retired emperor Go-Toba, Michichika placed Kujō Yoshitsune as
sadaijin and
Konoe Iezane as
udaijin to preserve peace between and with both families. Since both were still young, Michichika was effectively in control of the
Daijō-kan. Around this time, he also married
Fujiwara no Motofusa's daughter Ishi. In 1200 Go-Toba's third son Prince Morinari, the future
Emperor Juntoku, became crown prince. Michichika became his , while his brother-in-law became , and his heir provisionally assumed the same title, filling the Crown Prince's Quarters with the Murakami Genji and his Fujiwara relatives. Even 1202 he appeared vigorous, acting as event manager when his adopted daughter Zaishi received the Buddhist name , and welcoming Go-Toba to a palace built by his sworn friend , but he suddenly died that autumn at age 54. When Konoe Iezane heard of his death, he recorded in his diary that Michichika had handled all the business of government, and the court granted him the posthumous . Go-Toba was also said to have expressed his sorrow by stopping holding poetry contests. After Michichika's death, there was nobody left who could dissuade Go-Toba, and he began his cloistered rule in earnest. Michichika was also a skilled poet and also served in the , where he led the planning for a new poetry collection that would later become the
Shin Kokin Wakashū. However, he died without seeing its completion. That collection, along with many others, includes some of Michichika's
waka. == Famous works ==