Emperor Sutoku
Sutoku's reign spanned the years from 1123 through 1142. Genealogy. Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his "imina") was Akihito (顕仁). Sutoku was the eldest son of Emperor Toba. Some old texts say he was instead the son of Toba's grandfather, Emperor Shirakawa. Events of Sutoku's life. In 1151, Sutoko ordered Waka imperial anthology "Shika Wakashū". In 1156, after failing to put down the Hōgen Rebellion, he was exiled to Sanuki Province (modern-day Kagawa prefecture on the island of Shikoku). Emperor Sutoku's reign lasted for 19 years: 2 years  in the "nengō" "Tenji", 5 years in "Daiji", 1 year in "'Tenshō", 3 years in "Chōshō", 6 years in Hōen, and 1 year in "Eiji". The site of Sutoku's grave is settled. This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine ("misasagi") in Sakaide, Kagawa. He was also enshrined (or sealed away ... ) in Shiramine shrine (Shiramine-jingū), Kyoto and Kotohira-gū in Kagawa Prefecture. The former is also associated with the god of football, worshipped by Kuge clan Asukai in times of yore, while the latter enshrined Ō-mono-nushi-no-mikoto, a god known to have restored  harmony in Yamato (or blackmailed Emperor Sujin ... ) in exchange for worship and nepotism. The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Sutoku's mausoleum. It is formally named "Shiramine no misasagi". Section::::"Kugyō". "Kugyō" (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras. In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Sutoku's reign, this apex of the  Daijō-kan included: Eras of Sutoku's reign. The years of Sutoku's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or "nengō". Legends. After Sutoku's abdication and exile, he devoted himself to monastic life. He copied numerous scriptures and offered them to the court. Fearing that the scriptures were cursed, the court refused to accept them. Snubbed, Sutoku was said to have resented the court and, upon his death, became an onryō. Everything from the subsequent fall in fortune of the Imperial court, the rise of the samurai powers, droughts and internal unrests were blamed  on his haunting. Along with Sugawara no Michizane and Taira no Masakado, he is often called one of the “Three Great Onryō of Japan.” (). References.