Emperor Nijō

Nijō (1143–1165) was the eldest son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa, who abdicated in 1158 and kept ruling as cloistered emperor; the Heiji Disturbance of 1159–1160 opened his reign. He relied on Taira no Kiyomori, whom he made commander of the capital police.

In 1161 he foiled a plot to name the infant Norihito crown prince, purged his father's aides and ruled directly, continuing Shinzei's reforms. Gravely ill in 1165, he named his son Nobuhito heir, abdicated, and died weeks later at twenty-two.