Kazanin (花山院)

Kazanin was a residence that was located in Sancho, Shibo, Ichijo, Sakyo (present Kyoto Gyoen) in Heian-kyo City. After it served as Cloistered Emperor Kazan's residence, the Kazanin family had owned it until the relocation of the capital to Tokyo during the Meiji Restoration. It was originally called 'Higashi-Ichijo Dono' (the residence by Eastern Ichijo Street) but it subsequently came to be called 'Kazanin' (the residence by the mountain covered with flowers) after the dianthus and lespedeza flowers in the estate (according to "Kokon Chomon-Ju").

The residence was originally owned by Imperial Prince Sadayasu (a son of the Emperor Seiwa). The estate was later owned by FUJIWARA no Tadahira who used it to hold a Rittaishirei ceremony to install his grandson Imperial Prince Norihira (who went on to become the Emperor Reizei) as Crown Prince. A son of the Emperor Reizei, Cloistered Emperor Kazan lived there after he had become a monk. He died in the residence in 1008 and was therefore given the posthumous name 'Kazanin'. Following this, Empress FUJIWARA no Seishi (the wife of Emperor Sanjo) and her son Imperial Prince Atsunori resided at the estate, but it was burnt down in 1014. It was rebuilt and inherited from FUJIWARA no Yorimichi by FUJIWARA no Morozane before being resided in by the Empress FUJIWARA no Kanshi (the wife of the Emperor Goreizei) but it was subsequently renovated by Morozane and given to his older paternal half-brother FUJIWARA no Sadatsuna who gave it to his daughter's husband FUJIWARA no Ietada (a son of Morozane). As Ietada called himself 'Kazanin', his descendants were called the 'Kazanin-ryu line', and the head family of the Kazanin-ryu line had owned the Kazanin residence for generations. According to "Taiheiki" and other books, following the collapse of Kenmu no Shinsei (the New Administration of the Kenmu Era), the Emperor Godaigo was confined to the Kazanin residence, but he escaped through a broken fence and fled to Yoshino district.

Although the residence had been repeatedly burnt down and rebuilt, it ended its historical role following the Emperor Meiji's move from Kyoto to Tokyo, and it was demolished. The present Munakata-jinja Shrine in Kyoto Gyoen (Kyoto City) was once the shrine of the Kazanin estate.

[Original Japanese]