Hogen rebellion in Japan

1156

A succession quarrel between Retired Emperor Sutoku and his brother exploded into street fighting in Kyoto. Warrior clans the court had always kept at arm's length, especially the Taira and Minamoto, became indispensable to either side. The imperial government would never again function without them. The rebellion marked the moment when military power passed irrevocably from the aristocratic court to the warrior houses that would govern Japan for the next seven centuries.