Looking at history, there seems to be a fairly great number of civil wars or disturbances in Japan that pitted various forces against the reigning Emperor, ruling or not. My question is, if the Emperor was seen as sacred and holy, how was this acceptable?
For roughly chronological order, there are:
Jinshin Disturbance (672): The Emperor, called both Emperor Kobun and Prince Otomo, and his forces are defeated by the forces of the new Emperor, called Emperor Temmu or Prince Oama.
Kusuko Disturbance (810): Retired Emperor Heizei's attempt to regain power, with the assistance of his wife Fujiwara no Kusuko, fails when government forces loyal to Emperor Saga defeat the rebels.
Hogen Disturbance (1156): Emperor Go-Shirakawa's forces defeated Retired Emperor Sutoku's forces.
Heiji Disturbance (1159-1160): Emperor Nijo and Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa are kidnapped by Minamoto forces. After their escape, fighting between the Minamoto and Taira begins.
Genpei War (1180-1185): Emperor Antoku dies after the Taira-Minamoto battle at Dan-no-ura. Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa is allied with the Minamoto, Emperor Antoku is a puppet for the Taira.
Jokyu Disturbance (1221): Retired Emperor Go-Toba defeated by forces loyal to the Kamakura Shogunate.
Genko War (1331-1333): Forces loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo defeat forces of the Kamakura Shogunate. Part of the Kenmu Restoration, which lasts
Nanboku-cho Wars (1336-1392): Two imperial lines, one belonging to Go-Daigo and one controlled by the Ashikaga Shogunate, were fighting.
Boshin War (1868-1869): This one's not so surprising, since the Tokugawa claimed to be fighting the forces of Choshu and Satsuma to help out the Emperor.
For these, it's pretty clear that the Emperors were favoring one side over the other. It's one thing to say that the average peasant soldier didn't know what or who he was fighting for. On the other hand, some seem a lot less plausible. For example, it's hard to imagine that soldiers or courtiers didn't know who they were kidnapping regarding the Heiji Disturbance. Or that the participants at Dan-no-ura didn't know that the Emperor was at the battlefield supporting one side. With the Hogen Disturbance or the Jokyu Disturbance, the side with the Retired Emperor lost, so it seems that being the incumbent is more important. On the other hand, it still asks the question of why somebody would fight the reigning Emperor.
Point is, throughout Japanese history, people seem to have few qualms about taking up arms against either ruling or former Emperors. Is it because people didn't believe the part about the Emperors descending from the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, didn't care, or didn't know? Or was the institution of the sacred monarch not held very highly during the classical and feudal periods, and only gained credence during the modern period, so people were willing to oppose and fight the Emperors?
For roughly chronological order, there are:
Jinshin Disturbance (672): The Emperor, called both Emperor Kobun and Prince Otomo, and his forces are defeated by the forces of the new Emperor, called Emperor Temmu or Prince Oama.
Kusuko Disturbance (810): Retired Emperor Heizei's attempt to regain power, with the assistance of his wife Fujiwara no Kusuko, fails when government forces loyal to Emperor Saga defeat the rebels.
Hogen Disturbance (1156): Emperor Go-Shirakawa's forces defeated Retired Emperor Sutoku's forces.
Heiji Disturbance (1159-1160): Emperor Nijo and Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa are kidnapped by Minamoto forces. After their escape, fighting between the Minamoto and Taira begins.
Genpei War (1180-1185): Emperor Antoku dies after the Taira-Minamoto battle at Dan-no-ura. Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa is allied with the Minamoto, Emperor Antoku is a puppet for the Taira.
Jokyu Disturbance (1221): Retired Emperor Go-Toba defeated by forces loyal to the Kamakura Shogunate.
Genko War (1331-1333): Forces loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo defeat forces of the Kamakura Shogunate. Part of the Kenmu Restoration, which lasts
Nanboku-cho Wars (1336-1392): Two imperial lines, one belonging to Go-Daigo and one controlled by the Ashikaga Shogunate, were fighting.
Boshin War (1868-1869): This one's not so surprising, since the Tokugawa claimed to be fighting the forces of Choshu and Satsuma to help out the Emperor.
For these, it's pretty clear that the Emperors were favoring one side over the other. It's one thing to say that the average peasant soldier didn't know what or who he was fighting for. On the other hand, some seem a lot less plausible. For example, it's hard to imagine that soldiers or courtiers didn't know who they were kidnapping regarding the Heiji Disturbance. Or that the participants at Dan-no-ura didn't know that the Emperor was at the battlefield supporting one side. With the Hogen Disturbance or the Jokyu Disturbance, the side with the Retired Emperor lost, so it seems that being the incumbent is more important. On the other hand, it still asks the question of why somebody would fight the reigning Emperor.
Point is, throughout Japanese history, people seem to have few qualms about taking up arms against either ruling or former Emperors. Is it because people didn't believe the part about the Emperors descending from the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, didn't care, or didn't know? Or was the institution of the sacred monarch not held very highly during the classical and feudal periods, and only gained credence during the modern period, so people were willing to oppose and fight the Emperors?