Emperor Heizei

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Emperor Heizei (平城天皇 Heizei Tennō) (774-824) was the 51st imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He ruled from 806 until his abdication in 809 in favor of his younger brother and crown prince Prince Kamino, later named Emperor Saga. His title Heizei derived from the official name of the capital in Nara, Heizei Kyō. He was called often Nara no Mikado, the Emperior of Nara.

He was the son of the Emperor Kammu and his empress Fujiwara no Otomuro.

Before he ascended to the throne, his liaison with Fujiwara no Kusuko, the mother of his one consort, caused a scandal. Because of this scandal his father considered depriving him of the rank of crown prince.

After abdicating, he moved to Nara and planed to move the capital again from Kyoto to Nara. The Emperor Saga pretended to agree with him, but planned to ignore this idea and reduce the influence of the former emperor. In 810, he attempted rebellion in Nara with Kusuko, but was defeated. Kusuko committed suicide and Heizei became a Buddhist monk. His son, crown prince Takaoka, was deprived his office and Saga appointed his own son to be the new crown prince.