The Ōtenmon Conspiracy was an event taking place in 866

866

Year 866 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Fujiwara no Yoshifusa becomes regent of Japan, starting the Fujiwara regentship.- Europe :...

 and centering around the destruction of the main gate (Ōtenmon) of the Imperial Palace

Heian Palace

The Heian Palace was the original imperial palace of Heian-kyō , the capital of Japan, from 794 to 1227. In Japan, this palace is called Daidairi...

 in Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. This event is known primarily to scholars today based on the depiction of it in the narrative handscroll (emaki) called Ban Dainagon Ekotoba

Ban Dainagon Ekotoba

is a late 12th century emakimono depicting the events of the Ōtemmon Conspiracy, an event of Japan's early Heian period. The painting, attributed to Tokiwa Mitsunaga, is over 20m long and about 31.5cm tall....

(The Picture-narrative of Great Minister Ban).

Minamoto no Makoto

Minamoto no Makoto

was the seventh son of the Japanese Emperor Saga, and was the first courtier to be given the name Minamoto. Initially an honorary name given to a number of unrelated courtiers by a number of different Emperors, the Minamoto clan would grow to be an integrated clan family, one of the most powerful...

, a member of the powerful Minamoto clan

Minamoto clan

was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were demoted into the ranks of the nobility. The practice was most prevalent during the Heian Period , although its last occurrence was during the Sengoku Era. The Taira were another such offshoot of...

, was accused by his political rival Ban Tomo no Yoshio

Tomo no Yoshio

Tomo no Yoshio 伴善男 was a counsellor of the state in Japan.-Arson:On the tenth day of the third month of 866, Tomo no Yoshio set fire to the Ōtenmon gate with the intent of placing blame on the minister of the left, the sadajin Minamoto no Makoto. Yoshio was able to convince the minister on the...

 of having set the fire. However, Makoto had the support of the Daijō Daijin (Chancellor of the Realm) Fujiwara no Yoshifusa

Fujiwara no Yoshifusa

, also known as Somedono no Daijin or Shirakawa-dono, was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Heian period.When Yoshifusa's grandson was enthroned as Emperor Seiwa, Yoshifusa was assumed the role of regent for the young monarch...

, and was cleared of the charges. Soon afterwards, however, a man claiming to have witnessed the event accused Ban Yoshio of setting the fire himself, along with his son. Yoshio, his son, several other members of the Ban family, as well as a few of the Ki family were convicted and executed.

This event, and Fujiwara no Yoshifusa's handling of it, served Yoshifusa well, politically. Many of those executed were his political rivals, and he found himself promoted to Regent (Sesshō

Sessho and Kampaku

In Japan, was a title given to a regent who was named to assist either a child emperor before his coming of age, or an empress. The was theoretically a sort of chief advisor for the emperor, but was the title of both first secretary and regent who assists an adult emperor. During the Heian era,...

) soon afterwards.