The son of Toba and Taikenmon'in, Go-Shirakawa ruled from 1155-1158, before abdicating in favor of his son, Nijô. His reign was marked by the Hôgen disturbance of 1156, in which Sutoku and Yorinaga attempted to overthrow the government following the death of Toba. This was the event that led to the eventual decline in the fortunes of the Minamoto family and the meteoric rise of the Taira clan, and especially of their leader, Kiyomori. Like Shirakawa, Go-Shirakawa was very interested in matters concerning private landholdings, and issued edicts concerning the rights and excesses of landholders (including religious institutions). It is interesting to note that despite his regulation of these private lands, Go-Shirakawa (during his time as In), "like Toba before him,. . . amassed a great number of shôen (lands) for the imperial house" (Hurst, 1976, p 211). After three years on the throne, he abdicated according to Toba's plan of succession. Hurst speculates that this was the result of pressure from the still influential Bifukumon'in, and Go-Shirakawa's desire to leave the pressures of the throne behind, and exercise his influence from the less strenuous position of In (Hurst, 1976, p 187-8).
As In, Go-Shirakawa maintained an active role in court politics. Despite Nijô's attempts to keep his father out of court politics, Go-Shirakawa held a great deal of influence and was "not solely devoted to the pursuit of the good life" (Hurst, 1976, p 187), as might be expected of a man who was known for his love of poetry even before being named crown prince. He often advised his son, and influenced the final court policies through Nijô. While he did issue edicts, they "did not enjoy the same degree of legal force as those of the imperial government" (Hurst, 1976, p 194). Nijô used this to his advantage, making many decisions without the interference of his father, which led to a rift that between the two men that would grow larger in 1161.
Just as Toba and Sutoku's relationsip worsened due to a problem of imperial succession, Go-Shirakawa and Nijô feuded over the same problem. In 1161, Taira no Shigeko gave birth to a boy, fathered by the In. This child, known as Takakura no miya, was heavily supported by the Taira clan, and would later take the throne. A number of Taira courtiers were exiled for their support of this child, which went against the succession plans of Toba and Bifukumon'in (both now deceased). Furthermore, within the next two years, several of Go-Shirakawa's associates were stripped of rank by Nijô, presumably as an attempt to "undercut Go-Shirakawa's influence. . . (or) in punishment for another plot of some sort" (Hurst, 1976, 196). When one of his consorts finally bore him a son, Nijô (who had fallen seriously ill) abdicated in the boy's favor without even naming him a crown prince. Rokujô then took the throne, after a hurried abdication that was "certainly aimed at preventing Go-Shirakawa from removing the boy as crown prince after the emperor's death" (Hurst, 1976, 199).
It was at this time that the influence of Go-Shirakawa really manifested itself. With the infant Rokujô on the throne, governmental control was almost completely in the hands of the In. Go-Shirakawa and Kiyomori colluded to have Takakura placed on the throne, both with ideas of controlling the new sovereign. At this time, it seems that the In was "using the Taira to advance his own political ends. . . (but) he failed to consider the possibility that the Taira were also using him for similar purposes" (Hurst, 1976, 202). Kiyomori, meantime, began to improve his position, making his daughter an imperial consort, thereby increasing his own influence over Takakura.
At this point, it seems that the power was fairly evenly split between Kiyomori and Go-Shirakawa, and shortly after this, in 1177, the ambition of the In becomes a bit more apparent. The Shishigatani affair, in which several of Go-Shirakawa's associates plotted the overthrow of Kiyomori and the Taira, was discovered, and the In himself implicated. It seems that at about this time Go-Shirakawa realized that he could no longer control Kiyomori, and was beginning to take more drastic action. Over the course of the next two years, the tension between the Taira leader and the In increased, even resulting in the deaths of certain retainers to both men (Hurst, 1976, 207).
When Kiyomori's daughter gave Takakura a son, it seemed that Kiyomori had become unstoppable. Again, Go-Shirakawa was involved in a conspiracy against the Taira leader, and this time he was placed under house arrest, and tightly controlled until after Kiyomori's death in 1181. Once he was allowed to participate in politics again, Go-Shirakawa mainly moved in support of the Minamoto, ordering actions against the Taira once they had fled the capital. Yet once again the ambition of this man can be seen, as he "turned to plotting dissension among the various Minamoto generals" (Hurst, 1976, p 210) in order to regain the power he held before he allowed Kiyomori to gain such a vast amount of influence over the Tennô.
It is interesting to note the reflections upon Go-Shirakawa's character that these incidents demonstrate. Here he is being shown as an ambitious and intelligent (even if slightly careless) leader, who will make every effort to improve his position and the position of the throne. The Heike Monogatari, on the other hand, paints a very ambivalent picture of this man. He is always seen in the background, hardly influencing affairs, while the actions of the story are focused upon Kiyomori and the heads of the Taira family. Furthermore, there are times when he seems completely disinterested in affairs of state, and is depicted as the man whose "days were spent in the enjoyment of cultural pursuits" that was deemed by Toba to be "unqualified to be emperor" (Hurst, 1976, 178). There are many instances of him reciting or hearing poetry, perhaps most notably in the Initiates' Chapter when he visits Kenreimon'in (McCullough, 430). And, although the Heike acknowledges some of Go-Shirakawa's ambition with his lament about being "denied the authority to govern" (McCullough, 197), the majority of the text ignores his political influence. There is even a point at which he expresses his wish to remain unconcerned with any affairs of state (McCullough, 166). It seems that the literature avoids depicting this man as a political figure, while he was constantly involved, either directly or indirectly, in everything that happened at court during his time as Tennô and In.