Although the Imperial House of Japan had power on the surface, the real power was in the hands of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful aristocratic family who had intermarried with the imperial family.
Iako je, površno gledano, japanska carska kuća bila na vlasti, prava je moć bila u rukama klana Fujiware, moćne aristokratske obitelji koja je bračnim svezama s carskom obitelji.