Genealogy
Go-Toba took the throne at the age of three, after his brother, Emperor Antoku, himself only five, was forced to abdicate during the Genpei War. His grandfather ex-Emperor Emperor Go-Shirakawa reigned as cloistered emperor. Shortly after Go-Toba took the throne, in 1192 Go-Shirakawa died and the first shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yoritomo. This meant that the emperor became a figurehead with little or no real power. In 1198, the shōgun forced Go-Toba, who was still in his teens, to abdicate. Two of Go-Toba's sons succeeded him on the throne, but they were each in turn also forced to abdicate. Go-Toba reigned as cloistered Emperor from 1198 till 1221 during reigns of three emperors, but his power was more limited than former cloistered Emperors in the Heian era.
It was during this time that Go-Toba decreed that the followers of the Pure Land sect in Kyoto, let by Honen, be banished or in some cases executed. Originally this was prompted by complaints of clergy in Kyoto who were concerned about the rise in popularity of the new sect, but Go-Toba personally ordered the decree after two of his ladies in waiting converted to the sect without his knowing.
In 1221, the shōgun installed Go-Toba's three-year-old grandson, Emperor Chūkyō, as emperor, but Go-Toba chose to stage a rebellion in an attempt to reclaim the throne and overthrow the Kamakura shogunate. This is known as the Jōkyū War after the era in which it occurred. Samurai around Kyōto who were against the Shogunate supported him but most of samurai, particularly in Kantō supported the Shogunate with encouragement of Hōjō Masako, the widow of Yoritomo. She persuaded samurai gathering in Kamakura that if they would not support the Shogunate, then the contemporary status and privileges that samurai had attained would be lost, and the court and kuge would regain their power and influence. Go-Toba's rebellion was defeated and Chūkyō was replaced as emperor by Go-Horikawa, a nephew of Go-Toba.
Go-Toba was a great lover of swords, and over the course of several years summoned the most talented swordsmiths in the land to his court where they were given honorary titles and invited to teach the emperor their craft. He became a respectable swordsmith himself, and it was his patronage and encouragement of this art that gave birth to Japan's 'Golden Age' of swordsmithing. His contribution to the art is still held in such high esteem, that even today a tradition is maintained in sword literature that he is the first swordsmith to be discussed.
His greatest contribution to literature is the Shinkokinshū (The New Anthology of Ancient and Modern Waka). He ordered its creation and took part in the working group as an editor. He revived the Office of Waka (和歌所) and made it the headquarters of this edition. He held many utakai (waka parties) and utaawase (waka competitions).
After the rebellion Go-Toba was exiled to the Oki Islands. He died and was buried there. Later a part of his body was buried in Ohara, Kyōto. One of his 31-syllable poems was chosen by Fujiwara no Teika as Number 99 in the very popular anthology Hyakunin Isshu.

Eras of Go-Toba-tennō's reign