Emperor Go-Komyo
Encyclopedia
was the 110th emperor
of Japan
, according to the traditional order of succession.
Go-Kōmyō's reign spanned the years from 1643 through 1654.
This 17th century sovereign was named after the 14th century Nanboku-chō
Emperor Kōmyō
and go- (後), translates literally as "later;" and thus, he could be called the "Later Emperor Kōmyō". The Japanese word "go" has also been translated to mean the "second one;" and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as "Kōmyō, the second," or as Kōmyō II."
, his personal name (his imina) was ; and his pre-accession title was .
He was the fourth son of Emperor Go-Mizunoo
. His mother was Fujiwara no Mitsuko, the daughter of the Minister of the Left (Sadaijin
); but he was raised as if he were the son of Tōfuku-mon'in. Empress Meishō
was his elder sister by a different mother.
Go-Kōmyō's Imperial family lived with him in the Dairi
of the Heian Palace
. His family included only one daughter and no son:
; and the following year, he became Emperor when Empress Meishō
abdicated. His sister stepped down from the throne and the succession (senso) was received by the new monarch. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Go-Kōmyō is considered to have acceded to the throne (sokui). The events during his lifetime shed light on his reign. The years of Go-Kōmyō's reign correspond with a period in which Tokugawa Iemitsu
and Tokugawa Ietsuna
were leaders at the pinnacle of the Tokugawa shogunate
.
Go-Kōmyō is among those enshrined in the imperial mausoleum, Tsukinowa no misasagi, at Sennyū-ji in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
. Also enshrined are Go-Kōmyō's immediate predecessors, Emperor Go-Mizunoo
and Empress Meishō
. Go-Kōmyō's immediate Imperial successors are also memorialized in this misasagi, including Go-Sai
, Reigen
, Higashiyama
, Nakamikado
, Sakuramachi
, Momozono
, Go-Sakuramachi
and Go-Momozono
.
in pre-Meiji
eras. Even during those years in which the court's actual influence outside the palace walls was minimal, the hierarchic organization persisted.
In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Go-Kōmyō's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of 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...
, according to the traditional order of succession.
Go-Kōmyō's reign spanned the years from 1643 through 1654.
This 17th century sovereign was named after the 14th century Nanboku-chō
Nanboku-cho
The , spanning from 1336 to 1392, was a period that occurred during the formative years of the Muromachi bakufu of Japan's history.During this period, there existed a Northern Imperial Court, established by Ashikaga Takauji in Kyoto, and a Southern Imperial Court, established by Emperor Go-Daigo in...
Emperor Kōmyō
Emperor Komyo
was the 2nd of the Ashikaga Pretenders, although he was actually the first to be supported by the Ashikaga Bakufu. According to pre-Meiji scholars, his reign spanned the years from 1336 through 1348.-Genealogy:...
and go- (後), translates literally as "later;" and thus, he could be called the "Later Emperor Kōmyō". The Japanese word "go" has also been translated to mean the "second one;" and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as "Kōmyō, the second," or as Kōmyō II."
Genealogy
Before Go-Kōmyō's accession to the Chrysanthemum ThroneChrysanthemum Throne
The is the English term used to identify the throne of the Emperor of Japan. The term can refer to very specific seating, such as the takamikura throne in the Shishin-den at Kyoto Imperial Palace....
, his personal name (his imina) was ; and his pre-accession title was .
He was the fourth son of Emperor Go-Mizunoo
Emperor Go-Mizunoo
was the 108th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Go-Mizunoo's reign spanned the years from 1611 through 1629.This 17th century sovereign was named after the 9th century Emperor Seiwa and , translates literally as "later;" and thus, he could be called the "Later...
. His mother was Fujiwara no Mitsuko, the daughter of the Minister of the Left (Sadaijin
Sadaijin
, most commonly translated as "Minister of the Left", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Sadaijin in the context of a central...
); but he was raised as if he were the son of Tōfuku-mon'in. Empress Meishō
Empress Meisho
was the 109th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Meishō's reign spanned the years from 1629 to 1643.In the history of Japan, Meishō was the seventh of eight women to become empress regnant. The six female monarchs who reigned before Meishō-tennō were Suiko, ...
was his elder sister by a different mother.
Go-Kōmyō's Imperial family lived with him in the Dairi
Dairi
Dairi may refer to:* The building in which the Japanese Imperial family resided , the women of the Imperial family , the Imperial court of Japan, or an indirect way of referring to the Emperor himself....
of the Heian 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...
. His family included only one daughter and no son:
- Lady-in-waiting: Niwata Hideko (庭田秀子)
- First daughter: Imperial Princess Takako (孝子内親王) (Empress Dowager Reisei (礼成門院))
Events of Go-Kōmyō's life
Tsuguhito-shinnō was granted the title of Crown PrinceCrown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
; and the following year, he became Emperor when Empress Meishō
Empress Meisho
was the 109th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Meishō's reign spanned the years from 1629 to 1643.In the history of Japan, Meishō was the seventh of eight women to become empress regnant. The six female monarchs who reigned before Meishō-tennō were Suiko, ...
abdicated. His sister stepped down from the throne and the succession (senso) was received by the new monarch. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Go-Kōmyō is considered to have acceded to the throne (sokui). The events during his lifetime shed light on his reign. The years of Go-Kōmyō's reign correspond with a period in which Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Iemitsu ruled from 1623 to 1651.-Early life :...
and Tokugawa Ietsuna
Tokugawa Ietsuna
was the fourth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan who was in office from 1651 to 1680. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, thus making him the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.-Early Life :...
were leaders at the pinnacle of the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
.
- April 20, 1633: The birth of an Imperial prince who will become known by the posthumous name of Go-Kōmyō-tennō.
- 1641 (KaneiKaneiwas a after Genna and before Shōhō. This period spanned the years from February 1624 through December 1643. The reigning emperors and empress were , and .-Change of era:...
19): Prince Tsuguhito was named heir; and he was given the title of Crown Prince.
- 1643 (Kanei 20, 29th day of the 9th month): The empress ceded her throne to her brother by abdicating; and the succession (senso) was received by his younger brother.
- November 14, 1643 (Kanei 20, 3rd day of the 10th month): Go-Kōmyō accepted the title; and he is said to have acceded to the throne (sokui). He was age 11. His reign is considered to have begun.
- 1645 (ShōhōShohowas a after Kan'ei and before Keian. This period spanned the years from December 1644 through February 1648. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* 1644 : The era name was changed to Shōhō to mark the enthronement of the new emperor Go-Kōmyō...
2, 23rd day of the 4th month): The Shogun was elevated to the rank of sadaijinSadaijin, most commonly translated as "Minister of the Left", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Sadaijin in the context of a central...
.
- 1649 (KeianKeianwas a after Shōhō and before Jōō. This period spanned the years from February 1648 through September 1652. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
2, 20th day of the 2nd month): There was a major earthquake in Edo.
- 1651 (Keian 4): Tokugawa Ietsuna was proclaimed Shogun.
- 1652 (Keian 5, 5th month): Nihon Ōdai IchiranNihon Odai Ichiranis a 17th century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings.According to the 1871 edition of the American Cyclopaedia, the translation of Nihon Ōdai Ichiran in 1834 was one of very few books about Japan; and it was...
is first published in Kyoto under the patronage of the tairōTairoTairō was a high-ranking official position in the bakuhan taisei government of Japan. The tairō would preside over the governing Rōjū council in the event of an emergency. A tairō would be nominated from among a group of samurai families who supported Tokugawa Ieyasu...
Sakai TadakatsuSakai Tadakatsu, also known as Sanuki-no-kami, was tairō, rōjū, master of Wakasa-Obama castle and daimyo of Obama Domain in Wakasa province in the mid-17th century...
, lord of the Obama DomainObama DomainThe Obama Domain was a Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, based at Obama Castle in Wakasa Province ....
of Wakasa ProvinceWakasa Provincewas an old province of Japan in the area that is today southern Fukui Prefecture. It is also known as or .The province's ancient capital was at Obama, which continued to be the main castle town through the Edo period.-Neighboring Provinces:...
.
- 1653 (Jōō 2, 12th day of the 8th month): A violent fire destroyed a large part of the imperial palace and many temples which were nearby. Shortly thereafter, several girls, aged 12–14 years, were imprisoned for arson involving this fire as well as other fires in Kyoto.
- 1654 (Jōō 3, 6th day of the 7th month): IngenIngenIngen Ryūki was a Chinese Linji Chán Buddhist monk, poet, and calligrapher....
, a Buddhist priest who would eventually become very influential, arrived at Nagasaki from China. His intention was to reform the practice of BuddhismBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
in Japan.
- October 30, 1654 (Jōō 3, 20th day of the 9th month): The emperor died. He was buried at Sennyū-jiSennyu-ji, formerly written as , is a Buddhist temple in Higashiyama-ku in Kyoto, Japan. For centuries, Sennyū-ji was a mortuary temple for aristocrats and the imperial house. Located here are the official tombs of Emperor Shijō and many of the emperors who came after him....
on the 15th day of the 10th month. There is a probability that the emperor died of smallpoxSmallpoxSmallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
.
Go-Kōmyō is among those enshrined in the imperial mausoleum, Tsukinowa no misasagi, at Sennyū-ji in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
' is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was created in 1929 when it was split off from Shimogyō-ku. During the years 1931 to 1976 it also covered the area of present-day Yamashina-ku, which was an independent town until its merger into the city in 1931...
. Also enshrined are Go-Kōmyō's immediate predecessors, Emperor Go-Mizunoo
Emperor Go-Mizunoo
was the 108th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Go-Mizunoo's reign spanned the years from 1611 through 1629.This 17th century sovereign was named after the 9th century Emperor Seiwa and , translates literally as "later;" and thus, he could be called the "Later...
and Empress Meishō
Empress Meisho
was the 109th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Meishō's reign spanned the years from 1629 to 1643.In the history of Japan, Meishō was the seventh of eight women to become empress regnant. The six female monarchs who reigned before Meishō-tennō were Suiko, ...
. Go-Kōmyō's immediate Imperial successors are also memorialized in this misasagi, including Go-Sai
Emperor Go-Sai
, also known as was the 111th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Go-Sai's reign spanned the years from 1654 through 1663....
, Reigen
Emperor Reigen
was the 112th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Reigen's reign spanned the years from 1663 through 1687.-Genealogy:...
, Higashiyama
Emperor Higashiyama
was the 113th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Higashiyama's reign spanned the years from 1687 through 1709.-Genealogy:...
, Nakamikado
Emperor Nakamikado
was the 114th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Nakamikado's reign spanned the years from 1709 through 1735.-Genealogy:...
, Sakuramachi
Emperor Sakuramachi
was the 115th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Sakuramachi's reign spanned the years from 1735 through 1747.-Genealogy:...
, Momozono
Emperor Momozono
was the 116th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Momazono's reign spanned the years from 1747 until his death in 1762.-Genealogy:...
, Go-Sakuramachi
Empress Go-Sakuramachi
was the 117th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Go-Sakuramachi's reign spanned the years from 1762 through 1771....
and Go-Momozono
Emperor Go-Momozono
was the 118th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Go-Momozono's reign spanned the years from 1771 through his death in 1779....
.
Kugyō
is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of JapanEmperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
in pre-Meiji
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
eras. Even during those years in which the court's actual influence outside the palace walls was minimal, the hierarchic organization persisted.
In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Go-Kōmyō's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
- Sesshō, Nijō YasumichiNijo Yasumichi, son of Kujō Yukiie adopted son of Nijō Akizane, was a Japanese kugyō of the early Edo period. He held a regent position sesshō from 1635 to 1647. He married a daughter of Emperor Go-Yōzei, and the couple had son Nijō Mitsuhira.-References:...
, 1635–1647 - Sesshō, Kujō MichifusaKujo Michifusa, son of regent Yukiie, was a kugyō or Japanese court noble of the Edo period . He held a regent position sesshō in 1647. He married a daughter of second head of Echizen Domain Matsudaira Tadanao...
, 1647 - Sesshō, Ichijō AkiyoshiIchijo Akiyoshi, son of Emperor Go-Yōzei and adopted son of regent Uchimoto, was a kugyō of the Edo period of Japan. He held regent positions kampaku in 1629 and from 1647 to 1651, and sesshō from 1629 to 1635 and in 1647. His wife was a daughter of Oda Yorinaga, and with her he had a daughter and sons Norisuke...
, 1647 - Kampaku, Ichijō AkiyoshiIchijo Akiyoshi, son of Emperor Go-Yōzei and adopted son of regent Uchimoto, was a kugyō of the Edo period of Japan. He held regent positions kampaku in 1629 and from 1647 to 1651, and sesshō from 1629 to 1635 and in 1647. His wife was a daughter of Oda Yorinaga, and with her he had a daughter and sons Norisuke...
, 1647–1651 - Kampaku, Konoe HisatsuguKonoe Hisatsugu, son of regent Nobuhiro, was a kugyō or Japanese court noble of the Edo period . He held a regent position kampaku from 1651 to 1653....
, 1651–1653 - Kampaku, Nijō MitsuhiraNijo Mitsuhira, son of Nijō Yasumichi, was a Japanese kugyō of the early Edo period. He held regent positions kampaku from 1653 to 1663 and sesshō from 1663 to 1664. Nijō Tsunahira was his adopted son. A daughter of his was a consort of the third head of Kōfu Domain Tokugawa Tsunashige.-References:...
, 1653–1663 - SadaijinSadaijin, most commonly translated as "Minister of the Left", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Sadaijin in the context of a central...
- UdaijinUdaijinUdaijin , most commonly translated as the "Minister of the Right", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Udaijin in the context of a central...
- Nadaijin
- DainagonDainagonwas a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century.This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century....
Eras of Go-Kōmyō's reign
The years of Go-Kōmyō's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.- Kan'ei (1624–1644)
- ShōhōShohowas a after Kan'ei and before Keian. This period spanned the years from December 1644 through February 1648. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* 1644 : The era name was changed to Shōhō to mark the enthronement of the new emperor Go-Kōmyō...
(1644–1648) - KeianKeianwas a after Shōhō and before Jōō. This period spanned the years from February 1648 through September 1652. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
(1648–1652) - Jōō (1652–1655)
See also
- Emperor of JapanEmperor of JapanThe Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
- List of Emperors of Japan
- Imperial cultImperial cultAn imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor, or a dynasty of emperors , are worshipped as messiahs, demigods or deities. "Cult" here is used to mean "worship", not in the modern pejorative sense...