was the empress consort

Queen consort

A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...

 of Emperor Kōmei

Emperor Komei

was the 121st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Kōmei's reign spanned the years from 1846 through 1867.-Genealogy:Before Kōmei's accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was ;, his title was ....

 of Japan. She is also known under the technically incorrect name .

Early life

As the daughter of Kujō Hisatada

Kujo Hisatada

, son of Nijō Harutaka, was a kuge or Japanese court noble of the Edo period . He was adopted by his brother Suketsugu as his son. He held a regent position kampaku from 1856 to 1862, and retired in 1863, becoming a priest...

, who was a former kampaku, Kujō Asako could anticipate a life unfolding entirely within the ambit of the Imperial court; but she could not have anticipate the vast array of changes which the years would bring during her lifetime. At age 13, she was matched with Crown Prince Okihito. When Emperor Ninkō

Emperor Ninko

was the 120th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Ninkō's reign spanned the years from 1817 through 1846.-Genealogy:Before Ninkō's ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was ....

 died in 1846, the newly elevated Emperor Kōmei named her Nyōgo, a consort position of high honor to which princesses of the blood were appointed after the time of Emperor Kammu

Emperor Kammu

was the 50th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Kammu reigned from 781 to 806.-Traditional narrative:Kammu's personal name was . He was the eldest son of Prince Shirakabe , and was born prior to Shirakabe's ascension to the throne...

.

Consort

Asako had two daughters, whom both died in infancy; but she became the official mother of Komei's heir, Crown Prince Mutsuhito. He developed a strong emotional attachment to her, which became especially important in the unsettled period after Emperor Kōmei died unexpectedly.

Empress dowager

Soon after the death of Emperor Kōmei, Emperor Meiji

Emperor Meiji

The or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...

 conferred the title of Empress Dowager

Empress Dowager

Empress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...

; and she was given a posthumous name to go with her new title. This was a highly unusual gesture; and she was afterward known as . This specific posthumous name was taken from the title of a poem, "Purple Wisteria over a Deep Pool," by a T'ang dynasty poet; and it was deemed appropriate for a daughter of the Kūjo family as part of the Fujiwara ("Wisteria Field") clan.
When the Meiji period

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 :...

 Imperial court relocated from Kyoto to Tokyo, she followed, living first in the Akasaka Palace and then in the Aoyama Palace.

The dowager empress died in 1897 at age 65 and was buried at Senyū-ji, which is 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...

. Her memory is officially honored at her husband's mausoleum in Kyoto, which is known as Nochi-no-tsukinowa no higashiyama no misasagi.

Franz Eckert composed "Trauermarsch" ("Deep mourning" funeral march or "Kanashimi no kiwami") for the funeral of Empress Dowager Eishō.

Emperor Meiji and his wife could not attend the funeral, but they traveled to Kyoto to pay graveside respects in the spring after her death.