Emperor Go-Momozono

Emperor Go-Momozono (後桃園天皇 "Go-Momozono-tennō") (August 5, 1758 - December 16, 1779) was the 118th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from May 23, 1771 until his death on December 16, 1779. He was succeeded by his second cousin, Emperor Kōkaku. His personal name was Hidehito (英仁).

This 18th century sovereign was named after his father Emperor Momozono and "go-" (後), translates literally as "later;" and thus, he could be called the "Later Emperor Momozono". The Japanese word "go" has also been translated to mean the "second one;" and in some older sources, this emperor might be identified as "Momozono, the second," or as "Momozono II".

Genealogy

He was the firstborn son of Emperor Momozono.
*Court Lady: Konoe Koreko (近衛維子)
**First daughter: Imperial Princess Yoshiko (欣子内親王) - later Emperor Kōkaku's chief wife ("chūgū"), Yoshiko (后妃, 欣子内親王), then also known as Shin-Seiwa-In (?, 新清和院)
*Adopted son
**Imperial Prince Tomohito (兼仁親王) (Emperor Kōkaku, sixth son of Imperial Prince Kan'in-no-miya Sukehito)

Events of Go-Momozono's life

He became Crown Prince in 1768. Two years later, in 1771, his aunt, Empress Go-Sakuramachi, ceded the throne to him. The Emperor was sickly, and in 1779, he died at the age of just 22.

Because his only child was a daughter, Princess Yoshiko (欣子), he hurriedly adopted a son from the Kan'in branch of the Imperial Family who became Emperor Kōkaku. His daughter was married to Emperor Kōkaku - Imperial Princess Yoshiko (?, 欣子内親王), also known as Shinkiyowa-in (?, 新清和院).

Kugyō

"Kugyō" (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan 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-Momozono's reign, this apex of the "Daijō-kan included:
* "Sadaijin"
* "Udaijin"
* "Nadaijin"
* "Dainagon"

Eras of Go-Momozono's reign

The years of Go-Momozono's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or "nengō".
* "Meiwa" (1764-1772)
* "An'ei" (1772-1781)

References

* Screech, Timon. (2006). "Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822." London: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 0-700-71720-X
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652] , "Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, tr. par M. Isaac Titsingh avec l'aide de plusieurs interprètes attachés au comptoir hollandais de Nangasaki; ouvrage re., complété et cor. sur l'original japonais-chinois, accompagné de notes et précédé d'un Aperçu d'histoire mythologique du Japon, par M. J. Klaproth." Paris: Oriental Transcription Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran ...Click link for digitized, full-text copy of this book (in French)]