Emperor Sakuramachi

Emperor Sakuramachi (桜町天皇 "Sakuramachi-tennō") (February 8, 1720 – May 28, 1750) was the 115th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from April 13, 1735 to June 9, 1747. His personal name was Teruhito (昭仁) and his pre-accession title was "Waka-no-miya" (若宮).

Genealogy

He was the firstborn son of Emperor Nakamikado. He had three children by two women:
*Court lady Nijō Ieko (二条舎子)
**First daughter: Princess Sakariko (盛子内親王)
**Second daughter: Princess Toshiko (智子内親王) (Empress Go-Sakuramachi)
*Lady-in-waiting Anekōji Sadako (姉小路定子)
**First son: Prince Toohito (遐仁親王) (Emperor Momozono)

Events of Sakuramachi's life

In 1728, he became Crown Prince. In 1735, he became emperor upon the abdication of his father, Emperor Nakamikado. In 1747, he abdicated in favor of Emperor Momozono. In 1750, he died at the age of 30.

He was said to be the reincarnation of Prince Shōtoku. With the support of Tokugawa Yoshimune, he worked for the restoration of Imperial rites, bringing back the Daijōsai (大嘗祭, the first ceremonial rice-offering by a newly-enthroned emperor) and the Shinjōsai (新嘗祭, a ceremonial rice-offering by the emperor) among others, and concentrated on restoring other courtesies. It is also said that he was a capable author of "tanka".

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 Sakuramachi's reign, this apex of the "Daijō-kan included:
* "Sadaijin"
* "Udaijin"
* "Nadaijin"
* "Dainagon"

Eras of Sakuramachi's reign

The years of Sakuramachi's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or "nengō".
* "Kyōhō" (1716-1736)
* "Gembun" (1736-1741)
* "Kampō" (1741-1744)
* "Enkyō" (1744-1748)

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 Translation 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)]

ee also

* Empress Go-Sakuramachi