- Emperor Go-Yōzei
Emperor Go-Yōzei (後陽成天皇 "Go-Yōzei-tennō") (
December 31 ,1572 -September 25 ,1617 ) was the 107th emperor ofJapan , according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned fromDecember 17 ,1586 toMay 9 ,1611 , corresponding to the transition between theAzuchi-Momoyama period and theEdo period . [Tittsingh, Isaac. (1834). "Annales des empereurs du japon," pp. 402-409.]This 16th century sovereign was named after the 9th century
Emperor Yōzei and "go-" (後), translates literally as "later;" and thus, he could be called the "Later Emperor Yōzei". The Japanese word "go" has also been translated to mean the "second one;" and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as "Yōzei, the second," or as "Yōzei II."Genealogy
Events of Go-Yōzei's life
Originally, Emperor Ōgimachi's son was supposed to succeed his father. However, the said heir died in 1586 of natural causes. For this reason, Prince Katahito was made
crown prince on November 5 of that year, and two days later, his grandfather the Emperor abdicated; and thus, Prince Katahito became Emperor Go-Yōzei.* "Tenshō 14", on the 7th day of the 11th month (1586): Ogimachi gave over the reigns of government to his grandson, who would become Emperor Go-Yozei. There had been no such Imperial transition since
Emperor Go-Hanazono abdicated in "Kanshō" 5. The dearth of abdications is attributable to the disturbed state of the country and to the fact that there was neither any dwelling in which an ex-emperor could live nor any excess funds in the treasury to support him. [Titsingh, p. 402; Ponsonby-Fane, Richard A. B. (1956). "Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869," pp. 340-341.]
* "Tensho 14", in the 12th month (1586): A marriage is arranged between the youngest sister of Hideyoshi andTokugawa Ieyasu .Titsingh, p. 402.]
* "Tensho 14", in the 12th month (1586): The "kampaku", Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was nominated to be "Daijō-daijin". [see above] ]
* "Tenshō 16", 7th month: Emperor Go-Yōzei visits Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mansion,Sword Hunt decree
* "Tenshō 18", 7th month (1590): Hideyoshi led an army to the Kantō where he lay siege toOdawara Castle . When the fortress fell,Hōjō Ujimasa died and his brother,Hōjō Ujinao submitted to Hideyoshi's power, thus ending a period of serial internal warfare which had continued uninterrupted since the nengō "Onin" (1467). [see above] ]Go-Yōzei's reign corresponds to the rise of
Oda Nobunaga , the rule ofToyotomi Hideyoshi , and the beginning of the Edo "Bakufu". He was the sovereign who confirmed the legitimacy of their accession to power:The Emperor gave
Toyotomi Hideyoshi the rank of "Taikō", originally a title given to the father of the Emperor's chief advisor ("Kampaku "), or a retired "Kampaku", which was essential to increase his status and effectively stabilize his power. This also allowed the Imperial Family to recover a small portion of its diminished powers.* "
Keichō 1" (1596): "Keichō" Invasion (invasion ofKorea )
* "Keichō 3", on the 18th day of the 8th month (1598):Toyotomi Hideyoshi , the "Taiko " died in hisFushimi Castle at the age of 63. [see above] ]
* "Keichō 5", in the 9th month (1600):Battle of Sekigahara . TheTokugawa clan and its allies decisively vanquish all opposition. [see above] ]
* "Keichō 8" (1602): TheKyōto Daibutsu is destroyed by fire.
* "Keichō 8" (1603):Tokugawa Ieyasu becameShogun , which effectively becomes the beginning of what will become the Edo "bakufu".Toyotomi Hideyori was elevated toNaidaijin in Heian-kyoDaijō-kan .Titisngh, p. 409.]When
Tokugawa Ieyasu was given the title of "Seii Taishōgun", the future of any anticipatedTokugawa shogunate was by no means assured, nor was his relationship to the emperor at all settled. He gradually began to interfere in the affairs of the Imperial Court. The right to grant ranks of court nobility and change the era became a concern of the bakufu. However, the Imperial Court's poverty during the Warring States Era seemed likely to become a thing of the past, as "bakufu" provided steadily for its financial needs.* "Keichō 10", on the 15th day of the 12th month (1605): A new volcanic island, Hachijōko-jima, arose from the sea at the side of Hachijō Island (八丈島 Hachijō-jima) in the Izu Islands (伊豆諸島, Izu-shotō) which stretch south and east from the Izu Peninsula. [see above] ]
* "Keichō 11" (1606): Construction began onEdo Castle . [see above] ]
* "Keichō 12" (1607): Construction began on Suruga Castle; and an ambassador from China arrived with greetings for the emperor of Japan. [see above] ]
* "Keichō 14" (1609):Invasion of Ryukyu by Shimzudaimyo of Satsuma. [see above] ]
* "Keichō 15" (1610): Reconstruction of the Daibutsu hall inKyōto is begun.
* "Keichō 15", the 27th day of the 3rd month (1610):Toyotomi Hideyori came to Miyako to visit the former-ShogunTokugawa Ieyasu ; and the same day, the emperor announces his intention to resigns in favor of his son Masahito. [Titsingh, p. 409; Hirai, Kiyoshi. (1950). "A Short History of the Retired Emperor's Palace in the Edo Era," "Architectural Institute of Japan: The Japanese Construction Society Academic Dissertation Report Collection" (日本建築学会論文報告集), No.61(19590325), pp. 143-150.]
* "Keichō 16" (1611): Go-Yōzei abdicates; and his son receives the succession (the "senso"); and shortly thereafter,Emperor Go-Mizunoo formally accedes to the throne (the "sokui"). [Titsingh, p. 410.]Go-Yozei did abdicate in favor of his third son; but he had wanted to be succeeded by his younger brother, Imperial Prince Hachijō-no-miya Toshihito (八条宮智仁親王) (first of the Hachijō-no-miya line, later called
Katsura-no-miya ), who built the Katsura Imperial Villa.Go-Yozei loved literature and art. He published the "Kobun Kokyo" and part of "
Nihon shoki " with movable type dedicated to the emperor byToyotomi Hideyoshi .Go-Yozei lived for six years after abdication; and he died in Miyako on September 25, 1617.
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-Yōzei's reign, this apex of the "
Daijō-kan included:
* "Kampaku ", Toyotomi Hideyoshi
* "Kampaku ", Konoe Tobutaka
* "Sadaijin "
* "Udaijin "
* "Nadaijin "
* "Dainagon "Eras of Go-Yōzei's reign
The years of Go-Yōzei's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or "
nengō ". [see above] ]
* "Tenshō" (1573-1592)
* "Bunroku " (1592-1596)
* "Keichō " (1596-1615)References
* Hirai, Kiyoshi. (1950). "A Short History of the Retired Emperor's Palace in the Edo Era," "Architectural Institute of Japan: The Japanese Construction Society Academic Dissertation Report Collection" (日本建築学会論文報告集), No.61(19590325). [http://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/110005052477/en/ link to online catalog (English)] [http://nels.nii.ac.jp/els/contents_disp.php?id=ART0008081343&type=pdf&lang=en&host=cinii&order_no=Z00000008658131&ppv_type=0&lang_sw=&no=1188495842&cp= link to digitized text/drawings (Japanese)]
* 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)]
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