Emperor Tsuchimikado

(January 3, 1196 – November 6, 1231) was the 83rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1198 through 1210. [Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). "Annales des empereurs du Japon," pp.221-230; Brown, Delmer "et al." (1979). "Gukanshō," pp. 3339-341; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). "Jinnō Shōtōki." pp. 220-221.]

Genealogy

Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his "imina") [Brown, pp. 264. [Up until the time of Emperor Jomei, the personal names of the emperors (their "imina") were very long and people did not generally use them. The number of characters in each name diminished after Jomei's reign.] ] was nihongo| Tamehito"-shinnō" |為仁親王. [Titsingh, p. 221; Brown, p. 339; Varley, p. 220.]

He was the firstborn son of Emperor Go-Toba. His mother was Ariko (在子)(1171-1257), daughter of Minamoto no Michichika (源通親).
*Empress ("Chūgū"): Ōinomikado (Fujiwara) ?? (大炊御門（藤原）麗子)
*Lady-in-waiting: Tsuchimikado (Minamoto) ?? (土御門（源）通子)
**First daughter: Princess Haruko (春子女王)
**Second daughter: Imperial Princess ?? (覚子内親王)
**Third son: Prince Jinsuke (仁助法親王) (Buddhist Priest)
**Fourth son: Prince Chikahito (静仁法親王) (Buddhist Priest)
**Sixth son: Prince Kunihito (邦仁王) (Emperor Go-Saga)
**Fifth daughter: Princess Hideko (秀子女王)

Events of Tsuchimikado's life

In 1198, he became emperor upon the abdication of Emperor Go-Toba, who continued to rule actually as cloistered emperor.

* "Kenkyū 9", on the 11th day of the 1st month (1198): In the 15th year of Go-Toba"-tennō"'s reign (後鳥天皇15年), the emperor abdicated; and the succession (‘‘senso’’) was received by his eldest son. [Brown, p.339; Varley, p. 44, . [A distinct act of "senso" is unrecognized prior to Emperor Tenji; and all sovereigns except Jitō, Yōzei, Go-Toba, and Fushimi have "senso" and "sokui" in the same year until the reign of Go-Murakami.] ]
* "Kenkyū 9", in the 3rd month (1198): Emperor Tsuchimikado is said to have acceded to the throne (‘‘sokui’’). [Titsingh, p.221; Varley, p. 44.]

In 1210, Go-Toba persuaded him to abdicate in favor of his younger brother, who became Emperor Juntoku.

In Kyōto, Minamoto no Michichika took power as steward, and in Kamakura, in 1199, upon the death of Minamoto no Yoritomo, Hōjō Tokimasa began to rule as Gokenin.

"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.

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 Tsuchimikado's reign, this apex of the "Daijō-kan" included:
* "Sesshō", Konoe Motomichi, 1160-1233.Brown, p. 339.]
* "Sesshō", Kujō Yoshitsune, 1169-1206. [see above] ]
* "Daijō-daijin", Kujō Yoshitsune.
* "Sadaijin"
* "Udaijin"
* "Nadaijin"
* "Dainagon"

Eras of Tsuchimikado's reign

The years of Tschuimikado's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or "nengō". [Titsingh, p. 221; Brown, p. 340.]
* "Kenkyū" (1190-1199)
* "Shōji" (1199-1201)
* "Kennin" (1201-1204)
* "Genkyū" (1204-1206)
* "Ken'ei" (1206-1207)
* "Jōgen" (1207-1211)

References

* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). [ Jien, 1221] , "Gukanshō (The Future and the Past, a translation and study of the Gukanshō, an interpretative history of Japan written in 1219)." Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03460-0
* Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (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)]
* Varley, H. Paul , ed. (1980). [ Kitabatake Chikafusa, 1359] , "Jinnō Shōtōki ("A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa" translated by H. Paul Varley)." New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-04940-4

ee also

* Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado