Emperor Suzaku

Infobox_Monarch
name = Emperor Suzaku
title =61st Emperor of Japan


caption =
reign =The 22nd Day of 9th Month of Enchō 8 (930) - The 20th Day of 4th Month of Tengyō 9 (946)
coronation =The 21st Day of 11th Month of Enchō 8 (930)
predecessor =Emperor Daigo
successor =Emperor Murakami
suc-type =
heir =
consort =
issue =
royal house =
royal anthem =
father =Emperor Daigo
mother =Fujiwara no "Onshi"
date of birth =Enchō 1 (923)
place of birth =Heian Kyō (Kyōto)
date of death =The 15th Day of 8th Month of Tenryaku 6 (952)
place of death =Heian Kyō (Kyōto)
place of burial=Daigo no "Misasagi" (Kyōto)|

Emperor Suzaku (朱雀天皇 "Suzaku-tennō") (923-952) was the 61st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He ruled from 930 to 946. [Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). "Annales des empereurs du japon," pp. 134-139; Brown, Delmer. (1879). "Gukanshō," pp. 294-295; Varley, H. Paul (1980) "Jinnō Shōtōki," pp. 181-183.]

Genealogy

Before his ascension of the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his "imina") [Brown, p. 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 Hiroakira"-shinnō".Titsingh, p. 134; Varley, p. 181.] He was also known as Yutaakira"-shinnō".Brown, p. 294.]

Hiroakira"-shinnō" was the 11th son of Emperor Daigo and Empress Consort Onshi, a daughter of the regent and great minister of the council of state, Fujiwara no Mototsune. [Varley, p. 181.]

Daigo had two Empresses or consorts and one Imperial daughter.Brown, p. 295]

Events of Suzaku's life

Suzaku's older brother died unexpectedly young, as did his brother's son. These untimely deaths opened the way for Suzaku to acede to the throne.

* "Enchō 8", on the 22nd day of the 9th month (930): In the 33rd year of the reign of Daigo-tennō (醍醐天皇33年), the emperor died; and the succession (the "senso") was received by his eleventh son, Hiroakira"-shinnō" [see above] ] (also known as Yutaakira"-shinnō"). [Brown, p. 295, 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.] ]
* "Enchō 8", in the 11th month (930): Emperor Suzaku, who was only 8 years old, acceded to the throne (the "sokui"). [Titsingh, p. 134; Varley, p. 44. ]
* "Enchō 9", on the 26th day of the 4th month (931): The era name was changed to mark the beginning of the new emperor's reign. [Brown, p. 295; Varley, p. 181-182.]

* "Jōhei 1", on the 19th day of the 7th month (931): The former-Emperor Uda (867-931) died at the age of 65. [Titsingh, p. 135; Brown, p. 295.]
* "Jōhei 2", in the 8th month (932): The "udaijin" (Minister of the Right) Fujiwara no Sadakata (873-932) died at the age of 65.Titsingh, p. 135.]
* "Jōhei 3", in the 8th month (933): The "dainagon" (Counselor) Fujiwara no Nakahira is named "udaijin." Nakahira is the brother of "sesshō" (regent) Fujiwara Tadahira.Titsingh, p. 135; Brown, p. 294.]
* "Jōhei 3", in the 12th month (933): Ten of the chief dignitaries of the empire went falcon-hunting together in Owari province. Each of them was magnificent in his formal hunting attire. [see above] ]
* "Jōhei 5" (935): The Great Fundamental Central Hall ("kompon chūdō") on Mt. Hiei burned down. [see above] ]
* "Jōhei 6", on the 19th day of the 8th month (936): Fujiwara Tadahira was named "daijō-daijin" (Prime Minister); and in this same period, Fujiwara Nakahira was named "sadaijin" (Minister of the Left), and Fujiwara Tsunesuke was named "udaijin". [see above] ]
* "Jōhei 7", in the 12th month (937): The former-Emperor Yōzei celebrated his 70th birthday. [see above] ]
* "Jōhei 8", in the 4th month (937): Serial intermittent ground-tremors were felt in Heian-kyo from the 10th through the 29th days of this month. [Titsingh, p. 136.]

* "Tengyō 2" (940): During his reign Taira no Masakado raised and insurrection in the Kantō region and declared himself emperor, but his forces were put down by Taira Sadamori. [see above] ]
* "Tengyō 3" (941): Fujiwara Sumitomo staged a rebellion in the east, but his army was defeated by Tachibana Tōyasu. [see above] ]
* "Tengyō 9", in the 4th month (946): Suzaku abdicates, having ruled for 16 years.Brown, p. 295; Varley, p. 130.]

* "Tenryaku 6", on the 15th day of the 8th month (952): Suzaku died at the age of 30. [see above] ]

The emperor was succeeded by his younger brother, who would become Emperor Murakami.

"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. [http://www.furugosho.com/moyenage/empereur-g2.htm -- "kugyō" of Suzaku-tennō (in French)]

In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Suzaku's reign, this apex of the "Daijō-kan" included:
* "Sesshō", Fujiwara no Tadahira　 (藤原忠平), 880-949. [see above] ]
* "Kampaku", Fujiwara no Tadahira　 (藤原忠平). [see above] ]
* "Daijō-daijin", Fujiwara no Tadahira　 (藤原忠平). [see above] ]
* "Sadaijin", Fujiwara no Tadahira 　(藤原忠平). [Brown, p. 291.]
* "Sadaijin", Fujiwara no Nakahira　 (藤原仲平). [see above] ]
* "Udaijin", Fujiwara no Sadakata　 (藤原定方). [see above] ]
* "Udaijin", Fujiwara no Nakahira　 (藤原仲平). [see above] ]
* "Udaijin", Fujiwara no Tsunesuke 　(藤原恒佐). [see above] ]
* "Udaijin", Fujiwara no Saneyori　 (藤原実頼), 900-970. [see above] ]
* "Nadaijin"
* "Dainagon",Fujiwara no Nakahira　 (藤原仲平). [see above] ]

Eras of Suzaku's reign

The years of Suzaku's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or "nengō". [Titsingh, p. 134.]
* "Enchō" (923-931)
* "Jōhei" (931-938)
* "Tengyō" (938-947)

Consorts and Children

Nyōgo: Princess Hiroko/"Kishi" (熙子女王) (?-950), daughter of Imperial Prince Yasuakira(son of Emperor Daigo)
*Imperial Princess Masako (昌子内親王) (950-999), Empress consort of Emperor Reizei

Nyōgo: Fujiwara no Yoshiko (藤原慶子) (?-951), daughter of Fujiwara no Saneyori (藤原実頼)

References

* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). [ Jien, c. 1220] , "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-Suzaku