Emperor Hanazono

Emperor Hanazono (花園天皇 "Hanazono-tennō") (August 14, 1297 - December 2, 1348) was the 95th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He is reign spanned the years from 1308 through 1318. [Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). "Annales des empereurs du Japon," pp. 278-281; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). "Jinnō Shōtōki." pp. 239-241.]

Genealogy

Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his "imina") was Tomihito"-shinnō" (富仁親王). [Titsingh, p. 278; Varley, p. 240.]

He was the fourth son of the 92nd Emperor Emperor Fushimi. He belonged to the "Jimyōin-tō" branch of the Imperial Family.

Events of Hanazono's life

Tomihito"-shinnō" became emperor upon the abdication of his second cousin, the Daikakuji-tō Emperor Go-Nijō.

* "Tokuji 3", in the 8th month (1308): In the 8th year of Go-Nijo"-tennō"'s reign (後二条天皇8年), the emperor died at the young age of 24; and the succession (‘‘senso’’) was received by his cousin. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Hanazono is said to have acceded to the throne (‘‘sokui’’). [Titsingh, p. 278; 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.] ]
* "Tokuji 3", in the 10th month (1308): The nengō was changed to Enkyō to mark the accession of Emperor Hanazono. [Varley, p. 240.]

Hanazono's father, the retired-Emperor Fushimi, and Hanazono's brother, the retired-Emperor Go-Fushimi, both exerted influence as cloistered emperors during this reign.

In thes years, negotiations between the Bakufu and the two imperial lines resulted in an agreement to alternate the throne between the two lines every 10 years (the Bumpō Agreement). This agreement was not long-lasting. The negotiated provisions would soon broken by Hanazono's successor.

In 1318, he abdicated to his second cousin, the Daikakuji-tō Emperor Go-Daigo, who was the brother of Go-Nijō.

After his abdication, he raised his nephew, the future Northern Pretender Emperor Kōgon.

In 1335, he became a Buddhist monk of the Zen sect.

He died in 1348.

He excelled at tanka, and was an important member of the Kyōgoku School. He also left behind a diary, called Hanazono-in-Minki (Imperial Chronicles of the Flower Garden Temple or "Hanazono-in") (花園院宸記). He was a very religious and literate person, never failing to miss his prayers to the Amitabha Buddha.

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

Eras of Hanazono's reign

The years of Hanazono's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or "nengō". [Titsingh, p. 278.]
* "Tokuji" (1306-1308)
* "Enkyō" (1308-1311)
* "Ōchō" (1311-1312)
* "Shōwa" (1312-1317)
* "Bumpō" (1317-1319)

References

* 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-Hanazono