(July 3, 1442 – October 21, 1500) was the 103rd

emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his positio ...

, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')
後土御門天皇 (103)
retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1464 through 1500. This 15th-century sovereign was named after the 12th-century

Emperor Tsuchimikado was the 83rd emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 土御門天皇 (83)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' pp. 86–87. Tsuchimikado's reig ...

and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as "later;" and thus, he could be called the "Later Emperor Tsuchimikado", or, in some older sources, may be identified as "Emperor Tsuchimikado, the second," or as "Emperor Tsuchimikado II."

Genealogy

Before his ascension to the

Chrysanthemum Throne The is the throne of the Emperor of Japan. The term also can refer to very specific seating, such as the throne in the Shishin-den at Kyoto Imperial Palace. Various other thrones or seats that are used by the Emperor during official functions ...

, his personal name (his ''imina'') was .Titsingh, p. 352. He was the eldest son of

Emperor Go-Hanazono (July 10, 1418 – January 18, 1471) was the 102nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')後花園天皇 (102) retrieved 2013-8-28. His reign spanned the years from 1428 throu ...

. His mother was Ōinomikado (Fujiwara) Nobuko (大炊御門（藤原）信子), daughter of Fujiwara Takanaga (藤原高長) *Lady-in-waiting: Niwata (Minamoto) Asako (庭田（源）朝子; 1437–1492) later Sōgyoku-mon'in (蒼玉門院), Niwata Shigekata's daughter **First son: Imperial Prince Katsuhito (勝仁親王) later

Emperor Go-Kashiwabara was the 104th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from November 16, 1500, to May 19, 1526. His personal name was Katsuhito (勝仁). His reign marked the nadir of Imperial authority during the Ashikaga ...

**Second son: Imperial Prince Takaasa (1472–1504; 尊敦親王) later Imperial Prince Priest Sonden (尊伝入道親王) **Son: (1475) *Lady-in-waiting: Kajūji (Fujiwara) Fusako (勧修寺（藤原）房子), Kajūji Norihide's daughter **First daughter: Princess Daijikō-in (大慈光院宮) **Fifth daughter: Princess Rishu (理秀女王) **Fourth daughter: Princess Chien (智円女王) **daughter: (1485) *Consort: Kasannoin (Fujiwara) Tomoko (花山院（藤原）兼子), Kasannoin Mochitada's daughter **Third daughter: Princess Yozen (応善女王) **Third son: Imperial Prince Priest Ninson (仁尊法親王) **Second daughter: Princess Chien (知円女王) **Fourth son: Prince Imawaka (今若宮) *unknown ** Princess Jisho (慈勝女王)

Events of Go-Tsuchimikado's life

* August 21, 1464 (''

Kanshō was a after ''Chōroku'' and before ''Bunshō.'' This period spanned from December 1460 through February 1466. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1460 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events. The old er ...

5, 7th month''): In the 36th year of Go-Hanazono''-tennō''s reign (後花園天皇三十六年), the emperor abdicated; and the succession (''senso'') was received by his son. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui''). Shortly after his enthronement, the ''Ōnin'' War took place. Temples, shrines, and mansions of court nobles, among others, were burned to the ground. The Imperial Court's finances dried up, and the Court declined. The Emperor supported the Yoshida family's policy of establishing a new kind of State Shinto which could add social and political cohesion in the country devastated by civil war. Until former-emperor Go-Komatsu died in 1433, Go-Hanazono held the title of formal head of the Daïri, the real power in the court was wielded by his uncle, who continued a practice known as

cloistered rule was a form of government in Japan during the Heian period. In this bifurcated system, an emperor abdicated, but retained power and influence. Those retired emperors who withdrew to live in monasteries (''in'') continued to act in ways intended to ...

. After this, Go-Hanazono enjoyed 30 years of direct imperial rule, until his abdication; and then the conventional pattern of indirect government by cloistered emperors was again resumed. The extended duration of Go-Tsuchimikado's reign—lasting thirty-six years, two months—is the longest of any sovereign in the historical period prior to

Emperor Kōkaku was the 119th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')光格天皇 (119)/ref> Kōkaku reigned from 16 December 1780 until his abdication on 7 May 1817 in favor of his son, Empe ...

. After the end of the War, there was little enthusiasm for reviving the Imperial Court's ancient ceremonies. On October 21, 1500, the Emperor died. His successor

Go-Kashiwabara was the 104th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from November 16, 1500, to May 19, 1526. His personal name was Katsuhito (勝仁). His reign marked the nadir of Imperial authority during the Ashikaga ...

lacked the funds to pay for the funeral ceremony, and the deceased emperor's body lay in a palace storeroom for over a month before a donation was made to the court, and the funeral could be observed. Go-Tuschimikado is enshrined with other emperors at the imperial tomb called ''Fukakusa no kita no misasagi'' (深草北陵) in

Fushimi-ku, Kyoto is one of the eleven Wards of Kyoto, wards in the Municipalities of Japan, city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Famous places in Fushimi include the Fushimi Inari Jinja (shrine), Shrine, with thousands of torii lining the paths up and down ...

. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' p. 423.

Kugyō

''Kugyō'' (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his positio ...

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-Tsuchimikado's reign, this apex of the ''

Daijō-kan The , also known as the Great Council of State, was (i) (''Daijō-kan'') the highest organ of Japan's premodern Imperial government under the Ritsuryō legal system during and after the Nara period or (ii) (''Dajō-kan'') the highest organ of Jap ...

included: * ''

Sadaijin The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the ini ...

'' * ''

Udaijin was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''udaijin'' in the context of a central administr ...

'' * ''

Naidaijin The , literally meaning "Inner Minister", was an ancient office in the Japanese imperial court, Japanese Imperial Court. Its role, rank and authority varied throughout the pre-Meiji period, Meiji period of Japanese history, but in general remain ...

'' * ''

Dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

Eras of Go-Tsuchimikado's reign

The years of Go-Tsuchimikado's reign are more specifically identified by more than one

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of ...

or ''

nengō The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...

''. * ''

'' (1460–1466) * ''

Bunshō was a after ''Kanshō'' and before ''Ōnin''. The period spanned the years February 1466 through March 1467. The reigning emperor during this period was .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834) ''Annales des empereurs du Japon'', pp. 352364. Change of era * 1 ...

'' (1466–1467) * ''

Ōnin was a after ''Bunshō'' and before ''Bunmei''. This period spanned the years from March 1467 through April 1469. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1467 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events. The old era end ...

'' (1467–1469) * ''

Bunmei was a after '' Ōnin'' and before ''Chōkyō''. This period spanned from April 1469 through July 1487.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Bunmei''" i ''Japan encyclopedia'', p. 89 n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussba ...

'' (1469–1487) * ''

Chōkyō was a Japanese era name (年号, ''nengō'', "year name") after ''Bunmei'' and before ''Entoku''. This period spanned the years from July 1487 through August 1489. The reigning emperor was Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado of Japan, Go-Tsuchimikado''-tenn� ...

'' (1487–1489) * ''

Entoku was a after ''Chōkyō'' and before ''Meio''. This period spanned the years from August 1489 through July 1492. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1489 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events. The old era ended ...

'' (1489–1492) * ''

Meiō , also known as Mei-ō, was a after '' Entoku'' and before '' Bunki''. This period spanned the years from through . Reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1492 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events. The old e ...

'' (1492–1501)

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

Nihon Ōdai Ichiran , ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings. According to the 1871 edition of the ''American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ...

''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691

Genealogy

Events of Go-Tsuchimikado's life

Kugyō

Eras of Go-Tsuchimikado's reign

Ancestry

Notes

References

See also