(August 826 – 7 October 858) was the 55th

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')
文徳天皇 (55)
/ref> according to the traditional

order of succession An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.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 (''

imina in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name, in that order. Nevertheless, when a Japanese name is written in the Roman alphabet, ever since the Meiji era, the official policy has been to cater to Western expecta ...

'') was . He was also known as ''Tamura-no-mikado''Varley, p. 165. or ''Tamura-tei''. He was the eldest son of

Emperor Ninmyō was the 54th emperor of Japan, Emperor Ninmyō, Fukakusa Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Ninmyō's reign lasted from 833 to 850, during the Heian period. Traditional narrative Nin ...

. His mother was Empress Dowager Fujiwara no Junshi (also called the Gojō empress 五条后), daughter of the minister of the left,

Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu was a Japanese noble, statesman, general, and poet of the early Heian period. A member of the Hokke, he was the second son of the ''udaijin'' Fujiwara no Uchimaro. He attained the court rank of and the position of '' sadaijin'', and posthum ...

. Montoku had six Imperial consorts and 29 Imperial children.Brown, p. 285.

Events of Montoku's life

* 6 May 850 (''

Kashō , also known as Kajō, was a after '' Jōwa'' and before '' Ninju.'' This period spanned the years from June 848 through April 851. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * February 9, 848 : The new era name ''Kashō'' (meaning "goo ...

3, 21st day of the 3rd month''): In the 17th year of Ninmyō''-tennō''s reign (仁明天皇十七年), the emperor died; and his eldest son received the succession (''senso''). * 850 (''Kashō 3, 4th month''): Emperor Montoku formally acceded to the throne (''sokui''). * 850 (''Kashō 3, 5th month''): The widow of Emperor Saga, who was also the mother of Emperor Ninmyō and the grandmother of Emperor Montoku, died. This very devout Buddhist had founded a temple called on the site of present-day – more formally known as , located in what is now Susukinobaba-chō, Ukyō Ward in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

, Before her death, the former empress had been known by the honorific title, ; and she had been honored as if she were a saint.Titsingh, p. 112. * 850 (''Kashō 3, 11th month''): The emperor named Korehito''-shinnō'', the 4th son of Emperor Montoku as his heir. This 9-month-old baby was also the grandson of ''udaijin''

Fujiwara no Yoshifusa , also known as ''Somedono no Daijin'' or ''Shirakawa-dono'', was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Heian period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Nakahira" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915). When Yosh ...

.Titsingh, p. 113. * 853 (''

Ninju was a after ''Kashō'' and before '' Saikō.'' This period spanned the years from April 851 through November 854. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * February 5, 851 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. ...

3, 2nd month''): The emperor visited the home of ''udaijin'' Yoshifusa, the grandfather of his designated heir. * 11 July 854 (''

Saikō was a after '' Ninju'' and before ''Ten'an.'' This period spanned the years from November 854 through February 857. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * February 1, 854 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of even ...

1, 13th day of the 6th month''): The ''sadaijin'' Minamoto no Tokiwa, also known as Minamoto no Tsune, died at age 43. * 855 (''Saikō 2, in the 1st month''): The

Emishi The (also called Ebisu and Ezo), written with Chinese characters that literally mean "shrimp barbarians," constituted an ancient ethnic group of people who lived in parts of Honshū, especially in the Tōhoku region, referred to as in contemp ...

organized a rebellion; and in response, a force of 1,000 men and provisions were sent to the north.Titsingh, p. 114. * 855 (''Saikō 2, 5th month''): The head of the great statute of Buddha in the Tōdai-ji fell off; and in consequence, the emperor ordered the then ''dainagon'' Fujiwara no Yoshisuke, the brother of ''sadaijin'' Yoshifusa, to be in charge of gathering the gifts of the pious from throughout the empire to make another head for the

Daibutsu or 'giant Buddha' is the Japanese language, Japanese term, often used informally, for large Japanese sculpture, statues of List of Buddhas, Buddha. The oldest is that at Asuka-dera (609) and the best-known is that at Tōdai-ji in Nara, Nara, Nar ...

. Events during his reign included the repression of insurrections among the Ebisu people in

Mutsu Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori Prefectures and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture. Mutsu Province is also known as or . The term is often used to refer to the comb ...

in 855, and among the people of the island of Tsushima two years later. * 7 October 858 (''

Ten'an was a after '' Saikō'' and before ''Jōgan.'' This period spanned the years from February 857 through April 859. The reigning emperors were and . Change of Era * January 30, 857 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of e ...

2, 27th day of the 8th month''): Montoku died at the age of 32. The actual site of Montoku's

grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

is known. This emperor is traditionally venerated at a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

(''misasagi'') at Kyoto. The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Montoku's

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

. It is formally named ''Tamura no misasagi''.

Kugyō

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 era
– ''kugyō'' of Montoku-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 would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Montoku'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: * ''

Daijō-daijin The was the head of the ''Daijō-kan'' (Great Council of State) during and after the Nara period and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. Equivalent to the Chinese (Grand Preceptor). History Emperor Tenji's favorite son, Prince Ōtomo, wa ...

'',

　(藤原良房), 804–872. * ''

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 ...

'', Minamoto no Tokiwa　(源常), 812–854. * ''Sadaijin'', Minamoto no Makoto　(源信), 810–868. * ''

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 ...

'',

　(藤原良房), 804–872. * ''Udaijin'', Fujiwara no Yoshimi　(藤原良相), 813–867. * ''

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 ...

'' (not appointed) * ''

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 Montoku's reign

The years of Montoku'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 ...

''. * ''

'' (848–851) * ''

'' (851–854) * ''

'' (854–857) * ''

'' (857–859)

Consorts and children

*Consort ( Nyōgo) (Tai-Kotaigō): Fujiwara no Akirakeiko (藤原明子; 829–899), also known as Somedono-no-Kisaki,

’s daughter.Ponsonby-Fane, pp. 319–320. **Fourth Son: Imperial Prince Korehito (惟仁親王) later

Emperor Seiwa was the 56th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 清和天皇 (56)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Seiwa's reign spanned the years from 858 through 876.He was also the predecessor of Takeda ryu. T ...

**Third Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Gishi'' (儀子内親王; d. 879), 6th Saiin in Kamo Shrine 859–876 *Consort ( Nyōgo): Fujiwara no ''Koshi''/Furuko (藤原古子),

's daughter *Consort ( Nyōgo): Fujiwara no Takakiko (藤原多賀幾子; d. 858), Fujiwara no Yoshimi's daughter *Consort ( Nyōgo): Princess Azumako (東子女王; d. 865) *Consort ( Nyōgo): Fujiwara no ''Nenshi''/Toshiko (藤原年子) *Consort ( Nyōgo): Fujiwara no Koreko (藤原是子) *Consort ( Nyōgo): Tachibana no Fusako (橘房子), Tachibana no Ujikimi's daughter *Consort ( Nyōgo): Tachibana no ''Chushi'' (橘忠子), Tachibana no Ujikimi's daughter *Consort ( Koui): Ki no Shizuko (紀静子; d. 866), Ki no Natora's daughter **First Son: Imperial Prince Koretaka (惟喬親王; 844–897) **Second son: Imperial Prince Koreeda (惟条親王; 848–868) **Imperial Princess ''Tenshi'' (恬子内親王; d. 913), 20th Saiō in

Ise Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Officially known simply as , Ise Jingū is a shrine complex composed of many Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and . The Inner ...

859–876 **Fifth daughter: Imperial Princess ''Jutsushi'' (述子内親王; d. 897), 5th Saiin in Kamo Shrine 857–858 **Imperial Princess ''Chinshi'' (珍子内親王; d. 877) *Court lady: Shigeno no Okuko (滋野奥子), Shigeno no Sadanushi's daughter **Third Son: Imperial Prince Korehiko (惟彦親王; 850–883) **Imperial Princess ''Nōshi'' (濃子内親王; d. 903) **Imperial Princess ''Shōshi'' (勝子内親王; d. 871) *Court lady: Fujiwara no ''Konshi''/Imako (藤原今子), Fujiwara no Sadamori's daughter **Imperial Prince Koretsune (惟恒親王; d. 904) **Imperial Princess ''Reishi'' (礼子内親王; d. 899) **Seventh Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Keishi'' (掲子内親王; d. 914), 22nd Saiō in

882–884 *Court lady: Fujiwara no ''Retsushi'' (藤原列子), Fujiwara no Koreo's daughter **First Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Anshi'' (晏子内親王; d. 900), 19th Saiō in

850–858 **Eighth Daughter: Imperial Princess Akirakeiko (慧子内親王; d. 881), 4th Saiin in Kamo Shrine 850–857 *Court lady: Shigeno no Mineko (滋野岑子), Shigeno no Sadao's daughter **Minamoto no Motoari (源本有) **Minamoto no Noriari (源載有) **Minamoto no Fuchiko/Shigeko (源淵子/滋子; d. 911) *Court lady: Tomo clan's daughter **Minamoto no Yoshiari (源能有; 845–897), ''Udaijin'' 896–897 *Court lady: Fuse clan's daughter **Minamoto no Yukiari (源行有; 854–887) *Court lady: Tajihi clan's daughter **Minamoto no ''Tsuneari'' (源毎有) *Court lady: Kiyohara clan's daughter **Minamoto no Tokiari (源時有) *Court lady: Sugawara clan's daughter **Minamoto no Sadaari (源定有) **Minamoto no Tomiko (源富子) *(from unknown women) **Minamoto no Tomiari (源富有, d.887) **Minamoto no ''Hyōshi'' (源憑子) **Minamoto no ''Kenshi'' (源謙子) **Minamoto no Okuko (源奥子) **Minamoto no ''Retsushi'' (源列子) **Minamoto no ''Seishi'' (源済子), married to

**Minamoto no ''Shuko'' (源修子)

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979)
''Gukanshō: The Future and the Past''.
Berkeley: University of California Press. ; * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan''.
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. * 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. * Varley, H. Paul. (1980)
''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns''.
New York: Columbia University Press. ; {{DEFAULTSORT:Montoku Japanese emperors 827 births 858 deaths 9th-century rulers in Asia 9th-century Japanese monarchs People from Kyoto