was the 101st

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 ...

, according to the traditional order of succession. Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')
称光天皇 (101)
retrieved 2013-8-28. His reign spanned the years from 1412 through 1428.

Genealogy

His personal name was Mihito (initially written as 躬仁, and later written as 実仁). He was the eldest son of

Emperor Go-Komatsu was the 100th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')後小松天皇 (100) retrieved 2013-8-28. and the sixth and final Emperor of the Northern Court. He is officially cons ...

. His mother was Hinonishi Motoko (日野西資子), daughter of Hino Sukekuni (日野資国). He had no children of his own, and was succeeded by his third cousin,

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 throug ...

, great-grandson of the Northern Pretender

Emperor Sukō (May 25, 1334 – January 31, 1398) was the third of Emperors of Northern Court during the Period of the Northern and Southern Courts in Japan. According to pre- Meiji scholars, his reign spanned the years from 1348 through 1351.Titsingh, Isaa ...

. The name "''Shōkō''" (称光) was formed by taking one ''

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...

'' from the names of the 48th and 49th imperial rulers

Empress Shōtoku 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), ...

(称徳) and

Emperor Kōnin was the 49th emperor of Japan, Emperor Kōnin, Tahara no Higashi Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Kōnin's reign lasted from 770 to 781. Traditional narrative The personal name of ...

(光仁). ::::::

(称徳) ::::::::: ↓ ::::::: "''Shōkō''" (称光) ::::::::::↑ ::::::

(光仁)

Issue

*Lady-in-waiting: Fujiwara (Hino) Mitsuko (藤原（日野）光子), Hino Katsumitsu’s daughter *Naishi: Minamoto (Itsutsuji) Tomoko (源（五辻）朝子), Itsutsuji Tomonaka’s daughter **daughter: (b.1418) *Naishi: Takakura Nagafuji’s daughter *Court Lady: Iyo no Tsubone (伊予局), Jimyoin Motochika’s daughter **daughter: (b.1426) *Court Lady: Kii no Tsubone（紀伊局), Kamo Tomo’s daughter

Events of Shōkō's life

He reigned from October 5, 1412 until his death on August 30, 1428. Shōkō became emperor upon the abdication of his father, Go-Komatsu in ''Ōei'' 18, in the 10th month (October 5, 1412). His actual coronation date was two years later.Titsingh, p. 327. The "retired"

Go-Komatsu was the list of emperors of Japan, 100th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')後小松天皇 (100) retrieved 2013-8-28. and the sixth and final Northern Court, Emperor of th ...

ruled as a

Cloistered Emperor A is the term for a Japanese emperor who had abdicated and entered the Buddhist monastic community by receiving the '' Pravrajya'' rite. The term can also be shortened to . Cloistered emperors sometimes acted as ''Daijō Tennō'' (retired emperor ...

during Shōkō's reign. Shōkō was connected to

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was the third '' shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate, ruling from 1368 to 1394 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimitsu was Ashikaga Yoshiakira's third son but the oldest son to survive, his childhood name being Haruō (). Yoshimitsu ...

and the Hino clan through his mother's side. Shōkō''-tennō'' was only 12 years old when he assumed the role of formal head of the '' Daïri''; but "

''-in''" had direction of the court ndthe Shōgun

Ashikaga Yoshimochi was the fourth ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1394 to 1423 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshimochi was the son of the third ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Succession and rule In 1394, ...

was charged with the general superintendence of affairs." * October 5, 1412 (''Ōei 18, on the 18th day of the 9th month''): Emperor Shōkō was made the new sovereign upon the abdication of his father,

; and the succession (‘‘senso’’) was received.Titsingh, p. 330. Shōkō was only 12 years old when he began living in the daïri; but Go-Komatsu, as a

still retained direction of the court and the Shōgun was charged with the general superintendence of affairs. * 1413 (''Ōei 20''): Shōgun

fell ill, and so he sent an ambassador to the

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 ...

to pray for the return of his health. * January 29, 1415 (''Ōei 21, on the 19th day of the 12th month''): Enthronement of Emperor Shōkō was two years after the ''senso'' was received. At this point, Emperor Shōkō is said to have acceded to the throne (‘‘sokui’’). * 1418 (''Ōei 25''): Ashikaga Yoshimochi ordered Asama Shrine, at the base of

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...

Suruga province was an old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka Prefecture. Suruga bordered on Izu, Kai, Sagami, Shinano, and Tōtōmi provinces; and was bordered by the Pacific Ocean through Suruga Bay to the south. Its abbrevia ...

, to be re-built. * July 18, 1419 (''Ōei 26, on the 26th day of the 6th month''): Oei Invasion.

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

invaded Tsushima Province. * 1423 (''Ōei 30, 2nd month''): Shōgun Yoshimochi retired in favor of his son,

Ashikaga Yoshikatsu was the seventh '' shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1442 to 1443 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshikatsu was the son of 6th '' shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshinori with his concubine, Hino Shigeko (1411–1463). His child ...

, who was 17 years old. * March 17, 1425 (''Ōei 32, on the 27th day of the 2nd month''): Shōgun Yoshikatsu died at the age of 19 years, having administered the empire for only three years. * February 3, 1428 (''Shōchō 1, 18th day of the 1st month''): Shōgun

, having taken power again after the death of his son, died himself at the age of 43. * August 30, 1428 (''Shōchō 1, 20th day of the 7th month''): Emperor Shōkō died at the age of 27.''

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 ...

'' suggests a cause of death by explaining: ''"Ce prince, s'occupait de magie et du culte de démons, mens une vie pure, et observa rigoureusement l'abstinence et le jeùne."'' ("This prince, who occupied himself with magic and the cult of demons, led a pure life, and rigorously observed abstinence and fasting.") Shōkō had no heirs of his own; and for this reason,

selected Shōkō's third cousin for Shōkō to adopt as heir. This cousin would accede 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 ...

at age 10 as

on September 7, 1428 (''Shōchō 1, 29th day of the 7th month''):

accedes to the throne at age 10.Titsingh, p. 331–332. He is enshrined with other emperors at the imperial tomb at 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 ...

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 Shōkō'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 ...

'' * ''

Nadaijin The , literally meaning "Inner Minister", was an ancient office in the Japanese Imperial Court. Its role, rank and authority varied throughout the pre- Meiji period of Japanese history, but in general remained as a significant post under the Tai ...

'' * ''

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 Shōkō's reign

The years of Shōkō'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 ...

''. * ''

Ōei was a after ''Meitoku'' and before ''Shōchō''. This period spanned the years from July 1394 through April 1428. Reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1394 : The new era name was created because of plague. The previous era ended and a ...

'' (1394–1428) * ''

Shōchō was a after ''Ōei'' and before ''Eikyō'', from April 1428 until September 1429. Reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1428 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events. The previous era ended and a new one commenc ...

'' (1428–1429)

Notes

References

* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* ___________. (1962)
''Studies in Shinto and Shrines.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. * Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

Nihon Odai Ichiran 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 ...

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

Genealogy

Issue

Events of Shōkō's life

Kugyō

Eras of Shōkō's reign

Notes

References

See also