was the empress consort of

Emperor Kōmei was the 121st Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')孝明天皇 (121)/ref> Kōmei's reign spanned the years from 1846 through 1867, corresponding to the final years of the ...

of Japan. She is also known under the technically incorrect name .

Early life

As the daughter of

Kujō Hisatada , son of Nijō Harutaka, was a ''kuge'' or Japanese court noble of the Edo period (1603–1868). He was adopted by his brother Suketsugu as his son. He held a regent position kampaku from 1856 to 1862, and retired in 1863, becoming a buddhist m ...

, who was a former '' kampaku,'' Kujō Asako could anticipate a life unfolding entirely within the ambit of the Imperial court; but she could not have anticipated the vast array of changes which the years would bring during her lifetime. At age 13, she was matched with Crown Prince Osahito. Upon the death of

Emperor Ninkō was the 120th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 仁孝天皇 (120)/ref> Ninkō's reign spanned the years from 1817 until his death in 1846, and saw further deteriorati ...

in 1846, Osahito, who succeeded him as Emperor Kōmei, named her ''Nyōgo,'' a consort position of high honor to which princesses of the blood were appointed after the time of

Emperor Kammu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the scop ...

Consort

Asako had two daughters, who both died in infancy; but she became the official mother of Komei's heir, Crown Prince Mutsuhito, later

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

. He developed a strong emotional attachment to her, which became especially important in the unsettled period after Emperor Kōmei died unexpectedly.Ponsonby-Fane, p. 335.

Empress dowager

Soon after the death of Emperor Kōmei, his successor Emperor Meiji conferred upon her the title of

Empress Dowager Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother) () is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese emperor in the Chinese cultural sphere. The title was also g ...

; and she was given a posthumous name to go with her new title. This was a highly unusual gesture; and she was afterward known as . This specific posthumous name was taken from the title of a poem, "Purple Wisteria over a Deep Pool," by a

T'ang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingd ...

poet; and it was deemed appropriate for a daughter of the Kujō family as part of the Fujiwara ("Wisteria Field") clan. When the Meiji Imperial court relocated from Kyoto to Tokyo, she followed, living first in the

Akasaka Palace , or the , is one of the two state guest houses of the Government of Japan. The other state guesthouse is the Kyoto State Guest House. The palace was originally built as the in 1909. Today the palace is designated by the Government of Japan a ...

and then in the

Aoyama Palace may refer to: Places * Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan ** Aoyama Gakuin University, a university located in Aoyama, Tokyo ** Aoyama-itchōme Station, a railway station in Minato, Tokyo, Japan * Aoyama, Mie, formerly a town in Naga District, but now part of ...

. The empress dowager died in 1897 at age 62 and was buried at Senyū-ji, which is in

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. History It was created in 1929 when it was split off from Shimogyō-ku. During the years 1931 to 1976 it also covered the area of present-day Yamashina-ku, which ...

. Her memory is officially honored at her husband's mausoleum in Kyoto, which is known as ''Nochi-no-tsukinowa no higashiyama no misasagi.''

Franz Eckert Franz Eckert (5 April 1852 – 6 August 1916) was a German composer and musician who composed the harmony for Japan's national anthem, "Kimigayo" and the national anthem of the Korean Empire, "Aegukga". Early life and education Eckert was a ...

composed "''Trauermarsch''" ("Deep mourning" funeral march or "''Kanashimi no kiwami''") for the funeral of Empress Dowager Eishō. Emperor Meiji and his wife could not attend the funeral, but they traveled to Kyoto to pay graveside respects in the spring after her death.Keene
p. 532.
/ref>

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Keene, Donald. (2002)
''Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852-1912.''
New York:

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...