(July 10, 1418 – January 18, 1471) was the 102nd

emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the 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 position is derived from "the ...

, 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 through 1464. This 15th-century sovereign was named after the 14th-century

Emperor Hanazono was the 95th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1308 through 1318. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was Tomihito''-s ...

and ''go-'' (後) translates as "later", and thus, he could be called the "Later Emperor Hanazono", or in some older sources, may be identified as "Hanazono, the second" or as "Hanazono 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 (''imina'') was simply .Titsingh, p. 331. He was the eldest son of Imperial Prince

Fushimi-no-miya The is the oldest of the four shinnōke, branches of the Imperial Family of Japan which were eligible to succeed to the Chrysanthemum Throne in the event that the main line should die out. The Fushimi-no-miya was founded by Prince Yoshihito, t ...

Sadafusa (伏見宮貞成親王) (1372–1456). His mother was Sachiko (幸子) (1390–1448), daughter of Niwata Tsuneari (庭田経有). His father was the 3rd of the

line and 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 ...

, making Go-Hanazono the great-grandson of Sukō and 3rd cousin to his predecessor,

Emperor Shōkō was the 101st emperor of Japan, 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 w ...

. He was also the great-great-great grandson of

Emperor Go-Fushimi was the 93rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1298 to 1301. This 13th-century sovereign was named after his father, Emperor Fushimi and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as ...

. This is the second most remote relationship between an emperor and his successor after that between

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 ...

(both the sixth Northern Pretender and the 100th in the main line) and his predecessor in the official line,

Emperor Go-Kameyama (c. 1347 – May 10, 1424) was the 99th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He ruled from 1383 to October 21, 1392, becoming the last Emperor of the Southern Court. His personal name was . This 14th century sove ...

, who was his fourth cousin twice removed.

Issue

*Consort: Ōinomikado (Fujiwara) Nobuko (大炊御門（藤原）信子; 1411-1488) later Karakumon-in (嘉楽門院), Fujiwara Takanaga’s daughter **First daughter: Princess Kanshin (1434–1490; 観心女王) **First son: Imperial Prince Fusahito (成仁親王) later

Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado (July 3, 1442 – October 21, 1500) was the 103rd emperor of Japan,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 thro ...

*Lady-in-waiting: Hino (Fujiwara) Kyoko (日野（藤原）郷子), Hino Hidemitsu’s daughter **daughter: Princess Shinjoji (真乗寺宮; d.1482) *Lady-in-waiting: Sanjo (Fujiwara) Fuyuko (三条 (藤原）冬子; 1441–1489), Sanjo Sanekazu’s daughter *unknown **Daughter: Princess Shogon (d.1464)

Events of Go-Hanazono's life

Because the previous emperor,

had no son, retired

needed to secure the Jimyōin inheritance against the Daikakuji line, before

died, he adopted a son out of the Fushimi-no-miya house, who became Emperor Go-Hanazono after Shōkō's death. * 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 commen ...

1, 20th day of the 7th month''): In the 17th year of Shōkō''-tennō''s reign (称光天皇十七年), the emperor died at age 27; and the succession (''senso'') was received by his adopted son. * ''Shōchō 1'', on the 29th day of the 7th month (1428): Emperor Go-Hanazono is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui''). The new emperor is age 10. * 1429 (''

Eikyō was a after ''Shōchō'' and before '' Kakitsu''. This period spanned the years from September 1429 through February 1441. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1429 : The era name was changed to mark the beginning of the reign of Empero ...

1, 9th day of the 3rd month''): Minamoto-no Yoshinobu is honored in court; and thereafter, he is known as Shōgun

Ashikaga Yoshinori was the sixth ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate who reigned from 1429 to 1441 during the Muromachi period of Japan. Yoshinori was the son of the third ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). His childhood name was Harutor ...

. * 1433 (''Eikyō 5, 6th month''): The Emperor of China, at that time the

Xuande Emperor The Xuande Emperor (16 March 1399 31 January 1435), personal name Zhu Zhanji (朱瞻基), was the fifth Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1425 to 1435. His era name "Xuande" means "proclamation of virtue". Ruling over a relatively ...

, addressed a letter to Yoshinori in which he gave the Shōgun the title, "King of Japan." * 1441 (''

Kakitsu was a after ''Eikyō'' and before '' Bun'an''. This period spanned the years from February 1441 through February 1444. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1451 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events. The prev ...

1, 24th day of the 6th month''): Shōgun Yoshinori is murdered at age 48 by Akamatsu Mitsusuke; and shortly thereafter, his 8-year-old 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 ...

, is proclaimed as the new Shogun. * 1441 (''Kakitsu 1, 9th month''): The assassins of Yoshinori kill themselves. * 1442 (''Kakitsu 3, 21 day of the 7th month''): Shōgun Yoshikatsu died at the age of 10. He enjoyed riding horses; but he was gravely injured in a fall from a horse, and died as a result. He was shōgun for only three years. His 8-year-old brother, Yoshinari, was then named shogun. * 1443 (''Kakitsu 3, 23rd day of the 9th month'').: An armed group of rebels penetrated the palace defenses. A fire was started and one of the men sought to kill Go-Hanazono, but the emperor escaped. However, the intruders managed to steal the

Three Sacred Treasures The are the imperial regalia of Japan and consist of the sword , the mirror , and the jewel . They represent the three primary virtues: valour (the sword), wisdom (the mirror), and benevolence (the jewel).

: the mirror, the sword and the jewel. Later, a guard found the mirror and a priest found the sword, but the location of the jewel was not known until the 8th month of the starting year of the ''

Bun'an was a after ''Kakitsu'' and before '' Hotoku.'' This period spanned the years from February 1444 through July 1449. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1444 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events. The previou ...

-era'' (1444). * 1451 (''Hōtoku 3, 7th month ''): A delegation from the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yona ...

arrives for the first time in Heian-kyō (

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, 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, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

).Titsingh, ; Satow, Ernest. (1882) "Notes on Loochoo" in , citing

Arai Hakuseki was a Confucianist, scholar-bureaucrat, academic, administrator, writer and politician in Japan during the middle of the Edo period, who advised the ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ienobu. His personal name was Kinmi or Kimiyoshi (君美). Hakuseki (白 ...

* 1451 (''Hōtoku 3, 8th month ''): Shōgun Yoshinari sent a letter to the Emperor of China, at that time, the

Jingtai Emperor The Jingtai Emperor (21 September 1428 – 14 March 1457), born Zhu Qiyu, was the seventh Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1449 to 1457. The second son of the Xuande Emperor, he was selected in 1449 to succeed his elder brother Emper ...

. * 1453 (''

Kyōtoku was a after '' Hōtoku'' and before '' Kōshō.'' This period spanned the years from July 1452 through July 1455. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1452 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events. The old era e ...

2, 6th month''): The name of Shōgun Minamoto-no Yoshinari was changed to

Ashikaga Yoshimasa Ashikaga (足利) may refer to: * Ashikaga clan (足利氏 ''Ashikaga-shi''), a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Minamoto clan; and that formed the basis of the eponymous shogunate ** Ashikaga shogunate (足利幕府 ''Ashikaga bakufu''), a ...

. * 1458 (''

Chōroku was a after '' Kōshō'' and before ''Kanshō.'' This period spanned the years from September 1457 through December 1460. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1457 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events. The ol ...

2, 8th month''): The Sacred Jewel is retrieved from the former Southern Court. It is returned to Miyako to join the other Sacred Treasures. * 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 e ...

5, 7th month''): Go-Hanazono resigned his throne in favor of his son, who would be known as

. Until former-

died in 1433, Emperor 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 on August 21, 1464, when the conventional pattern of indirect government by cloistered emperors was again resumed. * January 18, 1471 (''

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 ...

3, 12th month''): Former Emperor Go-Hanazono died at age 52.Titsingh, P. 356.

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 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 position is derived from "the ...

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-Hanazono'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 J ...

included: * '' Sadaijin'' * ''

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 administ ...

'' * ''

Naidaijin 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 Go-Hanazono's reign

The years of Go-Hanozono'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 ...

''. Go-Hanazono's reign is almost unique because of its eight successive eras; and only the turbulent years of

Emperor Go-Daigo Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇 ''Go-Daigo-tennō'') (26 November 1288 – 19 September 1339) was the 96th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')後醍醐天皇 (96) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order ...

's reign included as many eras. * ''

'' (1428–1429) * ''

'' (1429–1441) * ''

'' (1441–1444) * ''

'' (1444–1449) * ''

Hōtoku was a after ''Bun'an'' and before '' Kyotoku.'' This period spanned the years from July 1449 through July 1452. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1449 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events. The previous era ...

'' (1449–1452) * ''

'' (1452–1455) * ''

Kōshō was a after '' Kyōtoku'' and before ''Chōroku.'' This period spanned the years from July 1455 through September 1457. The reigning emperor was .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834) ''Annales des empereurs du japon'', pp. 331349. Change of Era * 1455 : Th ...

'' (1455–1457) * ''

'' (1457–1460) * ''

'' (1460–1466)

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). '' Nihon Ōdai Ichiran''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691