was the 62nd

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'')
村上天皇 (62)
/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 Nariakira''-shinnō'' (成明親王). Nariakira''-shinnō'' was the 14th son of

Emperor Daigo was the 60th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 醍醐天皇 (60)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Daigo's reign spanned the years from 897 through 930. He is named after his place of burial. G ...

, and the younger brother of Emperor Suzaku by another mother. Murakami had ten Empresses and Imperial consorts and 19 Imperial sons and daughters.

Events of Murakami's reign

In 944, he was appointed crown prince and ascended the throne two years later. * 16 May 946 (''

Tengyō was a after ''Jōhei'' and before ''Tenryaku.'' This period spanned the years from May 938 through April 947. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * February 2, 938 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. ...

9, 13th day of the 4th month''): In the 16th year of the reign of Emperor Suzaku (朱雀天皇十六年), the emperor abdicated; and the succession (the ''senso'') was received by his younger brother, Nariakira-shinnō. * 31 May 946 (''Tengyō 9, 28th day of the 4th month''): Shortly thereafter, Emperor Murakami, who was 21 years old, acceded to the throne (the ''sokui''). Murakami's maternal uncle

Fujiwara no Tadahira was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Heian period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Tadahira" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915). He is also known as ''Teishin-Kō'' (貞信公) or ''Ko-ichijō Dono'' ( ...

remained as the '' Sessho''

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

until 949. After the death of Tadahira, there was no regent and although contemporaries praised Murakami as the emperor who governed the state directly, in reality the

Fujiwara clan was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

seized power and ruled Japan. The brothers

Fujiwara no Saneyori , also known as ''Onomiya-dono'', was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Heian period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Saneyori" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915). Career He was a minister during the ...

and

Fujiwara no Morosuke , also known as Kujō-dono or Bōjō-udaijin, was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the middle Heian period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Nakahira" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915). Considered a learne ...

became the ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' rulers of Japan. * 23 October 949 (''

Tenryaku was a after ''Tengyō'' and before '' Tentoku.'' This period spanned the years from April 947 through October 957. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * January 25, 947 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. T ...

3, 29th day of the 9th month''): The former-Emperor Yōzei died at the age of 82.Brown, p. 296. * 951 (''Tenryaku 5''): The emperor ordered the compilation of ''

Gosen Wakashū The , often abbreviated as ''Gosenshū'' ("Later Collection"), is an imperial anthology of Japanese waka compiled in 951 at the behest of Emperor Murakami by the Five Men of the Pear Chamber: Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu (922-991), Kiyohara no Mot ...

''; this work was undertaken by the

Five Men of the Pear Chamber {{Unreferenced, date=August 2020 The Five Men of the Pear Chamber (梨壺の五人 ''Nashitsubo no gonin'') are a group of Heian period Japanese poets and scholars who cooperated in the compilation of the Gosen Wakashū. They also compiled '' kundo ...

under his patronage. * 6 September 952 (''Tenryaku 6, 15th day of the 8th month''): The former-Emperor Suzaku died at the age of 30. * 16 October 960 (''

Tentoku was a after ''Tenryaku'' and before '' Ōwa.'' This period spanned the years from October 957 through February 961. The reigning emperors was . Change of era * February 3, 957 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of event ...

4, 23rd day of the 9th month''): The Imperial palace burned down, the first time it had been ravaged by fire since the capital was removed from

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

to Heian-kyō in 794.Brown, p. 297. Murakami was a central figure in

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...

culture. He was also a skilled

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

and

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

(Japanese harp) player. * 5 July 967 (''

Kōhō was a after '' Ōwa'' and before ''Anna.'' This period spanned the years from July 964 through August 968. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * February 16, 964 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. ...

4, 25th day of the 5th month''): The former-Emperor Murakami died at the age of 42. The actual site of Murakami'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

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 space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

(''misasagi'') at Kyoto. The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Murakami'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 ''Murakami 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 eras. In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Murakami'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: * '' Kampaku'',

(藤原忠平), 880–949. * ''

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 ...

'', Fujiwara no Tadahira (藤原忠平). * '' Sadaijin'', Ono-no Miya

(藤原実頼), 900–970. * ''

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 ...

'', Fujiwara no Saneyori (藤原実頼). * ''Udaijin'',

(藤原師輔), 908–960. * ''Udaijin'', Fujiwara no Akitada　(藤原顕忠). * ''Udaijin'', Minamoto no Taka-akira　(源高明). * ''

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 Ta ...

'' * ''

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 Murakami's reign

The years of murakami'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 ...

''.Titsingh
p. 139.
/ref> * ''

'' (938–947) * ''

'' (947–957) * ''

'' (957–961) * ''

Ōwa was a after ''Tentoku'' and before ''Kōhō.'' This period spanned the years from February 961 through July 964. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * January 20, 961 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. T ...

'' (961–964) * ''

'' (964–968)

Consorts and children

Empress (Chugu):

Fujiwara no Anshi was an Empress consort of Japan. She was the consort of Emperor Murakami of Japan. She was the daughter of Fujiwara no Morosuke (藤原師輔) Fujiwara no Anshi managed to acquire great influence over the Emperor, and has been called the most i ...

/Yasuko (藤原安子; 927–964),

‘s daughter *Prince: (946) *First Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Shōshi'' (承子内親王; 948–951) *Second son: Imperial Prince Norihira (憲平親王) later

Emperor Reizei was the 63rd emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 冷泉天皇 (63)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Reizei's reign spanned the years from 967 through 969, ending with his abdication and retirement. ...

*Fourth Son: Imperial Prince Tamehira (為平親王; 952–1010) *Seventh Daughter: Imperial Princess Sukeko (輔子内親王; 953–992), 32nd 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 ...

968–969 *Ninth Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Shishi'' (資子内親王; 955–1015) *Seventh Son: Imperial Prince Morihira (守平親王) later Emperor En'yu *Princess: (962) *Tenth Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Senshi'' (選子内親王; 964–1035), 16th Saiin in Kamo Shrine 975–1031 Consort ( Nyōgo): Princess ''Kishi'' (徽子女王; 929–985), Imperial Prince Shigeakira's daughter *Fourth Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Kishi''/Noriko (規子内親王; 949–986), 34th Saiō in

975–984 *Eighth Son: (962) Consort ( Nyōgo): Princess ''Sōshi''/Takako (荘子女王; 930–1008), Imperial Prince Yoakira's daughter *Sixth daughter: Imperial Princess ''Rakushi'' (楽子内親王; 952–998), 31st Saiō in

955–967 *Ninth Son: Imperial Prince Tomohira (具平親王; 964–1009), called ''Nochi no Chūshoō'' (後中書王) Consort ( Nyōgo): Fujiwara no ''Jutsushi''/Nobuko (藤原述子; 933–947),

‘s daughter Consort ( Nyōgo): Fujiwara no Hōshi (藤原芳子; d. 967), Fujiwara no Morotada‘s daughter *Sixth son: Imperial Prince Masahira (昌平親王; 956–961) *Tenth son: Imperial Prince Nagahira (永平親王; 965–988) Court Attendant ( Koui): Minamoto no Kazuko (源計子), Minamoto no Moroakira's daughter *Second Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Rishi'' (理子内親王; 948–960) *Fifth Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Seishi'' (盛子内親王; d. 998), married to

Fujiwara no Akimitsu was a Japanese Heian period bureaucrat, who held the post of '' Sadaijin'' (Minister of the Left). His father was Fujiwara no Kanemichi. Akimitsu is known for having been involved in a strange set of circumstances regarding his daughter, En-shi. ...

Court Attendant ( Koui): Fujiwara no Seihi (藤原正妃; d. 967), Fujiwara no Arihira's daughter *Third Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Hoshi'' (保子内親王; 949–987), married to

Fujiwara no Kaneie was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Heian period.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Kaneie" in ; Brinkley, Frank ''et al.'' (1915). He also was known as Hōkō-in Daijin and Higashi-sanjō-dono. Career Kan ...

*Third Prince: Imperial Prince Munehira (致平親王; 951–1041) *Fifth Prince: Imperial Prince Akihira (昭平親王; 954–1013) Court Attendant ( Koui): Fujiwara no Sukehime (藤原祐姫), Fujiwara no Motokata's daughter *First Son: Imperial Prince Hirohira (広平親王; 950–971) *Eighth Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Shūshi'' (緝子内親王; d. 970) Court Attendant ( Koui): Fujiwara no ''Shūshi'' (藤原脩子), Fujiwara no Asahira's daughter Court Attendant ( Koui): Fujiwara no Yūjo (藤原有序), Fujiwara no Arisuke's daughter Court Lady: Fujiwara no Tōshi/Nariko (藤原登子; d. 975),

‘s daughter; later married Imperial Prince Shigeakira

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). Jien,_c._1220.html"_;"title="Jien.html"_;"title="Jien">Jien,_c._1220">Jien.html"_;"title="Jien">Jien,_c._1220_''Gukanshō.html" ;"title="Jien">Jien,_c._1220.html" ;"title="Jien.html" ;"title="Jien">Jien, c. 1220">Jien.html" ;"title="Jien">Jien, c. 1220 ''Gukanshō">Jien">Jien,_c._1220.html" ;"title="Jien.html" ;"title="Jien">Jien, c. 1220">Jien.html" ;"title="Jien">Jien, c. 1220 ''Gukanshō (The Future and the Past, a translation and study of the Gukanshō, an interpretative history of Japan written in 1219).'' Berkeley: University of California Press. * Richard Ponsonby-Fane, Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (1834). iyun-sai_Rin-siyo/Hayashi_Gahō,_1652.html" ;"title="Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652">Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652 ''Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou
Annales des empereurs du Japon.
' Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. * Varley, H. Paul , ed. (1980). Kitabatake_Chikafusa,_1359.html" ;"title="Kitabatake_Chikafusa.html" ;"title="Kitabatake Chikafusa">Kitabatake Chikafusa, 1359">Kitabatake_Chikafusa.html" ;"title="Kitabatake Chikafusa">Kitabatake Chikafusa, 1359 ''Jinnō Shōtōki ("A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa" translated by H. Paul Varley).'' New York: Columbia University Press.