empress regnant
A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns ''suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning ...
Jitō
were medieval territory stewards in Japan, especially in the Kamakura and Muromachi shogunates. Appointed by the ''shōgun'', ''jitō'' managed manors including national holdings governed by the provincial governor ( kokushi). There were also ...
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 ...
, her personal name (her ''
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 ; and her pre-accession title was . She was the second daughter of
Emperor Go-Mizunoo
was the 108th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Mizunoo's reign spanned the years from 1611 through 1629, and was the first emperor to reign entirely during the Edo period.
This 17th-century sovereign was n ...
. Her mother was
Tokugawa Masako
, also known as Kazu-ko, was the
Empress consort of Japan as wife of Emperor Go-Mizunoo. She was a prominent and influential figure the Imperial-shogunate ties and relations, because of her collaboration with her parents Oeyo and Tokugawa Hidetad ...
shōgun
, officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamak ...
'',
Tokugawa Hidetada
was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Early life (1579–1593)
Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...
and his wife
Oeyo
, , or : 1573 – September 15, 1626) was a prominently-placed female figure in the Azuchi–Momoyama period and early Edo period. She was daughter of Oichi and the sister of Yodo-dono and Ohatsu. When she rose to higher political status during ...
.''"Atsuhime" - Autorin für NHKs 2011er Taiga-Drama gewählt'' , j-dorama.de; accessed 13 July 2015. Hidetada was the son of
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...
Heian Palace
The was the original imperial palace of (present-day Kyoto), the capital of Japan, from 794 to 1227. The palace, which served as the imperial residence and the administrative centre for most of the Heian period (from 794 to 1185), was located ...
, as opposed to the section reserved for the women of the Imperial Court. She had no children of her own, and was succeeded by her younger paternal half-brother, Go-Kōmyō. Her name was derived by combining the names of two previous empresses,
Empress Genmei
, also known as Empress Genmyō, was the 43rd monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 元明天皇 (43) retrieved August 22, 2013. according to the traditional order of succession. Genmei's reign spanned the years 707 throu ...
(707–715) and her daughter
Empress Genshō
was the 44th monarch of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 元正天皇 (44)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Her reign spanned the years 715 through 724.
Genshō was the fifth of eight women to take on the ...
(715–724).
Events of Meishō's life
Okiko''-naishinnō'' became empress following the abdication of her father. The succession (''senso'') was considered to have been received by the new monarch; and shortly thereafter, Empress Meishō is said to have acceded (''sokui''). The events during her lifetime shed some light on her reign. The years of Meishō's reign correspond with the development and growth of the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
under the leadership of
Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川 家光, August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651) was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who a ...
.
* January 9, 1624: The birth of an Imperial princess who will become known by the posthumous name of Empress Meishō.Meyer, Eva-Maria. (1999) ''Japans Kaiserhof in der Edo-Zeit'' p. 186 books.google.com; accessed July 13, 2015.
* 1627 (''
Kan'ei
was a after ''Genna'' and before ''Shōhō.'' This period spanned the years from February 1624 through December 1644. The reigning emperors and empress were , and .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834) ''Annales des empereurs du japon'', p. 411./ref>
Chang ...
6''): The : Emperor Go-Mizunoo was accused of having bestowed honorific purple garments to more than ten priests despite the ''shogun''s edict which banned them for two years (probably in order to break the bond between the Emperor and religious circles). The shogunate intervened and invalidated the bestowal of the garments.
* December 22, 1629 (''Kan'ei 6, 8th day of the 11th month''): The emperor renounced the throne in favor of his daughter.Titsingh p. 411 /ref> The reign of the new empress was understood to have begun. She was aged 5; and she would grow to become the first woman to occupy the throne since
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), ...
, the 48th sovereign who died in 770.
* 1632 (''Kan'ei 9, 24th day of the 1st month''): Former ''shōgun''
Tokugawa Hidetada
was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Early life (1579–1593)
Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...
died.
* 1633 (''Kan'ei 10, 20th day of the 1st month''): Earthquake in Odawara in
Sagami Province
was a province of Japan located in what is today the central and western Kanagawa Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kanagawa''" at . Sagami Province bordered the provinces of Izu, Musashi, and Suruga. It had access to the Pac ...
.
* 1634 (''Kanei 11''): Shogun
Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川 家光, August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651) was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who a ...
visited Miyako; and it is believed that Meishō's father actually ruled in her name until she abdicated in favor of her younger half-brother.
* 1635 (''Kanei 12''): An ambassador from King Injo of
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 ...
is received in Miyako.
* 1637 (''Kanei 14''): A major rebellion occurs in the
Arima
Arima, officially The Royal Chartered Borough of Arima is the easternmost and second largest in area of the three boroughs of Trinidad and Tobago. It is geographically adjacent to Sangre Grande and Arouca at the south central foothills of th ...
and Shimabara with many Christians involved; shogunal forces are sent to quell the disturbance.
* 1638 (''Kanei 15''): The Arima and Shimabara revolt is crushed; and 37,000 of the rebels are killed. The Christian religion is banned in Japan under pain of death.
* 1640 (''Kanei 17''): A Spanish ship from
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
brought a delegation of 61 people to
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...
. They arrived on July 6, 1640; and on August 9, all of them were decapitated and their heads were stuck on poles.
* 1641 (''Kanei 18''): Meishō's half brother, Prince Tsuguhito, was named Crown Prince.
* 1643 (''Kanei 20''): An ambassador from the King of Korea arrived in Japan.
* November 14, 1643 (''Kanei 20', 29th day of the 9th month''): In the , the empress abdicated; and the succession (''senso'') was received by her brother.Titsingh p. 412 Varley, p. 44.
* 1643 (''Kanei 20, 23rd day of the 4th month''):
Emperor Go-Kōmyō
was the 110th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 後光明天皇 (110)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
Go-Kōmyō's reign spanned the years from 1643 through 1654.
This 17th-century sovereign was n ...
is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui'').
Empress Meishō reigned for fifteen years. Although there were seven other reigning empresses, their successors were most often selected from amongst the males of the paternal Imperial bloodline, which is why some conservative scholars argue that the women's reigns were temporary and that male-only succession tradition must be maintained in the 21st century."Life in the Cloudy Imperial Fishbowl" JapanTimes.co.uk, March 27, 2007. Empress Gemmei, who was followed on the throne by her daughter, Empress Gensho, remains the sole exception to this conventional argument.
* December 4, 1696: The former empress died at age 72.
The ''
kami
are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...
'' of this empress is venerated in the imperial mausoleum at ''
Tsuki no wa no misasagi is the name of a mausoleum in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto used by successive generations of the Japanese Imperial Family. The tomb is situated in Sennyū-ji, a Buddhist temple founded in the early Heian period, which was the hereditary temple or of th ...
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 ...
. Also enshrined is her father,
Emperor Go-Mizunoo
was the 108th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Mizunoo's reign spanned the years from 1611 through 1629, and was the first emperor to reign entirely during the Edo period.
This 17th-century sovereign was n ...
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 Meishō's reign, this apex of the '' Daijō-kan included:
* '' Sesshō'', Ichijō Akiyoshi, 1629–1635
* ''Sesshō'',
Nijō Yasumichi , son of Kujō Yukiie and Toyotomi Sadako. He was also adopted son of Nijō Akizane, was a Japanese ''kugyō'' (court noble) of the early Edo period. He held a regent position sesshō from 1635 to 1647. He married a daughter of Emperor Go-Yōzei, a ...
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 ...
''
Era of Meishō's reign
The years of Meishō's reign are encompassed within 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 ...
''.
* ''
Kan'ei
was a after ''Genna'' and before ''Shōhō.'' This period spanned the years from February 1624 through December 1644. The reigning emperors and empress were , and .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834) ''Annales des empereurs du japon'', p. 411./ref>
Chang ...