was the 118th

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 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. Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')
後桃園天皇 (118)
/ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 120. He was named after his father Emperor Momozono. The wording of in the name translates as "later", so he has also been referred to as "Later Emperor Momozono", "Momozono, the second", or "Momozono II". Go-Momozono became Emperor in 1771, but had a short reign that lasted to his death in 1779. Events during his reign were confined to a series of natural calamities that occurred in 1772, aside from that the political situation with the Shōgun was quiet. Things came to a head towards the end of Go-Momozono's life in the form of a succession issue as the Emperor had no eligible successor. As a result, he hastily adopted a son on his deathbed who later became the next Emperor.

Genealogy

He was the son of Emperor Momozono with a lady-in-waiting.Before becoming emperor, he was known as Imperial Prince Hidehito (英仁親王). Consort and issue(s): *Empress ('' Nyogo''): Konoe Koreko (近衛維子, 26 January 1760 – 6 November 1783), later Seikamō-in (盛化門院), daughter of Konoe Uchisaki (近衛内前) **First Daughter: Imperial Princess Yoshiko (欣子内親王, 11 March 1779 – 11 August 1846), married to

Emperor Kōkaku was the 119th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')光格天皇 (119)/ref> Kōkaku reigned from 16 December 1780 until his abdication on 7 May 1817 in favor of his son, Empe ...

*Adopted children: **Adopted Son: Imperial Prince Kanehito(兼仁親王, 23 September 1771 – 11 December 1840), later

Events of Go-Momozono's life

Early life

Before Go-Momozono's accession 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 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 Titsingh, p. 419. or Hanahito. Prince Hidehito was born on August 5, 1758 and was the firstborn son of Emperor Momozono.Meyer, Eva-Maria. (1999)
''Japans Kaiserhof in der Edo-Zeit,'' p. 186.
/ref> After his father died in 1762, the title of Emperor went to his aunt who became known as

Empress Go-Sakuramachi was the 117th monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 後桜町天皇 (120)/ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 120. She was named after he ...

. Hidehito was deemed too young to become Emperor at the time but was named Crown Prince and heir 5 years later. Empress Go-Sakuramachi abdicated in favor of her nephew on January 9, 1771 and Prince Hidehito became Emperor immediately.

As Emperor

Little more than a year had passed into Go-Momozono's reign before Japan was hit with "The Great ''Meiwa'' Fire". On February 29, 1772 unofficial reports described a swath of ashes and cinders nearly five miles wide and long—destroying 178 temples and shrines, 127 daimyō residences, 878 non-official residences, 8705 houses of

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as '' gokenin.'' Howev ...

, and 628 blocks of merchant dwellings, with estimates of over 6,000 casualties. All this devastation subsequently engendered the costs of reconstruction.Hall, John. (1955). ''Tanuma Okitsugu,'' p. 120. The year 1772 as a whole was later called "year of trouble" because it was marked by an extraordinary succession of natural calamities. A contemporary pun was made linking the words ''"Meiwa"'' + ''"ku"'' (meaning "''Meiwa'' 9", that is, the year 1772 according to the era calendar) and the sound-alike word ''"meiwaku"'' (meaning "misfortune" or "annoyance"). In addition to the fire, a tempest struck the Kantō region, causing floods and ruining crops. Another storm brought flooding and high winds to the Kantō region, destroying an estimated 4000 houses in Edo alone. The era name (''nengō'') was changed at the end of the year to ''Anei'' (meaning "eternal tranquillity"); but this symbolic act proved to be futile. Epidemic diseases spread across the country in 1775 which resulted in 190,000 estimated deaths in Edo.Hall, p. 121.

Succession issue and death

Go-Momozono's Imperial Family lived with him in the Dairi of the

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 ...

, he never officially married and only had children with a court lady named Konoe Koreko (近衛維子). This family included at least 2 sons who died in infancy, and one 10-month-old daughter at the time of the Emperor's early death. Emperor Go-Momozono became ill in 1779, but his daughter was not eligible to become empress due to her age. When it became clear that the Emperor would not survive, his aunt former

had him adopt a son on his deathbed. The adopted son was from the Kan'in branch of the Imperial family, and would become the next Emperor. Go-Momozono died on December 16, 1779 at the age of 21 and his adopted son ''Prince Morohito'' became

in the following year. Go-Momozono's only daughter Princess Yoshiko would later become Kōkaku's chief wife (''chūgū''). Go-Momozono's ''

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 ...

'' is enshrined in the Imperial mausoleum, ''

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 ...

,'' at Sennyū-ji 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 ...

. Also enshrined in this location are this Emperor's immediate Imperial predecessors since

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 ...

– Meishō, Go-Kōmyō, Go-Sai, Reigen, Higashiyama, Nakamikado, Sakuramachi, Momozono and Go-Sakuramachi. The shrine complex also encompasses the misasagi of three of Go-Momozono's immediate successors – Kōkaku, Ninkō, and Kōmei.Ponsonby-Fane, p. 423.

Eras and Kugyō

The years of Go-Momozono'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 ...

'': While is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of 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-Momozono'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 ...

'', and ''

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 ...

''. The following eras occurred during Go-Momozono's reign: * ''

Meiwa was a after '' Hōreki'' and before '' An'ei.'' This period spanned the years from June 1764 through November 1772. The reigning empress and emperor were and . Change of era * 1764 : The era name became ''Meiwa'' (meaning "Bright Harmony") b ...

'' (1764–1772) * ''

An'ei was a after ''Meiwa'' and before ''Tenmei.'' This period spanned the years November 1772 through March 1781. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1772 : The era name was changed to ''An'ei'' (meaning "peaceful eternity") to mark t ...

'' (1772–1781)

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Hall, John Whitney. (1955)
''Tanuma Okitsugu, 1719–1788: Forerunner of Modern Japan.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

.
OCLC 445621
* Meyer, Eva-Maria. (1999)
''Japans Kaiserhof in der Edo-Zeit: unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Jahre 1846 bis 1867.''
Münster: LIT Verlag.
OCLC 42041594
* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan.'' Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Screech, Timon. (2006)
''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822.''
London: RoutledgeCurzon.
OCLC 65177072
* 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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Go-Momozono, Emperor Japanese emperors Go-Momozono of Japan, Emperor Go-Momozono of Japan, Emperor Emperor Go-Momozono Emperor Go-Momozono 18th-century Japanese monarchs Child rulers from Asia People from Kyoto