was the 67th

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

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 n ...

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial Family, and also the keeping of the Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century AD, up until the Second World War, it ...

(''Kunaichō'')
三条天皇 (67)
/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 Iyasada''-shinnō''.Brown, p. 307; Varley, p. 195. He was also known as Sukesada''-shinnō'',Titsingh, p. 154. and as Okisada''-shinnō'' (居貞親王). Iyasada was the second son of

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. ...

. He was the half-brother of

Emperor Kazan was the 65th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 花山天皇 (65)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Kazan's reign spanned the years from 984 through 986. Biography Before his ascension to the Chry ...

, who was Reizei's first-born son. Ieyasada's mother was Fujiwara no Chōshi (藤原超子) (?-982), who was the daughter of the '' sesshō'',

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 ...

. Chōshi was posthumously elevated to the rank of empress mother (Zō-Kōtaigō, 贈皇太后).Brown, p. 307. In ancient Japan, there were four noble clans, the ''Gempeitōkitsu'' (源平藤橘). One of these clans, the

Minamoto clan was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during th ...

(源氏) are also known as Genji, and of these, the Sanjō Genji (三条源氏) are descended from the 67th emperor Sanjō.

Events of Sanjō's life

After his mother died when he was seven, his maternal grandfather

raised him at Kaneie's mansion. * August 23, 986 ('' Kanna 2, 16th day of the 7th month''): Iyasada''-shinnō'' was appointed as

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offic ...

and

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the w ...

at age 11. This followed the convention that two imperial lineages took the throne in turn, although Emperor Ichijō was in fact Iyasada's junior. He thus gained the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

''Sakasa-no moke-no kimi'' (the imperial heir in reverse). When Emperor Kanzan abandoned the world for holy orders, this grandson of Kaneie ascended to the throne as Emperor Ichijō. * July 16, 1011 (''

Kankō was a after '' Chōhō'' and before '' Chōwa.'' This period spanned the years from July 1004 through December 1012. The reigning emperors were and . Change of Era * 1004 : The era name was changed to mark an event or series of events. Th ...

8, 13th day of the 6th month''): In the 25th year of Emperor Ichijō's reign (一条天皇二十五年), the emperor abdicated; and the succession (''senso'') was received by his cousin. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Sanjō is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui'') at age 36. * August 29, 1011 (''Kankō 8, 22nd day of the 6th month''): ''Daijō-tennō'' Emperor Ichijō died at the age of 32. * August 30, 1011 (''Kankō 8, 23rd day of the 8th month''): Fujiwara Michinaga is granted the extraordinary privilege of travelling to and from the court by ox-drawn cart. * November 28, 1011 (''Kankō 8, 24th day of the 10th month''): ''Daijō-tennō'' Reizei, who was Emperor Sanjō's father, died at age 62. * 1011 (''Kankō 8''): Prince Atsunari, the second son of former-Emperor Ichijo, is proclaimed Crown Prince. Sanjō's eldest son, Prince Atsuakira, had been the officially designated heir; but pressure from Michinaga forced the young prince abandon his position. Kaneie died in the early part of Ichijō's reign. His three uncles, sons of Kaneie, made their daughters consorts of Ichijo and each aimed to seize power as the grandfather of a future emperor. These courtiers therefore sought to exclude Okisada from the Imperial succession, though each of them married their daughter to him. Later Ichijō had two sons by Fujiwara no Shōshi, the daughter of

Fujiwara no Michinaga was a Japanese statesman. The Fujiwara clan's control over Japan and its politics reached its zenith under his leadership. Early life Michinaga was born in Kyōto, the son of Kaneiye. Kaneiye had become Regent in 986, holding the position unt ...

, and Michinaga expected his grandson to ascend to the throne as soon as possible. Michinaga became the '' kampaku'' (regent) of Japan during the reign of Ichijō and expected to hold this position in Sanjō's government as well.Titsingh, p. 155. * 1012 (''

Chōwa was a after ''Kankō'' and before ''Kannin.'' This period spanned the years from December 1012 through April 1017. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1012 : The era name was changed to mark Emperor Sanjō's accession in the p ...

1''): The era name was changed to mark Emperor Sanjō's accession; and in the 8th month, he married a daughter of ''kampaku'' Michinaga. * 1013 (''Chōwa 2, 3rd month''): Sanjō sent an offering of grain to the gods of the 21 principal temples of Japan. * 1013 (''Chōwa 2, 9th month''): Sanjō visited the home of Michinaga. * 1013 (''Chōwa 2, 11th month''): Sanjō visited the Shrine of Iwashimizu Hachiman, and successive emperors would emulate his example visiting this shrine annually. * 1013 (''Chōwa 2, 12th month''): Sanjō visited the Shrines of

Kamo The name Kamo may refer to the following: Places Japan (Note: ''kamo'' ( 鴨), is the common word for ''duck'' in Japanese, but the following names do not necessarily mean ''duck'' and are not necessarily written with that character.) *Kamo, Ni ...

, and successive emperors would emulate his example visiting this shrine annually. * 1013 (''Chōwa 2, 12th month''): Fujiwara no Masanobu, an officer of the ''chūgo''’s guard, was killed by Fujiwara no Korekane; and Michinaga ordered the assassin imprisoned. * March 12, 1014 (''Chōwa 3, 9th day of the 2nd month''): The Imperial Palace is destroyed by fire. * 1014 (''Chōwa 3, 5th month''): Sanjō visited the home of Michinaga where he enjoyed himself with horse riding and archery. * 1015 (''Chōwa 4, 9th month''): The reconstruction of the palace is completed. * 1015 (''Chōwa 4, 10th month''): Michinaga's 50th birthday is celebrated. * 1015 (''Chōwa 4, 11th month''): The palace is again reduced to cinders after a devastating fire. * 1016 (''Chōwa 5, 1st month''): Sanjō grew increasingly blind; he abdicated at the age of 40, having reigned for six years in the ''

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 ...

'' ''Chōwa.'' He took the title ''Daijō-tennō.'' * March 10, 1016 (''Chōwa 5, 29th day of the 1st month''): In the 6th year of Emperor Sanjō's reign (三条天皇6年), the emperor abdicated; and the succession (‘‘senso’’) was received by his cousin. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Go-Ichijō is said to have acceded to the throne (‘‘sokui’’) at age 9. * May 21, 1017 (''Chōwa 6, 23rd day of the 4th month''): The era name was changed to ''Kannin'' to mark the beginning of Emperor Go-Ichijō's reign. * May 27, 1017 (''

Kannin was a after '' Chōwa'' and before '' Jian.'' This period spanned the years from April 1017 through February 1021. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1017 : The era name was changed to mark an event or series of events. The previous ...

1, 29th day of the 4th month''): Sanjō entered the Buddhist priesthood. * June 5, 1017 (''Kannin 1, 9th day of the 5th month''): The former-Emperor Sanjō died at age 42. He was given the posthumous name of Sanjō-in (三条院) after the palace where he spent his life after abdication. During the

Meiji Era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, the ''in'' was dropped and replaced with ''tennō'' (Emperor). The actual site of Sanjō'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 grav ...

is known. This emperor is traditionally venerated at a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of ...

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 ''Shint ...

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

designates this location as Sanjō'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 cons ...

. It is formally named ''Kitayama no misasagi''.Ponsonby-Fane, p. 421. Michinaga gifted Atsuakira a status equal to the retired emperor, with the title of Ko-ichijo-in. Although no son of Sanjō ascended to the throne, a future emperor (

Emperor Go-Sanjō was the 71st emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 陽成天皇 (71)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Sanjō's reign spanned the years from 1068 through 1073. This 11th century sovereign was named a ...

) was child of Princess Teishi, Sanjō's daughter, and thus his blood remained in the imperial bloodline.

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 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 Sanjō'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: * '' Sesshō'',

(藤原道長), 1016–1017. * ''

Sadaijin The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, 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 in ...

'', Fujiwara no Michinaga. * ''

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 Akimitsu (藤原顕光) * ''

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 Ta ...

'', Fujiwara no Kinsue (藤原公季) * ''

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 Sanjō's reign

The years of Sanjō'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 ''

''. * ''

'' (1004–1012) * ''

'' (1012–1017)

Consorts and children

*Empress ( Kōgō):

Fujiwara no Seishi Fujiwara no Seishi (藤原娍子) (972–1025) was the consort of Emperor Sanjō of Japan. Life She was the first daughter of Fujiwara no Naritoki (藤原済時). Her father was the cousin of the regent Fujiwara no Michinaga. She was arrange ...

(藤原娍子), Fujiwara no Naritoki's 1st daughter ** First Son: Imperial Prince Atsuakira (敦明親王; 994–1051),

Emperor Go-Ichijō was the 68th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 後一条天皇 (68)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Ichijō's reign spanned the years from 1016 through 1036. This 11th century sovereign was nam ...

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the w ...

; later, ''Ko-ichijō In'' (小一条院) ** Second Son: Imperial Prince Atsunori (敦儀親王; 997–1054) ** Third Son: Imperial Prince Atsuhira (敦平親王; 999–1049) ** First daughter: Imperial Princess Masako (当子内親王; 1001–1023), 37th

Saiō A , was an unmarried female member of the Japanese Imperial Family, sent to Ise to serve at Ise Grand Shrine from the late 7th century until the 14th century. The Saiō's residence, , was about 10 km north-west of the shrine. The remains of ...

Grand Shrine of Ise The , located in Ise, Mie, 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 . ...

) 1012–1016 ** Second daughter: Imperial Princess ''Shishi'' (real pronunciation is unknown) (禔子内親王; 1003–1048), married Fujiwara no Norimichi ** Fourth Son: Imperial Prince Moroakira (師明親王; 1005–1085) later Imperial Prince Priest Seishin (性信入道親王), 2nd head priest of

Ninna-ji is the head temple of the Omuro school of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. Located in western Kyoto, Japan, it was first founded in AD 888 by Emperor Uda, and was later reconstructed in the 17th century. It is part of the Historic Monuments of A ...

Temple. *Empress ( Chūgū): Fujiwara no Kenshi (藤原妍子),

‘s 2nd daughter ** Third Daughter: Imperial

Princess Teishi , also known as , was an empress consort of Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan. She was the second cousin of her husband. Life She was the third daughter of Emperor Sanjō and the mother of Emperor Go-Sanjō. In 1023, she had her coming of age ceremo ...

(禎子内親王) later Empress Dowager Yōmei-mon In (陽明門院), Empress (''kōgō'') to Emperor Go-Suzaku *Consort ( Nyōgo): Fujiwara no Yasuko (藤原綏子; 974–1004),

‘s 3rd daughter *Consort ( Nyōgo): Fujiwara no ''Genshi'' (藤原原子; ca. 980–1002),

Fujiwara no Michitaka , the first son of Kaneie, was a ''Kugyō'' (Japanese noble) of the Heian period. He served as regent ('' Sesshō'') for the Emperor Ichijō, and later as '' Kampaku''. Ichijō married Michitaka's daughter Teishi (Sadako), thus continuing the clo ...

‘s 2nd daughter

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979)
''Gukanshō: The Future and the Past.''
Berkeley: University of California Press.
OCLC 251325323
* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

Nihon Odai Ichiran 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 ...

''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
* Varley, H. Paul. (1980)
''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns.''
New York: Columbia University Press.
OCLC 59145842