was the 98th

emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from 1368 through 1383. His personal name was Yutanari (寛成) and his regal name roughly translates to "Long Celebration".

Genealogy

His father was Emperor Go-Murakami and his mother may have been Kaki Mon'in. *Empress (chūgū): Saionji Kinshige's daughter ** Gyōgo (行悟; 1377–1406) *Nyōgo: Noriko (father and family unknown) ** First son: Imperial Prince Tokiyasu (世泰親王) *Unknown ** Kaimonji Kosho (海門承朝; 1374–1443) ** Sonsei (尊聖; 1376–1432), ** son: founder of Tamagawa family (玉川宮)

Biography

On March 29, 1368 ('' Shōhei 23, 11th day of the 3rd month''), following the death of Emperor Murakami II, he was enthroned in the house of the Chief Priest at the Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine in Sumiyoshi,

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, where the Southern Court had made its capital. However, because the Southern Court's influence was declining, the enthronement remained in some doubt until the Taishō period. In 1926, the enthronement was officially recognized and inserted into the Imperial Line. Emperor Chōkei insisted throughout his reign on fighting the Northern Dynasty, but it was already too late. In 1383 or 1384, he abdicated to Emperor Go-Kameyama, who supported the peace faction. After the reunification of the rival courts, he went into retirement and eventually returned to Yoshino where he died on August 27, 1394. The ''

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

'' of Emperor Chōkei is venerated at Shishō jinja in Totsugawa, Yamato province.Ponsonby-Fane, p. 128.

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 hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

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 Chōkei'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 Jap ...

'' included: * '' Sadaijin'' * '' Udaijin'' * '' Nadaijin'' * ''

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 Chōkei's reign

The years of Chōkei's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or '' nengō''. :''Nanboku-chō'' southern court *Eras as reckoned by legitimate Court (as determined by Meiji rescript) * '' Shōhei'' (1346–1370) * '' Kentoku'' (1370–1372) * '' Bunchū'' (1372–1375) * '' Tenju'' (1375–1381) * '' Kōwa'' (1381–1384) :''Nanboku-chō'' northern court *Eras as reckoned by pretender Court (as determined by Meiji rescript) * '' Ōan'' (1368–1375) * '' Eiwa'' (1375–1379) * '' Kōryaku'' (1379–1381) * '' Eitoku'' (1381–1384)

Notes

Works cited

* * 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">Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/ iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652 ''Nipon o daï itsi ran">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: Royal Asiatic Society">Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland.

Genealogy

Biography

Kugyō

Eras of Chōkei's reign

Notes

Works cited

See also