was the 64th

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...

(''Kunaichō'')
円融天皇 (64)
/ref> according to the traditional

order of succession An order, line 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.969 through 984.

Biography

Before his ascension 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. Japanese names are usually written in kanji, where the pronunciation follows a special set of rules. Because parents when naming children, and foreigners when adoptin ...

'') was Morihira''-shinnō''. Morihira''-shinnō'' was the fifth son of

Emperor Murakami The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother ( empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rul ...

by the empress consort ''Anshi'', the daughter of Fujiwara no Morosuke, therefore the brother of Emperor Reizei. In 967, Morihira''-shinnō'' was appointed as the crown prince, bypassing his elder brother by the same mother, since his brother had no support from the

Fujiwara clan The 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 ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

. En'yū had five Empresses or Imperial consorts and one Imperial son.Brown, p. 300.

Events of En'yū's life

* 27 September 969 ('' Anna 2, 13th day of the 8th month''): In the 3rd year of Emperor Reizei's reign (冷泉天皇三年), he abdicated; and the succession (''senso'') was received by a younger brother. * 5 November 969 (''Anna 2, 23rd day of the 9th month''): Emperor En'yu is said to have acceded to the throne (‘‘sokui’’). * 8 June 976 ('' Ten'en 2, 11th day of the 5th month''): The Imperial Palace burned down; and the Sacred Mirror was blackened to such an extent that it reflected no light. * 31 December 980 ('' Tengen 3, 22nd day of the 11th month''): The Imperial Palace burned down; and the Sacred Mirror was half destroyed. * 5 December 982 (''Tengen 5, 17th day of the 11th month''): The Imperial Palace burned down; and the Sacred Mirror was reduced to a lump of melted metal which was collected and presented to the emperor. In his reign there was a severe struggle between the Fujiwara clan over who would be appointed '' kampaku''. Emperor En'yū followed his mother's advice and favored Fujiwara no Kanemichi, his maternal uncle. He had only one son, later the emperor Emperor Ichijō by Senshi, a daughter of his uncle Fujiwara no Kaneie,Titisingh
p. 146.
/ref> who was another brother of his mother. He made the daughter of Kanemichi the empress consort, though she bore no children. Senshi and her father Kaneie were angry at this elevation of their rival and were absent from the court for a long time, staying at the mansion of Kaneie with the child. Imperial processions to the Hachiman and Hirano Shrines were first made during the reign of Emperor En'yū. * 24 September 984 ('' Eikan 2, 27th of the 8th month''): The emperor abdicated at age 26. * 16 September 985 ('' Kanna 1, 29th of the 8th month''): The former-Emperor En'yū took the tonsure, becoming a Buddhist priest and taking the name of Kongō Hō. * 1 March 991 ('' Shōryaku 2, 12th of the 2nd month''): En'yū, now known as Kongō Hō, died at age 32. The actual site of En'yū's

grave A grave is a location where a cadaver, dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is burial, buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of buria ...

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 such as home ...

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

(''misasagi'') at Kyoto. The

designates this location as En'yū's

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

. It is formally named ''Nochi no Mukarami 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 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. 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 En'yū'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: * '' Kampaku'', Ōno-no-miya

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 ...

(藤原実頼), 900–970.Brown, p. 299. * ''Kampaku'', Fujiwara no Yoritada (藤原頼忠), 924–989. * ''

Daijō-daijin The was the head of the during and after the Nara period and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. It was equivalent to the Chinese , or Grand Preceptor. History Emperor Tenji's favorite son, Prince Ōtomo, was the first to have been acco ...

'',

. * ''Daijō-daijin'', Fujiwara no Koretada (藤原伊尹) * ''Daijō-daijin'', Fujiwara no Kanemichi (藤原兼通) * ''Daijō-daijin'', Fujiwara no Yoritada. * '' Sesshō'', Fujiwara no Koretada, 924–972. * ''

Udaijin was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 701. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Udaijin'' in the context of a central administrat ...

'', Fujiwara no Koretada. * ''Udaijin'', Fujiwara no Kaneie (藤原兼家), 929–990. * ''Udaijin'', Fujiwara no Kanemichi, 925–977. * ''

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 Kanemichi * ''

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 ...

'', Minamoto no Kaneakira (源兼明) * ''Dainagon'', (藤原師氏) (Gon-no-Dainagon, 権大納言) * ''Dainagon'', Fujiwara no Koretada (藤原伊尹) * ''Dainagon'', Fujiwara no Yoritada (藤原頼忠) * ''Dainagon'', Tachibana no Yoshifuru (橘好古) * ''Dainagon'', Minamoto no Masanobu (源雅信) * ''Dainagon'', Fujiwara no Kaneie (藤原兼家) * ''Dainagon'', Minamoto no Nobumitsu (源延光) (Gon-no-Dainagon, 権大納言) * ''Dainagon'', Fujiwara no Tamemitsu (藤原為光) * ''Dainagon'', Fujiwara no Asateru (藤原朝光) (Gon-no-Dainagon, 権大納言) * ''Dainagon'', Minamoto no Shigenobu (源重信) * ''Dainagon'', Fujiwara no Naritoki (藤原済時) (Gon-no-Dainagon, 権大納言)

Eras of En'yū's reign

The years of En'yū'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 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 rule, a t ...

(''gengō or nengō'').Titsingh
p. 144.
/ref> * '' Anna'' (968–970) * '' Tenroku'' (970–973) * '' Ten'en'' (973–976) * '' Jōgen'' (976–978) * '' Tengen'' (978–983) * '' Eikan'' (983–985)

Consorts and children

Empress The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

(Chūgū): Fujiwara no Koshi (藤原媓子), Fujiwara no Kanemichi’s daughter

(Chūgū): Fujiwara no Junshi/Nobuko (藤原遵子), Fujiwara no Yoritada’s daughter Consort ( Nyōgo): Imperial Princess ''Sonshi'' (尊子内親王; 966–985), Emperor Reizei’s daughter Consort ( Nyōgo): Fujiwara no ''Senshi'' (藤原詮子; 962–1002), Fujiwara no Kaneie’s daughter; later, ''Nyoin'' (女院) 'Higashi-sanjō In' (東三条院) * First Son: Imperial Prince Yasuhito (懐仁親王) later Emperor Ichijō Court Attendant ( Koui): Chujo-Miyasudokoro (中将御息所), Fujiwara no Kanetada's daughter Court Attendant ( Koui): Shōshō kōui (少将更衣)

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 is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in t ...

''; 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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Enyu Emperors of Japan 958 births 991 deaths People of the Heian period 10th-century Japanese monarchs Buddhist clergy of the Heian period Japanese Buddhist monarchs Japanese emperors who abdicated Sons of Japanese emperors