was the 71st

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 ...

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'')
陽成天皇 (71)
/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. Go-Sanjō's reign spanned the years from 1068 through 1073. This 11th century sovereign was named after his grandfather Emperor Sanjō and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as "later;" and thus, he is sometimes called the "Later Emperor Sanjō", or, in some older sources, may be identified as "Sanjō, the second" or as "Sanjō II." It was during, and due to, Go-Sanjo's reign that the Fujiwara grip on power was broken; following Go-Sanjo's rule, their power continued to wane until 1150, when any semblance of their power disappeared.

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 (諱, ''

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 Takahito''- shinnō'' (尊仁親王, たかひとしんのう).Titsingh, p. 166; Brown, p. 314; Varley, p. 198. Takahito''-shinnō'' was the second son of Emperor Go-Suzaku. His mother was Empress (''kōgō'') Sadako (禎子内親王), the third daughter of Emperor Sanjō, making him the first Emperor in 170 years (since

Emperor Uda was the 59th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 宇多天皇 (59)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Uda's reign spanned the years from 887 through 897. Traditional narrative Name and legacy Befor ...

) whose mother was not of Fujiwara descent paternally. His father and mother were grandchildren of Fujiwara no Michinaga maternally. The Empress mother of the future Emperor Go-Sanjō was also known as Teishi, and a Yōmei-mon In (1012–94).Brown, p. 314. His lack of connection with the Fujiwara meant he owed them no special loyalty—meaning that he could afford to oppose them.

Events of Go-Sanjō's life

Because Prince Takahito was not of Fujiwara descent, the '' Kampaku'', Fujiwara no Yorimichi neglected him, but Emperor Go-Suzaku decreed that upon his elder brother Chikahito's enthronement (as

Emperor Go-Reizei was the 70th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 後冷泉天皇 (70)/ref> according to the traditional List of emperors of Japan, order of succession. Go-Reizei's reign spanned the years Heian period, 1045–1068. This ...

), that Takahito would become the heir (''kōtaitei''). As

had no children of his own, upon his death, Takahito became emperor. * May 22, 1068 ('' Jiryaku 4, 19th day of the 4th month''): In the 4th year of

's reign (後冷泉天皇四年), he died at age 44; and the succession (''senso'') was received by his younger half-brother. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Go-Sanjo is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui''). Yorimichi's younger brother Norimichi became ''kampaku'', but Go-Sanjō was determined to rule personally. * 1069 (''Enkyū 1''): Go-Sanjō issued the ''Enkyū'' Shōen Regulation Decree ( Enkyū is the name of the

era An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

in which the decree was issued); and the emperor called for the establishment of a government office to certify Shōen records. * 1070 (''Enkyū 2''): Go-Sanjō ordered a preliminary system of laws and a bureaucracy for regulating silk. * 1072 (''Enkyū 4''): As the Ritsuryō system of centralized authority had largely failed by this time, Go-Sanjō became interested in strengthening the finances of the Imperial Household. * January 18, 1073 (''Enkyū 4, 8th day of the 12th month''): In the 6th year of Emperor Go-Sanjō's reign (桓武天皇六年), the emperor abdicated in favor of his son, and the succession (''senso'') was received by his son. Shortly thereafter,

Emperor Shirakawa was the 72nd emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 白河天皇 (72)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Shirakawa's reign lasted from 1073 to 1087. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum T ...

is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui''). * May 11, 1073 (''Enkyū 5, 21st day of the 4th month''): Go-Sanjō entered the Buddhist priesthood; and his new priestly name became Kongō-gyō.Brown, p. 315. * June 15, 1073 (''Enkyū 5, 7th day of the 5th month''): The former-Emperor Go-Sanjō died at the age of 40. Go-Sanjō is buried amongst the "Seven Imperial Tombs" at

Ryōan-ji Ryōan-ji (, , ''The Temple of the Dragon at Peace'') is a Zen temple located in northwest Kyoto, Japan. It belongs to the Myōshin-ji school of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism. The Ryōan-ji garden is considered one of the finest surviving ex ...

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

. The actual site of Go-Sanjō'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

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

(''misasagi'') at

. The

designates this location as Go-Sanjō'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 ''Yensō-ji no misasagi''. The mound which commemorates the Hosokawa Emperor Go-Sanjō is today named ''Shu-zan''. The emperor's burial place would have been quite humble in the period after Go-Sanjō died.Moscher, G. (1978). ''Kyoto: A Contemplative Guide,'' pp. 277–278 These tombs reached their present state as a result of the 19th century restoration of imperial sepulchers (''misasagi'') which were ordered by

Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...

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. 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-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 Jap ...

'' included: * '' Kampaku'', Fujiwara Norimichi (997–1075). * ''

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 ...

'', Fujiwara Norimichi. * ''

Sadaijin The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Sadaijin'' in the context of a cent ...

'', Fujiwara Morozone, 1042–1101. * ''

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 ...

,'' Minamoto no Morofusa * ''

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 ...

'' * ''

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 Go-Sanjō's reign

The years of Go-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 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 ...

or ''

nengō The or , 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 "", meaning "origin, basis"), followed b ...

''. * '' Jiryaku'' (1065–1069) * '' Enkyū'' (1069–1074)

Consorts

Go-Sanjō had three consorts. *Empress (''Chugū''): Imperial Princess Kaoruko (馨子内親王) later Saiin-no Kogo (西院皇后), Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1915). ''The Imperial Family of Japan,'' p. x. Emperor Go-Ichijō‘s daughter *Consort: Fujiwara Shigeko (藤原茂子; d.1062), Fujiwara Kinnari‘s daughter and Fujiwara Yoshinobu‘s adopted daughter ** First Daughter: Imperial Princess Satoko (聡子内親王; 1050-1131) ** First son: Imperial Prince Sadahito (貞仁親王) later

** Second Daughter: Imperial Princess Toshiko (俊子内親王; 1056-1132) **Third Daughter: Imperial Princess Yoshiko (佳子内親王; 1057-1130) ** Fourth Daughter: Imperial Princess Tokushi (篤子内親王; 1060–1114) married

Emperor Horikawa was the 73rd emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 堀河天皇 (73)/ref> according to the traditional List of emperors of Japan, order of succession. Horikawa's reign spanned the years from Heian period, 1087 through 1107 ...

*Consort: Minamoto Motoko (源基子; 1047-1134), Minamoto Motohira‘s daughter ** Second son: Imperial Prince Sanehito (実仁親王; 1071-1085), a descendant of the Minamoto clan - Go-Sanjō Genji. ** Third son: Imperial Prince Sukehito (輔仁親王; 1073-1119), a descendant of the Minamoto clan - Go-Sanjō Genji. *Consort: Fujiwara Akiko (藤原昭子), Fujiwara Yorimune’s daughter *Lady-in-waiting: Taira Chikako (平親子), Taira Tsunakuni’s daughter ** Son: Fujiwara Arisuke (藤原有佐; d.1131), adopted by Fujiwara no Akitsuna

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979)
''Gukanshō: The Future and the Past.''
Berkeley: University of California Press.
OCLC 251325323
* Moscher, Gouverneur. (1978). ''Kyoto: A Contemplative Guide.''
OCLC 4589403
* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (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