was the 107th

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 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.abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the Order of succession, succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of ...

in 1611, corresponding to the transition between the

Azuchi–Momoyama period The was the final phase of the in Japanese history from 1568 to 1600. After the outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, the power of the Ashikaga Shogunate effectively collapsed, marking the start of the chaotic Sengoku period. In 1568, Oda Nob ...

and the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. This 16th-century sovereign was named after the 9th-century Emperor Yōzei, and , translates as ''later'', and thus, he could be called the "Later Emperor Yōzei". The Japanese word ''go'' has also been translated to mean ''the second one'', and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as "Yōzei, the second", or as "Yōzei II".

Genealogy

Before Go-Yōzei's 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 or . He was the eldest son of , also known as Prince Sanehito and posthumously named Yōkwōin ''daijō-tennō'', who was the eldest son of Emperor Ōgimachi. His mother was a lady-in-waiting. Go-Yōzei's Imperial family lived with him in the Dairi of the

Heian Palace The was the original imperial palace of (present-day Kyoto), then the capital of Japan. Both the palace and the city were constructed in the late 700s and were patterned on Ancient Chinese urban planning, Chinese models and designs. The palace ...

. The family included at least 35 children. Consort and issue(s): *Empress ( ''Nyōgo''): Fujiwara (Konoe) Sakiko (藤原近衛前子)(1575 – 11 August 1630), later Chukamonin (中和門院), daughter of Konoe Sakihisa (近衛前久) **First Daughter: Princess Shōkō (聖興女王; 1590–1594) **Second Daughter: Princess Ryūtōin (龍登院宮; 1592–1600) **Third Daughter: Imperial Princess Seishi (清子内親王; 1593–1674), married Takatsukasa Nobuhisa **Fourth Daughter: Princess Bunkō (文高女王; 1595–1644) **Third Son: Imperial Prince Kotohito (政仁親王, 29 June 1596 – 11 September 1680), later Emperor Go-Mizunoo **Fifth Daughter: Princess Son'ei (尊英女王; 1598–1611) **Fourth Son: Konoe Nobuhiro (近衛信尋, 24 June 1599 – 15 November 1649) **Seventh Son: (29 April 1603 – 14 July 1638; 高松宮好仁親王) **Ninth Son: Ichijō Akiyoshi (一条昭良, 12 June 1605 – 11 March 1672) **Sixth Daughter: Imperial Princess Teishi (貞子内親王; 1606–1675) married Nijō Yasumichi **Tenth Son: Imperial Prince Morochika (庶愛親王) later Imperial Prince Priest Sonkaku (1608–1661; 尊覚法親王) **Twelfth Daughter: Princess Son'ren (尊蓮女王; 1614–1627) *Consort ('' Hi''): Kiyohara (Furuichi) Taneko (清原古市胤子, 1583–1658), daughter of Furuichi Tanehide (古市胤栄) **Ninth Daughter: ''Princess Rei'un'in'' (冷雲院宮; 1611) **Eleventh Son: Imperial Prince Priest Dōkō (道晃法親王; 8 April 1612 – 5 August 1679) **Tenth Daughter: Princess Kūkain (空花院宮; 1613) *Consort ( ''Hi''): Daughter of Chūtō Tokohiro (中東時広, d. 1680) **Twelfth Son: Imperial Prince Priest Dōshū (道周法親王; 1613–1634) **Thirteenth Son: Imperial Prince Priest Ji'in (慈胤法親王; 1617–1699) *Lady-in-waiting ('' Naishi-no-Suke''): Fujiwara (Nakayama) Chikako (藤原中山親子; 1576–1608), daughter of Namayama Oyatsuna (中山親綱) **First Son: Imperial Prince Katahito (1588–1648; 良仁親王), later Imperial Prince Priest Kakushin **Second Son: Imperial Prince Priest Shōkai (承快法親王; 1591–1609) *Lady-in-waiting ('' Naishi-no-Suke''): Fujiwara (Hino) Teruko (藤原日野輝子, 1581–1607), daughter of Hino Terusuke (日野輝資) **Fifth Son: Imperial Prince Toshiatsu (1602–1651; 毎敦親王) later Imperial Prince Priest Sonsei (尊性法親王) *Lady-in-waiting ('' Naishi-no-Suke''): Fujiwara (Jimyōin) Motoko (藤原持明院基子; d. 1644), daughter of Jimyōin Motonori (持明院基孝) **Sixth Son: Imperial Prince Tsuneyoshi (常嘉親王), later Imperial Prince Priest Gyōnen (尭然法親王; 1602–1661) *Lady-in-waiting ( ''Naishi-no-Suke''): Minamoto (Niwata) Tomoko (源庭田具子; d. 1626), daughter of Niwata Shigetomo (庭田重具) **Eight Son: Imperial Prince Priest Ryōjun(良純法親王; 1603–1669) *Lady-in-waiting ('' Naishi-no-Suke''): Fujwara (Hamuro) Nobuko (藤原葉室宣子; d. 1679), daughter of Hamuro Yorinobu (葉室頼宣) **Eleventh Daughter: Princess Sonsei (尊清女王; 1613–1669) *Handmaid ('' Naishi-no-Jō''): Taira (Nishinotōin) Tokiko (平西洞院時子, d. 1661), daughter of Nishinotōin Tokiyoshi (西洞院時慶) **Seventh Daughter: Princess Eishū (永崇女王; 1609–1690) **Eighth Daughter: Princess Kō'un'in (高雲院宮; 1610–1612)

Events of Go-Yōzei's life

Prince Katahito became emperor when his grandfather abdicated. The succession (''senso'') was considered to have been received by the new monarch; and shortly thereafter, Emperor Go-Yōzei is said to have acceded (''sokui''). A distinct act of ''senso'' was unrecognized prior to Emperor Tenji and all sovereigns except

Jitō were medieval territory stewards in Japan, especially in the Kamakura and Muromachi shogunates. Appointed by the shōgun, ''jitō'' managed manors, including national holdings governed by the '' kokushi'' or provincial governor. There were als ...

, Yōzei, Go-Toba, and Fushimi have ''senso'' and ''sokui'' in the same year until the reign of Emperor Go-Murakami. The events during his lifetime shed some light on his reign. The years of Go-Yōzei's reign correspond with the start of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

under the leadership of

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

and Tokugawa Hidetada. On 31 December 1571, the Imperial prince who became known by the posthumous name of Go-Yōzei''-tennō'' was born. On 5 November 1586, Prince Katahito was given the title

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, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

and heir and within a month ('' Tenshō 14, on the 7th day of the 11th month''), Ogimachi gave the reins of government to his grandson, who would become Emperor Go-Yōzei. There had been no such Imperial transition since Emperor Go-Hanazono abdicated in 1464 (''Kanshō'' 5). The dearth of abdications is attributable to the disturbed state of the country and because there was neither any dwelling for an ex-emperor nor excess funds in the treasury to support him. In 1586 (''Tenshō 14, in the 12th month''), a marriage with Lady Asahi, the youngest sister of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

, and

, was arranged and the '' kampaku'', Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was nominated to be ''Daijō-daijin'' (Chancellor of the Realm). In 1588 (''Tenshō 16, 7th month''), Emperor Go-Yōzei and his father visit Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mansion in Kyoto. This was the first time that an emperor appeared in public since 1521. Hideyoshi led an army to the Kantō where he lay siege to Odawara Castle in 1588 (''Tenshō 18, 7th month''). When the fortress fell, Hōjō Ujimasa died and his brother, Hōjō Ujinao submitted to Hideyoshi's power, thus ending a period of serial internal warfare which had continued uninterrupted since the

Ōnin War The , also known as the Upheaval of Ōnin and Ōnin-Bunmei war, was a civil war that lasted from 1467 to 1477, during the Muromachi period in Japan. ''Ōnin'' refers to the Japanese era name, Japanese era during which the war started; the war ende ...

(1467–1477). The ''Keichō'' expedition to

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

was en route to invade

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

in 1592 ('' Keichō 1'').

, the ''Taikō'' died in his Fushimi Castle at the age of 63 on 18 September 1598 (''Keichō 3, on the 18th day of the 8th month''). The

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

took place in 1600. On 21 October (''Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month''), the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty which produced the Tokugawa shoguns who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868 during the Edo period. It was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of ...

and its allies decisively vanquished all opposition. Two years later (''Keichō 8''), the Kyōto Daibutsu was destroyed by fire.

became ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

'' on 24 March 1603 (''Keichō 8''), which effectively began what was later known as the Edo ''bakufu''. Toyotomi Hideyori was elevated to Naidaijin in the Imperial court. In 1605 (''Keichō 10, 15th day of the 12th month''), a new volcanic island, Hachijōko-jima, arose from the sea at the side of Hachijō Island (八丈島 Hachijō-jima) in the

Izu Islands The are a group of volcanic islands stretching south and east from the Izu Peninsula of Honshū, Japan. Administratively, they form two towns and six villages; all part of Tokyo Prefecture. The largest is Izu Ōshima, usually called simply Ōsh ...

(伊豆諸島, Izu-shotō) which stretch south and east from the

Izu Peninsula The is a mountainous peninsula with a deeply indented coastline to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the island of Honshu, Japan, the largest of the four main islands of Japan. Formerly known as Izu Province, Izu peninsu ...

. In 1606 (''Keichō 11''), construction began on

Edo Castle is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is therefore also known as . Tokugawa Ieyasu established th ...

and on Sunpu Castle the following year (''Keichō 12''). 1609 (''Keichō 14'') saw the Invasion of Ryukyu by Shimazu ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

'' of Satsuma. During the following year (''Keichō 15''), reconstruction of the Daibutsu hall in Kyōto began and Toyotomi Hideyori came to Kyoto to visit the former-Shogun

. On 20 May 1610 (''Keichō 15, the 27th day of the 3rd month''), the emperor announces his intention to resign in favor of his son Masahito. Go-Yōzei abdicated on 9 May 1611 and his son Prince Masahito received the succession (the ''senso''). Shortly thereafter, Go-Mizunoo formally ascended to the throne (the ''sokui'').

Legacy

Go-Yōzei's reign corresponds to the rule of

and the beginning of the Edo ''Bakufu''. He was the sovereign who confirmed the legitimacy of their accession to power; and this period allowed the Imperial Family to recover a small portion of its diminished powers. This Emperor gave

the rank of ''Taikō'', originally a title given to the father of the emperor's chief advisor ('' Kampaku''), or a retired ''Kampaku'', which was essential to increase his status and effectively stabilize his power. When

was given the title of '' Sei-i Taishōgun'', the future of any anticipated

was by no means assured, nor was his relationship to the emperor at all settled. He gradually began to interfere in the affairs of the Imperial Court. The right to grant ranks of court nobility and change the era became a concern of the ''bakufu''. However, the Imperial Court's poverty during the Warring States Era seemed likely to become a thing of the past, as the ''bakufu'' provided steadily for its financial needs. Go-Yōzei did abdicate in favor of his third son; but he wanted to be succeeded by his younger brother, Imperial Prince Hachijō-no-miya Toshihito (八条宮智仁親王) (first of the Hachijō-no-miya line, later called Katsura-no-miya), who built the Katsura Imperial Villa. Go-Yōzei loved literature and art. He published the ''Kobun Kokyo'' and part of ''

Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...

'' with movable type dedicated to the emperor by

. After abdication, Go-Yōzei lived for six years in the Sentō Imperial Palace; and thereafter, it became the usual place to which abdicated emperors would retire. The name of this palace and its gardens was ''Sentō-goshō''; and emperors who had abdicated were sometimes called ''Sentō-goshō''. Go-Yōzei died on 25 September 1617. 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 Go-Yōzei is enshrined with other emperors at the imperial mausoleum (''misasagi'') called ''Fukakusa no kita no misasagi'' (深草北陵) in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto.

Kugyō

''Kugyō'' (公卿) 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-Hanazono'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'' (Regent for an adult Emperor): ** Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyoshi (1585–1592) ** Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidetsugu (1592–1595) ** Kujō (Fujiwara) Kanetaka (1601–1604) ** Konoe (Fujiwara) Nobutada (1605–1606) ** Takatsukasa (Fujiwara) Nobufusa (1606–1609) ** Kujō (Fujiwara) Tadahide (1609–1612) * '' Daijō-daijin'' (Chancellor): ** Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyoshi (1586–1598) * ''

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 ...

'' (Minister of the Left): ** Konoe (Fujiwara) Nobusuke (1585–1592) ** Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidetsugu (1592–1595) ** Kujō (Fujiwara) Kanetaka (1601) ** Konoe Nobutada (formerly Nobusuke, second time, 1601–1605) ** Takatsukasa (Fujiwara) Nobufusa (1606–1609) * ''

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 ...

'' (Minister of the Right): ** Imadegawa (Fujiwara) Harusue (1585–1595, 1599–1603) ** Shōgun Tokugawa (Minamoto) Ieyasu (1603) ** Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyori (1605–1607) ** Kujō (Fujiwara) Tadahide (1607–1612) * '' Naidaijin'' (Minister of the center): ** Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyoshi (1585–1587) ** Oda (Taira) Nobukatsu (1587–1590) ** Sanjōnishi Kinkuni (one day in 1588) ** Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidetsugu (1592) ** Tokugawa (Minamoto) Ieyasu (1596–1603) ** Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hideyori (1603–1605) ** Shōgun Tokugawa (Minamoto) Hidetada (1605–1606) ** Takatsukasa (Fujiwara) Nobufusa (1606) ** Takatsukasa (Fujiwara) Nobuhisa (1611–1612)

Eras of Go-Yōzei's reign

The years of Go-Yōzei'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 ...

'': '' Tenshō'' (1573–1592), '' Bunroku'' (1592–1596), and '' Keichō'' (1596–1615).

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Go-Yozei Go-Yozei 1571 births 1617 deaths People of the Azuchi–Momoyama period People of the Edo period 1580s in Japan 1590s in Japan 1600s in Japan 1610s in Japan 16th-century Japanese monarchs 17th-century Japanese monarchs Japanese princes