was the first of the Emperors of Northern Court during the Period of the Northern and Southern Courts in Japan. His reign spanned the years from 1331 through 1333.

Genealogy

Before his ascension to the Nanboku-chō throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was Kazuhito''-shinnō'' (量仁親王). He was the third son of Emperor Go-Fushimi of the Jimyōin line. His mother was Kōgimon'in Neishi (広義門院寧子). He was adopted by his uncle,

Emperor Hanazono was the 95th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1308 through 1318. Genealogy Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was Tomihito''- ...

. His family included: *Empress: Imperial Princess Yoshiko (懽子内親王) later Senseimon-in (宣政門院), Emperor Go-Daigo’s daughter **Second daughter: (b. 1335) **Third daughter: Imperial Princess Mitsuko (b. 1337; 光子内親王) *Consort: Imperial Princess Hisako (寿子内親王) later Kianmon-in (徽安門院),

’s daughter *Lady-in-waiting: Sanjō Shūshi (三条秀子) later Yōrokumon’in (陽禄門院), Ogimachi Sanjo Kinhide's daughter **First daughter: (b. 1333) **Princess **First son: Imperial Prince Okihito (興仁親王) later Emperor Sukō **Second son: Imperial Prince Iyahito (弥仁親王) later Emperor Go-Kōgon *Naishi: Ima-no-kata, Saionji Sanehira's daughter *Naishi: Dai-no-kata, Saionji Saneakira's daughter **Fourth Son: Imperial Prince Sonchō (1344–1378; 尊朝親道親王) **Princess *Naishi: Ichijo-no-tsubone, Ogimachi Kinkage's daughter **Imperial Prince Yoshihito (died 1415; 義仁親王) *Naishi: Oinomikado Fuyuuji's daughter **daughter: (1331–1402) *Unknown **Daughter: Hanarin Songen (d. 1386; 華林恵厳)

Events of Kōgon's life

In his own lifetime, Kōgon and those around him believed that he occupied 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 ...

from 22 October 1331 until 7 July 1333. Kazuhito''-shinnō'' was named

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 to Emperor Go-Daigo of the Daikakuji line in 1326. At this time in Japanese history, by decision of the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yori ...

, the throne would alternate between the Daikakuji and Jimyōin lines every ten years. However, Go-Daigo did not comply with this negotiated agreement. In 1331, when Go-Daigo's second attempt to overthrow the

shogunate , 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 ...

became public, the Shogunate seized him, exiled him to the

Oki Islands The is an archipelago in the Sea of Japan, the islands of which are administratively part of Oki District, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. The islands have a total area of . Only four of the around 180 islands are permanently inhabited. Much of the ...

, and enthroned Kōgon on 22 October. Emperor Go-Daigo used the 17-petal chrysanthemum emblem during his exile. He escaped Oki in 1333, with the help of Nawa Nagatoshi and his family, and raised an army at Funagami Mountain in

Hōki Province was a former province in the area that is today the western half of Tottori Prefecture in the San'in region of Japan. Hōki was bordered by Inaba, Mimasaka, Izumo, Bitchū, and Bingo Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of ...

(the modern town of Kotoura in Tōhaku District,

Tottori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, least populous prefecture of Japan at 538,525 (2023) and has a geographic area of . ...

). Meanwhile,

Ashikaga Takauji also known as Minamoto no Takauji was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate."Ashikaga Takauji" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. ...

(足利尊氏), the chief general of the Hōjō family, turned against the Hōjō and fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in the hopes of being named shōgun. Takauji attacked Hōjō Nakatomi and Hōjō Tokimasu, the

Rokuhara Tandai was the post of the chiefs of the Kamakura shogunate in imperial capital Kyoto whose agency, the , kept responsibility for security in Kinai and judicial affairs on western Japan, and negotiated with the Imperial Court in Kyoto, imperial court. ...

, or chiefs of the Kamakura shogunate in Kyoto. They both fled to the east, but were captured in

Ōmi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō Circuit (subnational entity), circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, ...

. On 7 July 1333, Go-Daigo seized the throne from Emperor Kōgon and attempted to re-established Imperial control in what is referred to as the

Kenmu Restoration The was a three-year period of Imperial rule in Japanese history between the Kamakura period and the Muromachi period from 1333 to 1336. The Kenmu Restoration was an effort made by Emperor Go-Daigo to overthrow the ruling Kamakura Shogunate ...

(1333–1336). Go-Daigo's attempt failed, however, after

turned against him. In 1336, Takauji installed Kōgon's younger brother on the throne as Emperor Kōmyō. Go-Daigo fled to Yoshino, in

Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, th ...

and continued to lay proper claim to the throne, establishing what would come to be known as the

Southern Court The were a set of four emperors ( Emperor Go-Daigo and his line) whose claims to sovereignty during the Nanboku-chō period spanning from 1336 through 1392 were usurped by the Northern Court. This period ended with the Southern Court definitivel ...

. Kōmyō's court remained in Kyoto and would come to be known as the

Northern Court The , also known as the Ashikaga Pretenders or Northern Pretenders, were a set of six pretenders to the throne of Japan during the Nanboku-chō period from 1336 through 1392. Even though the present Imperial House of Japan is descended from the ...

. This marked the beginning of the Northern and Southern Courts Period of Japanese history, which lasted until 1392. In April 1352, taking advantage of a family feud in the Ashikaga clan known as the Kan'ō Disturbance, Emperor Go-Murakami of the Southern Court captured Kyōto, and carried away Emperor Kōgon, Emperor Kōmyō, Emperor Sukō, and the Crown Prince Tadahito. They finally ended up in Anau, the location of the Southern Court. Following this, Kōgon was held under

house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...

for the remainder of his life. In his final years, he converted to

Zen Buddhism Zen (; from Chinese: '' Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka ph ...

, and died on 5 August 1364.

Eras of Kōgon's reign

The years of Kōgon'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 ...

''.Titsingh, p. 286. :''Pre-Nanboku-chō'' period ** '' Genkō'' (1331–1334) ** ''

Kenmu was a Japanese era name of the Northern Court during the Era of Northern and Southern Courts after '' Shōkei'' and before '' Ryakuō.'' Although Kemmu is understood by the Southern Court as having begun at the same time, the era was construe ...

'' (1334–1336) :''Nanboku-chō'' Southern court *Eras as reckoned by legitimate Court (as determined by Meiji rescript) ** ... :''Nanboku-chō'' Northern court *Eras as reckoned by pretender Court (as determined by Meiji rescript) ** '' Shōkei'' (1332–1338)

Southern Court Rivals

* Emperor Go-Daigo

Ancestry

Notes

References

* 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.