(11 January 1322 – 26 July 1380) was the second of the Emperors of Northern Court, although he was the first to be supported by the Ashikaga Bakufu. According to pre-Meiji scholars, his reign spanned the years from 1336 through 1348.

Genealogy

His personal name was Yutahito (豊仁), second son of Emperor Go-Fushimi. His mother was Neishi (寧子), the daughter of (西園寺公衡) *Naishi: Ogimachi Sanjo Sanemi’s daughter **daughter: Jogakuin-dono (長照院; d.1422) **daughter *Naishi: Mikawa-no-kami’s daughter **son: Shuson (周尊)

Events of Kōmyō's life

In his own lifetime, Kōmyō 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 20 September 1336 to 18 November 1348. When

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. ...

rebelled against Emperor Go-Daigo's

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 ...

and entered Kyōto in 1336, Go-Daigo fled to

Enryaku-ji is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was first founded in 788 during the early Heian period (794–1185) by Saichō (767–822), also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the Tendai sect of Mahayana ...

Mount Hiei is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, Japan. The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai (Chin. Tiantai) sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei by ...

. Despite lacking the sacred treasures, Prince Yutahito was enthroned as emperor, beginning the Northern Court. On the 12th month, 21st day, Go-Daigo escaped to Yoshino, founding the Southern Court. On 18 November 1348, he abdicated in favor of the eldest son of his older brother, the former claimant to the throne Emperor Kōgon, who became Emperor Sukō. In April 1352, taking advantage of the Kan'ō Disturbance, a family feud in the Ashikaga clan, the Southern Emperor Emperor Go-Murakami entered Kyoto, capturing it and carrying away Kōmyō along with Emperor Kōgon, Emperor Sukō, and the Crown Prince Tadahito. They all ended up finally in Anau, the location of the Southern Court. In the Shōhei Reunification, Kōmyō and his companions were placed under house arrest 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 ...

, in what is today the village of Nishiyoshino, Yoshino District,

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

. In 1355, returning to Kyōto, he entered a monastery. * 26 July 1380 ('' Kōryaku 2, 24th day of the 6th month'')NengoCalc
康暦二年六月二十四日 -->: The former emperor died at age 60.

Eras of Kōmyō's reign

The years of Kōmyō'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. 294. :''Nanboku-chō'' Northern court *Eras as reckoned by pretender Court (as determined by Meiji rescript) * ''

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 ...

'' (continued) * '' Ryakuō'' * '' Kōei'' * '' Jōwa'' :''Nanboku-chō'' Southern court *Eras as reckoned by legitimate Court (as determined by Meiji rescript) * '' Engen'' * '' Kōkoku'' * '' Shōhei''

Southern Court Rivals

* Emperor Go-Daigo * Emperor Go-Murakami

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.

Genealogy

Events of Kōmyō's life

Eras of Kōmyō's reign

Southern Court Rivals

Notes

References

See also