was the 54th

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 ...

, Emperor Ninmyō, Fukakusa Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency 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.Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

Traditional narrative

Ninmyō was the second son of

Emperor Saga was the 52nd emperor of Japan, Emperor Saga, Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Saga's reign lasted from 809 to 823. Traditional narrative Saga was the second son of ...

and the Empress Tachibana no Kachiko. 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 . After his death, he was given the title . Ninmyō had nine Empresses, Imperial consorts, and concubines (''kōi''); and the emperor had 24 Imperial sons and daughters. Brown and Ishida, p. 283. Emperor Ninmyō is traditionally venerated at his tomb; the

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 ...

designates , in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, as the location of Ninmyō'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 ...

Events of Ninmyō's life

Fujiwara no Junshi-Rijksmuseum RP-P-1991-578

Ninmyō ascended to the throne following the abdication of his uncle, Emperor Junna. * 6 January 823 (): Received the title of Crown Prince at the age of 14. * 22 March 833 (): In the 10th year of Emperor Junna's reign, the emperor abdicated; and the succession (''senso'') was received by his adopted son. Masara''-shinnō'' was the natural son of Emperor Saga, and therefore would have been Junna's nephew. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Ninmyo is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui''). Shortly after Ninmyo was enthroned, he designated an heir. He named Prince Tsunesada, a son of former Emperor Junna, as the crown prince. Brown and Ishida, pp. 284. * 835 ():

Kūkai , born posthumously called , was a Japanese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and poet who founded the Vajrayana, esoteric Shingon Buddhism, Shingon school of Buddhism. He travelled to China, where he studied Tangmi (Chinese Vajrayana Buddhism) und ...

(known posthumously as Kōbō-Daishi) died. This monk, scholar, poet, and artist had been the founder of the

Shingon is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō- ...

or "True Word" school of

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

. * 838-839 (''Jōwa 5-6''): Diplomatic mission to

Tang China The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

headed by Fujiwara no Tsunetsugu. *842: Following a coup d'état called the

Jōwa Incident The was a Japanese succession dispute that occurred in 842, during the early Heian period. Fujiwara no Yoshifusa's nephew, the future Emperor Montoku, took over the role of Crown Prince, while the former crown prince Prince Tsunesada and a numb ...

, Tsunesada the crown prince was replaced with Ninmyō's first son, Prince Michiyasu (later Emperor Montoku) whose mother was the Empress Fujiwara no Junshi, a daughter of ''

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 no Fuyutsugu. It is supposed that this was the result of political intrigue planned by Ninmyō and Fujiwara no Yoshifusa. Mason and Caiger, p. 69 The first of what would become a powerful line of Fujiwara regents, Yoshifusa had numerous family ties to the imperial court; he was Ninmyō's brother in law (by virtue of his sister who became Ninmyō's consort), the second son of ''sadaijin'' Fuyutsugu, and uncle to the new crown prince. In his lifetime, Ninmyō could not have anticipated that his third son, Prince Tokiyasu, would eventually ascend the throne in 884 as

Emperor Kōkō was the 58th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 光孝天皇 (58)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Kōkō reigned from 884 to 887. Traditional narrative Before the emperor's ascension to the Chr ...

. * 6 May 850 (''): Emperor Ninmyō died at the age of 41. He was sometimes posthumously referred to as "the Emperor of Fukakusa", because that was the name given to his tomb.

Eras of Ninmyō's reign

The years of Ninmyō's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name (''nengō''). * '' Tenchō'' (824–834) * '' Jōwa'' (834–848) * '' Kashō'' (848–851)

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 would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Ninmyō'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: * ''

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 no Otsugu (藤原緒嗣), 773–843.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Otsugu" in . * ''Sadaijin'', Minamoto no Tokiwa (源常), 812–854. * ''

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 ...

'', Kiyohara no Natsuno (清原夏野), 782–837. * ''Udaijin'', Fujiwara no Mimori (藤原三守), d. 840. * ''Udaijin'', Minamoto no Tokiwa (源常) * ''Udaijin'', Tachibana no Ujikimi (橘氏公), 783–847. * ''Udaijin'', Fujiwara no Yoshifusa (藤原良房), 804–872. * ''Udaijin'', Fujiwara no Otsugu, 825–832 * '' Naidaijin'' (not appointed) * ''

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 ...

'', Fujiwara no Otsugu, ?–825.

Consorts and children

Consort ('' Nyōgo'') later Empress Dowager (''Tai-Kōtaigō''): Fujiwara no Junshi (藤原順子; 809–871), Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu’s daughter *First Son: Imperial Prince Michiyasu (道康親王) later Emperor Montoku Consort (''Nyōgo''): Fujiwara no ''Takushi''/Sawako (藤原沢子; d.839), Fujiwara no Fusatsugu’s daughter *Second Son: Imperial Prince Muneyasu (宗康親王; 828–868) *Third Son: Imperial Prince Tokiyasu (時康親王) later

*Fourth Son: Imperial Prince Saneyasu (人康親王; 831–872) *Imperial Princess ''Shinshi'' (新子内親王; d.897) Consort (''Nyōgo''): Fujiwara no ''Teishi''/Sadako (藤原貞子; d.864), Fujiwara no Tadamori’s daughter *Eighth Son: Imperial Prince Nariyasu (成康親王; 836–853) *Imperial Princess ''Shinshi'' (親子内親王; d. 851) *Imperial Princess ''Heishi'' (平子内親王; d. 877) Court lady: Shigeno no Tsunako (滋野縄子), Shigeno no Sadanushi’s daughter *fifth Son: Imperial Prince Motoyasu (本康親王; d. 902) *Ninth Daughter: Imperial Princess Tokiko (時子内親王; d. 847), 2nd Saiin in Kamo Shrine 831–833 *Imperial Princess ''Jūshi'' (柔子内親王; d. 869) Consort (''Nyōgo''): Tachibana no Kageko (橘影子; d. 864), Tachibana no Ujikimi’s daughter Consort (''Nyōgo''): Fujiwara Musuko (藤原息子) Court Attendant (''Koui''): Ki no Taneko (紀種子; d. 869), Ki no Natora’s daughter *Seventh Prince: Imperial Prince Tsuneyasu (常康親王; d. 869) *Imperial Princess ''Shinshi''/Saneko (真子内親王; d. 870) Court Attendant (''Koui'') (deposed in 845): Mikuni-machi (三国町), daughter of Mikuni clan *Sada no Noboru (貞登), given the family name "Sada" from Emperor (Shisei Kōka, 賜姓降下) in 866 Court lady: Fujiwara no Katoko (藤原賀登子), Fujiwara no Fukutomaro's daughter *Sixth Son: Imperial Prince Kuniyasu (国康親王; d. 898) Court lady: Fujiwara no Warawako (藤原小童子), Fujiwara no Michitō's daughter *Imperial Princess Shigeko (重子内親王; d. 865) Court lady: Princess Takamune (高宗女王), Prince Okaya's daughter *Seventh/eighth Daughter: Imperial Princess Hisako (久子内親王; d. 876), 18th Saiō in

Ise Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shi ...

833–850.Saikū Historical Museum, Meiwa, Mie: wall-display information table. Court lady: daughter of Yamaguchi clan (山口氏の娘) *Minamoto no Satoru (源覚; 849–879) ''Nyoju'': Kudaraō Toyofuku's daughter *Minamoto no Masaru (源多; 831–888), ''Udaijin'' 882–888 *Minamoto no Hikaru (源光; 846–913), ''Udaijin'' 901–913 Court lady (''Nyoju''): Kudara no Yōkyō (百済永慶), Kudara no Kyōfuku's daughter *Twelfth Daughter: Imperial Princess Takaiko (高子内親王; d. 866), 3rd Saiin in Kamo Shrine 833–850 (from unknown women) *Minamoto no ''Suzushi'' (源冷; 835–890), ''Sangi'' 882–890 *Minamoto no ''Itaru'' (源効)

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Adolphson, Mikael S., Edward Kamens and Stacie Matsumoto. (2007)
''Heian Japan, centers and peripheries''.
Honolulu:

University of Hawaii Press A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. * * * * Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia''.
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

. ; * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. * Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). '' Nihon Ōdai Ichiran''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''.
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. * Varley, H. Paul. (1980)
''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns''.
New York: Columbia University Press. ;

External links

* Hokusai

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ninmyo Emperors of Japan 808 births 850 deaths 9th-century Japanese monarchs