(17 March 1231 – 10 February 1242) was the 87th

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. This reign spanned the years 1232 through 1242.

Genealogy

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 (his ''imina'') was , also known as Tosihito''-shinnō''. He was the first son of Emperor Go-Horikawa. Consort: Kujō Genshi (九条彦子; 1227–1262) later Nishinomon’in (宣仁門院), Kujō Norizane’s daughter He had no children, due to his youth at the time of his death.

Events of Shijō's life

He reigned from 26 October 1232, to 10 February 1242. * 17 November 1232 ('' Jōei 1, 4th day of the 10th month''): In the 11th year of Emperor Go-Horikawa's reign (後堀河天皇十一年), he abdicated; and the succession (''senso'') was received by his oldest son. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Shijō is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui''). Emperor Shijō died from an accident in 1242. His Imperial tomb (''misasagi'') is at Sennyū-ji in the . As the Emperor was very young, and the Retired Emperor Go-Horikawa died just two years later, most of the actual leadership was held by his maternal relatives Kujō Michiie and Saionji Kintsune.

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 Shijō'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: * '' Sesshō'', Kujō Norizane, 1231–1232 * ''Sesshō'', Kujō Norizane, 1232–1235 * ''Sesshō'', Kujō Michiie, 1235–1237 * ''Sesshō'', Konoe Kanetsune, 1237–1242 * '' Sadaijin'' * '' Udaijin'' * '' Nadaijin'' * ''

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 Shijō's reign

The years of Shijō's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name 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. 242. * '' Jōei'' (1232–1234) * '' Tenpuku'' (1233–1234) * '' Bunryaku'' (1234–1235) * '' Katei'' (1235–1238) * '' Ryakunin'' (1238–1239) * '' En'ō'' (1239–1240) * '' Ninji'' (1240–1243)

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. * Varley, H. Paul, ed. (1980). Kitabatake Chikafusa, 1359">Kitabatake_Chikafusa.html" ;"title="Kitabatake Chikafusa">Kitabatake Chikafusa, 1359 ''Jinnō Shōtōki'' (
A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki
'' New York:

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's la ...