was the 106th

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. He reigned from November 17, 1557, to his

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 ...

on December 17, 1586, corresponding to the transition between the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

of the Muromachi bakufu and the dawn of the new

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 ...

. His personal name was Michihito (方仁).Titsingh, I. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du Japon'', p. 383.

Genealogy

Ōgimachi was the first son of

Emperor Go-Nara was the 105th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from June 9, 1526, until his death in 1557, during the Sengoku period of the Muromachi period, Muromachi Bakufu. His personal name was Tomohito (知仁) ...

. * Lady-in-waiting ( ''Naishi-no-Suke''): Madenokōji (Fujiwara) Fusako (万里小路房子; d.1580) later Seiko-in (清光院), Madenokōji Hidefusa's daughter ** Second daughter: Princess Eikō (1540–1551; 永高女王) ** Third daughter (b.1543) **Eldest son: , also known as Prince Sanehito and posthumously named Yōkwōin ''daijō-tennō''. Masahito's eldest son was who became

Emperor Go-Yōzei was the 107th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Yōzei's reign spanned the years 1586 through to his abdication in 1611, corresponding to the transition between the Azuchi–Momoyama period and the Edo period ...

.Ponsonby-Fane, ''Imperial House'', p. 424; this Imperial Prince was enshrined in '' Tsukinowa no misasagi'' at Sennyū-ji. Go-Yōzei elevated the rank of his father, even though his father's untimely death made this impossible in life. In this manner, Go-Yōzei himself could enjoy the polite fiction of being the son of an emperor. ** Daughter (1562–67, mother speculated) * Lady-in-waiting ('' Naishi-no-Suke''): Asukai Masatsuna's daughter ** daughter: ??? (春齢女王; 1549–1569) ** daughter: Princess Eisho (永尊女王; 1563–1571) * Lady-in-waiting ('' Naishi-no-Suke''): Dai-Naishi (大典侍), Madenokōji Katafusa's daughter ** First daughter (1539–1543)

Events of Ōgimachi's life

Ōgimachi became Emperor upon the death of

. * 1560 (''

Eiroku was a after '' Kōji'' and before '' Genki.'' This period spanned the years from February 1558 through April 1570. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1558 : The era name was changed to mark the enthronement of Emperor Ōgimachi. The ...

3, 1st month''): Ōgimachi was proclaimed emperor. The ceremonies of coronation were made possible because they were paid for by

Mōri Motonari was a prominent ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in the western Chūgoku region of Japan during the Sengoku period of the 16th century. The Mōri clan claimed descent from Ōe no Hiromoto (大江広元), an adviser to Minamoto no Yoritomo. Motonari w ...

and others. * 1560 (''Eiroku 3, 5th month''):

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the Sengoku period. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as ; he was one of the three ''daimyō'' that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become Shogun. He ...

led the armies of the province of Suruga against the Owari; at the Battle of Okehazama, his forces fought against

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

, but Imagawa's army was vanquished and he was slain. Then Nobunaga took over the province of Owari.

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 ...

took over the province of Mikawa and made himself master of

Okazaki Castle is a Japanese castle located in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Okazaki Castle was home to the Honda clan, ''daimyō'' of Okazaki Domain, but the castle is better known for its association with Tokugawa Ieyasu ...

. * 1564 (''Eiroku 7''): Oda Nobunaga completed the conquest of Mino; he built a new castle at

Gifu is a Cities of Japan, city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. Durin ...

. * 1568 (''Eiroku 11, 2nd month''): Ashikaga Yoshihide became ''shōgun''.Titsingh, p. 386. * 1568 (''Eiroku 11, 9th month''): ''Shōgun'' Yoshihide died from a contagious disease. The finances of the emperor and his court were greatly strained. The authority of the Imperial Court also began to fall, but this trend reversed after

entered

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

in a show of allegiance but which also indicated that the Emperor had the Oda clan's support. Frequently using the Emperor as a mediator when fighting enemies, Nobunaga worked to unify the disparate elements to Japan. However, by around 1573, Nobunaga began demanding the Emperor's abdication, but the Emperor refused. Before political power was transferred to

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: ...

, in order to take advantage of Ōgimachi's authority, the power of the Imperial Family was increased. In this way, Hideyoshi and the Imperial Family entered into a mutually beneficial relationship. In January of the year Tenshō 14 (1586), the regent had the Golden Tea Room brought to

Kyoto Imperial Palace The is the former palace of the Emperor of Japan, located in Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Since the Meiji Restoration in 1869, the Emperors have resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, while the preservation of the Kyoto Imperial Palace was ordered ...

to host the emperor there. In 1586, Emperor Ōgimachi abdicated in favor of his grandson, Imperial Prince Katahito (周仁親王), who became the

. Ōgimachi retired to the Sentō Palace. On February 6, 1593, he died. During Ōgimachi's reign, with the assistance of

and

, the imperial family was able to halt the political, financial, and cultural decline it had been in 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 ...

, and began a time of recovery. Ōgimachi is enshrined with other emperors at the imperial tomb called ''Fukakusa no kita no misasagi'' (深草北陵) in

Fushimi-ku, Kyoto is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Famous places in Fushimi include the Fushimi Inari Shrine, with thousands of torii lining the paths up and down a mountain; Fushimi Castle, originally built by Toyoto ...

.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 423.

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 Ōgimachi'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): ** Konoe (Fujiwara) Sakihisa (1554–1568) ** Nijō (Fujiwara) Haruyoshi (1569–1578) ** Kujō (Fujiwara) Kanetaka (1579–1581) ** Ichijō (Fujiwara) Uchimoto (1581–1585) ** Nijō (Fujiwara) Akizane (1585) ** Hashiba (Fujiwara > Toyotomi) Hideyoshi (1585–1592) * '' Daijō-daijin'' (Chancellor): ** Konoe (Fujiwara) Sakihisa (1582) ** Hashiba (Fujiwara > 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) Sakihisa (1554–1557) ** Saionji (Fujiwara) Kintomo (1557–1576) ** Kujō (Fujiwara) Kanetaka (1576–1577) ** Ichijō (Fujiwara) Uchimoto (1577–1585) ** Nijō (Fujiwara) Akizane (1585) ** Konoe (Fujiwara) Nobusuke (1585–1592) * ''

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): ** Kazannoin (Fujiwara) Iesuke (1557–1574) ** Kujō (Fujiwara) Kanetaka (1574–1576) ** Ichijō (Fujiwara) Uchimoto (1576–1577) ** Oda (Taira) Nobunaga (1577–1578) ** Nijō (Fujiwara) Akizane (1579–1585) ** Imadegawa (Fujiwara) Harusue (1585–1595) * '' Naidaijin'' (Minister of the center): ** Nakanoin (Minamoto) Michitame (one day in 1565) ** Kajūji (Fujiwara) Tadatoyo (1572) ** Madenokōji (Fujiwara) Korefusa (one day in 1573) ** Ichijō (Fujiwara) Uchimoto (1575–1576) ** Oda (Taira) Nobunaga (1576–1577) ** Nijō (Fujiwara) Akizane (1577–1579) ** Sanjōnishi (Fujiwara) Saneki (1579) ** Imadegawa (Fujiwara) Harusue (1579–1580) ** Tokudaiji (Fujiwara) Kinfusa (1580) ** Imadegawa (Fujiwara) Harusue (second time, 1580) ** Konoe (Fujiwara) Nobusuke (1580–1585) ** Hashiba (Fujiwara > Toyotomi) Hideyoshi (1585–1587)

Eras of Ōgimachi's reign

The years of Ōgimachi'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 ...

''. * '' Kōji'' (1555–1558) * ''

'' (1558–1570) * '' Genki'' (1570–1573) * '' Tenshō'' (1573–1592)

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. * 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 ...

. ) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ogimachi Ogimachi 1517 births 1593 deaths People of the Sengoku period People of the Azuchi–Momoyama period 1570s in Japan 1580s in Japan 16th-century Japanese monarchs Japanese emperors who abdicated Sons of Japanese emperors