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 was the 93rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1298 to 1301. This 13th-century sovereign was named after his father, Emperor Fushimi and ''go-'' (後), translates literally as ...

of the

Jimyōin line 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. The present Imperial House of Japan is descended from the Northern Cou ...

. 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''-s ...

. His family included: *Empress: Imperial Princess Yoshiko (懽子内親王) later Senseimon-in (宣政門院),

Emperor Go-Daigo Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇 ''Go-Daigo-tennō'') (26 November 1288 – 19 September 1339) was the 96th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')後醍醐天皇 (96) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order ...

’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 (May 25, 1334 – January 31, 1398) was the third of Emperors of Northern Court during the Period of the Northern and Southern Courts in Japan. According to pre- Meiji scholars, his reign spanned the years from 1348 through 1351.Titsingh, Isaa ...

**Second son: Imperial Prince Iyahito (弥仁親王) later

Emperor Go-Kōgon was the 4th of the Emperors of Northern Court during the Period of the Northern and Southern Courts. According to pre-Meiji scholars, his reign spanned the years from 1352 through 1371.Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du japon'' ...

*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 October 22, 1331 until July 7, 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 is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...

and heir to

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 ...

, the throne would alternate between the

Daikakuji is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Ukyō-ku, a western ward in the city of Kyoto, Japan. The site was originally a residence of Emperor Saga (785–842 CE), and later various emperors conducted their cloistered rule from here. The ''Saga Go-ry� ...

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 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 October 22. Emperor Go-Daigo used the 17-petal chrysanthemum emblem during his exile. He escaped Oki in 1333, with the help of

Nawa Nagatoshi Nawa Nagatoshi (名和長年) (died August 7, 1336) was a Kamakura Period military figure who defended the Southern Court during the Nanboku-chō period. Nawa was appointed Governor of Hoki Province as a reward for his support of Go-Daigo during t ...

and his family, and raised an army at Funagami Mountain in

Hōki Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the western part of Tottori Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Hōki bordered on Inaba, Mimasaka, Bitchū, Bingo, and Izumo Provinces. The ancient capital was in the area that is ...

(the modern town of Kotoura in Tōhaku District,

Tottori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the least populous prefecture of Japan at 570,569 (2016) and has a geographic area of . Tottori Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture to the west, Hiro ...

). Meanwhile,

Ashikaga Takauji was the founder and first '' shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate."Ashikaga Takauji" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. His rule began in 1338, beginning the Murom ...

(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 Kyoto whose agency, the , kept responsibility for security in Kinai and judicial affairs on western Japan, and negotiated with the imperial court. Despite keeping security, the Rokuhara we ...

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

Ōmi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. Its nickname is . Under the '' Engishiki'' classification system, Ōmi was ranked as one of the 13 "great countr ...

. On July 7, 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 (January 11, 1322 – July 26, 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. Genea ...

. Go-Daigo fled to

Yoshino Yoshino may refer to: * Yoshino cherry, another name for ''Prunus × yedoensis'', a flowering cherry tree * Japanese cruiser Yoshino, Japanese cruiser ''Yoshino'', a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy Places * Yoshino, Nara, a town ...

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

Northern Dynasty The Northern dynasties (北朝 běi cháo) describe a succession of Chinese empires that coexisted alongside a series of Southern dynasties. The era is generally described as the Northern and Southern dynasties, lasting from 420–589 AD after 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 (1328 – March 29, 1368) was the 97th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, and a member of the Southern Court during the Nanboku-chō period of rival courts. He reigned from September 18, 1339, until March 29, 13 ...

of the Southern Court captured Kyōto, and carried away Emperor Kōgon, Emperor Kōmyō,

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

Zen Buddhism Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), an ...

, and died on August 5, 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 ''regnum'' 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 ...

or ''

nengō The , also known as , 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 ""), followed by the literal ...

''.Titsingh, p. 286. :''Pre-Naboku-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 construed t ...

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

Southern Court Rivals

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.html" ;"title="Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/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: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland.