4th Northern Emperor
Emperor Go-K?gon
後光?天皇
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 |
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| Reign
| 25 September 1352 ? 9 April 1371
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| Coronation
| 21 January 1354
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| Predecessor
| Suk?
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| Successor
| Go-En'y?
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| Born
| 23 March 1338
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| Died
| 12 March 1374
(1374-03-12)
(aged 35)
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| Burial
| Fukakusa no Kita no Misasagi (深草北陵), Kyoto
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| Spouse
| Hirohashi Nakako
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Issue
Among others...
| Emperor Go-En'y?
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|
Tsuig?
:
Emperor Go-K?gon (
後光?院
or
後光?天皇
)
|
|
| Father
| Emperor K?gon
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| Mother
| Sanj? Hideko
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| Signature
|  |
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Emperor Go-K?gon
(
後光?天皇
,
Go-K?gon-tenn?
, 23 March 1338 ? 12 March 1374)
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.
[1]
This
Nanboku-ch?
"sovereign" was named after his father
Emperor K?gon
and
go-
(後), translates literally as "later;" and thus, he may be called the "Later Emperor K?gon", or, in some older sources, may be identified as "Emperor K?gon, the second", or as "Emperor K?gon II."
Genealogy
[
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]
His personal name was Iyahito (彌仁).
He was the second son of the
Northern Pretender
Emperor K?gon
, and brother of his predecessor,
Emperor Suk?
. His mother was Hideko (秀子), Sanj? Kinhide's daughter
- Lady-in-waiting: Hirohashi (Fujiwara) Nakako (廣橋（藤原）仲子; 1336/9-1427) later Sukenmon’in (崇賢門院), Hirohashi Kanetsuna's daughter
- Second son: Imperial Prince Ohito (?仁親王) later
Emperor Go-En'y?
- Fifth son: Imperial Prince Priest Eijo (1362?1437; 永助入道親王)
- Sixth son: Imperial Prince Priest Gy?nin (堯仁法親王; 1363?1430）
- Twelfth son: Imperial Prince Priest Gy?sho (堯性法親王; 1371?1388)
- Consort: Uemon-no-Suke no Tsubone (右衛門佐局)
- First son: Imperial Prince Priest Ry?nin (1355?1370; 亮仁入道親王)
- Third son: Imperial Prince Priest Gyojo (行助法親王; 1360?1386）
- son: (1361?1369)
- Seventh son: Imperial Prince Priest Kakuz? (1363?1390; 覺?法親王)
- Consort: Saky?daibu-no-Tsubone (左京大夫局), H?in Ch?kai's daughter
- First daughter: Imperial Princess Haruko (d. 1390; 治子?親王)
- Fourth son: Imperial Prince Priest Kakuei (覺叡法親王; 1361?1377)
- Eighth son: Imperial Prince Priest D?en (道圓入道親王; 1364?1385)
- Eleventh son: Imperial Prince Priest Sh?jo (聖助法親王; b.1371)
- Consort:Shonagon-naishi (少納言?侍), Tachibana no Mochishige ‘s daughter
- Tenth son: Imperial Prince Priest My?sh? (1367?1396; 明承法親王)
- from unknown women
- Ninth son: Imperial Prince Priest Kanshu (1366?1401; 寬守法親王)
- Thirteenth son: Imperial Prince Priest Kanky? (1373?1405; 寬?入道親王)
- Second daughter: Imperial Princess Kenshi (見子內親王)
- Fourteenth son: ?
- Daughter: Princess Sh?nin (秀仁女王)
Events of Go-K?gon's life
[
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]
In his own lifetime, Go-K?gon and those around him believed that he occupied the
Chrysanthemum Throne
from 25 September 1352 to 9 April 1371.
In 1351,
Ashikaga Takauji
briefly returned to the allegiance of the Southern Dynasty, causing the Southern Court to briefly consolidate control of the Imperial Line. However, this peace fell apart in April 1352. On this occasion, the Southern Court abducted Retired (Northern) Emperors
Emperor K?gon
and
Emperor K?my?
as well as
Emperor Suk?
and the Crown Prince Tadahito from
Kyoto
to Anau, the location of the Southern Court. This produced a state of affairs in which there was no
Emperor
in Kyoto. Because of this, Imperial Prince Iyahito became emperor in 1352 with the support of
Ashikaga Yoshiakira
.
[2]
During this period, the
Era of the Northern and Southern Courts
, because of the antagonism between the two competing dynasties, public order in Kyoto was disturbed. The Southern Court repeatedly recaptured Kyoto. Emperor Go-K?gon was forced to repeatedly flee from Kyoto to
?mi Province
and other places. Around the time that
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
was named
sh?gun
(1368), the Southern Courts power weakened, and order was restored to Kyoto. Also around this time, the Emperor's authority began to show its weakness.
On 9 April 1371, he abdicated in favor of his son, who became
Emperor Go-En'y?
. He continued to rule as
Cloistered Emperor
until he died of illness on 12 March 1374. He is enshrined with other emperors at the imperial tomb called
Fukakusa no kita no misasagi
(深草北陵) in
Fushimi-ku, Kyoto
.
Eras of Go-K?gon's reign
[
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]
The years of Go-K?gon's reign are more specifically identified by more than one
era name
or
neng?
.
- Nanboku-ch?
Southern court
- Eras as reckoned by legitimate Court (as determined by Meiji rescript)
- Sh?hei
(1346?1370)
- Kentoku
(1370?1372)
- Nanboku-ch?
Northern court
- Eras as reckoned by pretender Court (as determined by Meiji rescript)
- Kann?
(1350?1352)
- Bunna
(1352?1356)
- Embun
(1356?1361)
- K?an
(1361?1362)
- J?ji
(1362?1368)
- ?an
(1368?1375)
Southern Court rivals
[
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]
See also
[
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]
Notes
[
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]
Japanese Imperial kamon
? a stylized
chrysanthemum
blossom
- ^
Titsingh, Isaac. (1834).
Annales des empereurs du japon
, pp. 302?309.
- ^
Sansom, George (1961).
A History of Japan, 1334-1615
. Stanford University Press. p. 85,88,93.
ISBN
0804705259
.
References
[
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]