A is the term for a

Japanese emperor 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 ...

who had

abdicated Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other soci ...

and entered the Buddhist

monastic community A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

by receiving the '' Pravrajya'' rite. The term can also be shortened to . Cloistered emperors sometimes acted as ''

Daijō Tennō is a title for an Emperor of Japan who abdicates the Chrysanthemum Throne in favour of a successor. It is sometimes translated as "Emperor Emeritus". As defined in the Taihō Code, although retired, a ''Daijō Tennō'' could still exert power. ...

'' (retired emperors), therefore maintaining effective power. This title was first assumed by

Emperor Shōmu was the 45th Emperor of Japan, emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 聖武天皇 (45)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749, duri ...

and was later used by many other emperors who "took the

tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...

", signifying a decision to become a Buddhist monk.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1963). ''Vicissitudes of Shinto'', p. 27. The last cloistered emperor was Emperor Reigen (r. 1663-1687) in the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

List of retired emperors who became monks

Notes

References

* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1956)
''Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869.''
Kyoto: The Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 36644
* _____________. (1963)
''Vicissitudes of Shinto.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 36655
* Abdication {{Japan-royal-stub Ancient_Japanese_institutions

List of retired emperors who became monks

See also

Notes

References