, posthumously honored as , was the 118th

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 An order, line or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated, such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...

(''Kunaichō'')
後桃園天皇 (118)
/ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 120. He was named after his father Emperor Momozono. The wording of in the name translates as "later", so he has also been referred to as "Later Emperor Momozono", "Momozono, the second", or "Momozono II". Go-Momozono became Emperor in 1771, during 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 ...

, and died eight years into his reign in 1779. Events during his reign were confined to a series of natural calamities that occurred in 1772, aside from that the political situation with the Shōgun was quiet. Things came to a head towards the end of Go-Momozono's life in the form of a succession issue as the Emperor had no eligible successor. As a result, he hastily adopted a son on his deathbed who later became the next Emperor.

Genealogy

He was the son of Emperor Momozono with a lady-in-waiting. Before becoming emperor, he was known as Imperial Prince Hidehito (英仁親王). Consort and issue(s): *Empress ('' Nyogo''): Konoe Koreko (近衛維子, 26 January 1760 – 6 November 1783), later Seikamō-in (盛化門院), daughter of Konoe Uchisaki (近衛内前) **First Daughter: Imperial Princess Yoshiko (欣子内親王, 11 March 1779 – 11 August 1846), married to Emperor Kōkaku *Adopted children: **Adopted Son: Imperial Prince Kanehito(兼仁親王, 23 September 1771 – 11 December 1840), later Emperor Kōkaku

Events of Go-Momozono's life

Early life

Before Go-Momozono's accession 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 (''

imina in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name. Japanese names are usually written in kanji, where the pronunciation follows a special set of rules. Because parents when naming children, and foreigners when adoptin ...

'') was Titsingh, p. 419. or Hanahito. Prince Hidehito was born on August 5, 1758, and was the firstborn son of Emperor Momozono.Meyer, Eva-Maria. (1999)
''Japans Kaiserhof in der Edo-Zeit,'' p. 186.
/ref> After his father died in 1762, the title of Emperor went to his aunt who became known as Empress Go-Sakuramachi. Hidehito was deemed too young to become Emperor at the time but was named Crown Prince and heir 5 years later. Empress Go-Sakuramachi abdicated in favor of her nephew on January 9, 1771, and Prince Hidehito became Emperor immediately.

As Emperor

Little more than a year had passed into Go-Momozono's reign before Japan was hit with "The Great ''Meiwa'' Fire". On February 29, 1772, unofficial reports described a swath of ashes and cinders nearly five miles wide and long—destroying 178 temples and shrines, 127 daimyō residences, 878 non-official residences, 8705 houses of

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the Shōgun, shogunates in History of Japan, Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred ...

, and 628 blocks of merchant dwellings, with estimates of over 6,000 casualties. All this devastation subsequently engendered the costs of reconstruction.Hall, John. (1955). ''Tanuma Okitsugu,'' p. 120. The year 1772 as a whole was later called "year of trouble" because it was marked by an extraordinary succession of natural calamities. A contemporary pun was made linking the words ''"Meiwa"'' + ''"ku"'' (meaning "''Meiwa'' 9", that is, the year 1772 according to the era calendar) and the sound-alike word ''"meiwaku"'' (meaning "misfortune" or "annoyance"). In addition to the fire, a tempest struck the Kantō region, causing floods and ruining crops. Another storm brought flooding and high winds to the Kantō region, destroying an estimated 4000 houses in Edo alone. The era name (''nengō'') was changed at the end of the year to ''Anei'' (meaning "eternal tranquillity"); but this symbolic act proved to be futile. Epidemic diseases spread across the country in 1775 which resulted in 190,000 estimated deaths in Edo.Hall, p. 121.

Succession issue and death

Go-Momozono's Imperial Family lived with him in the Dairi of the

Heian Palace The was the original imperial palace of (present-day Kyoto), then the capital of Japan. Both the palace and the city were constructed in the late 700s and were patterned on Ancient Chinese urban planning, Chinese models and designs. The palace ...

, he never officially married and only had children with a court lady named Konoe Koreko (近衛維子). This family included at least 2 sons who died in infancy, and one 10-month-old daughter at the time of the Emperor's early death. Emperor Go-Momozono became ill in 1779, but his daughter was not eligible to become empress due to her age. When it became clear that the Emperor would not survive, his aunt former Empress Go-Sakuramachi had him adopt a son on his deathbed. The adopted son was from the Kan'in branch of the Imperial family, and would become the next Emperor. Go-Momozono died on December 16, 1779, at the age of 21 and his adopted son ''Prince Morohito'' became Emperor Kōkaku in the following year. Go-Momozono's only daughter Princess Yoshiko would later become Kōkaku's chief wife (''chūgū''). Go-Momozono's ''

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

'' is enshrined in the Imperial mausoleum, '' Tsuki no wa no misasagi,'' at Sennyū-ji in

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto is one of the eleven Wards of Kyoto, wards in the Municipalities of Japan, city of Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. History It was created in 1929 when it was split off from Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Shimogyō-ku. During the years ...

. Also enshrined in this location are this Emperor's immediate Imperial predecessors since

Emperor Go-Mizunoo , posthumously honored as , was the 108th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Go-Mizunoo's reign spanned the years from 1611 through 1629, and he was the first emperor to reign entirely d ...

– Meishō, Go-Kōmyō, Go-Sai, Reigen, Higashiyama, Nakamikado, Sakuramachi, Momozono and Go-Sakuramachi. The shrine complex also encompasses the misasagi of three of Go-Momozono's immediate successors – Kōkaku, Ninkō, and Kōmei.Ponsonby-Fane, p. 423.

Eras and Kugyō

The years of Go-Momozono'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 ...

'': While 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 Go-Momozono'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: ''

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 ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Naidaijin The , literally meaning "Inner Minister", was an ancient office in the Japanese Imperial Court. Its role, rank and authority varied throughout the pre- Meiji period of Japanese history, but in general remained as a significant post under the Ta ...

'', and ''

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 ...

''. The following eras occurred during Go-Momozono's reign: * ''

Meiwa was a after '' Hōreki'' and before ''An'ei.'' This period spanned the years from June 1764 through November 1772. The reigning empress and emperor were and . Change of era * 1764 : The era name became ''Meiwa'' (meaning "Bright Harmony") be ...

'' (1764–1772) * ''

An'ei was a after '' Meiwa'' and before ''Tenmei.'' This period spanned the years November 1772 through March 1781. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1772 : The era name was changed to ''An'ei'' (meaning "peaceful eternity") to mark ...

'' (1772–1781)

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Hall, John Whitney. (1955)
''Tanuma Okitsugu, 1719–1788: Forerunner of Modern Japan.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

.
OCLC 445621
* Meyer, Eva-Maria. (1999)
''Japans Kaiserhof in der Edo-Zeit: unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Jahre 1846 bis 1867.''
Münster: LIT Verlag.
OCLC 42041594
* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan.'' Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Screech, Timon. (2006)
''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822.''
London:

RoutledgeCurzon Routledge ( ) is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, a ...

.
OCLC 65177072
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

Nihon Ōdai Ichiran , ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings. According to the 1871 edition of the ''American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ...

''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
{{DEFAULTSORT:Go-Momozono, Emperor Emperors of Japan Go-Momozono of Japan, Emperor Go-Momozono of Japan, Emperor Emperor Go-Momozono Emperor Go-Momozono 18th-century Japanese monarchs Child monarchs from Asia