was the 95th

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. His reign spanned the years from 1308 through 1318.

Genealogy

Before his ascension 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 (his ''imina'') was Tomihito''-shinnō'' (富仁親王). He was the fourth son of the 92nd Emperor, Fushimi. He belonged to the ''Jimyōin-tō'' branch of the Imperial Family. *Consort: Ogimachi Michiko (正親町実子) later Senkomon'in (宣光門院, 1297–1360), Ogimachi Saneakira's daughter ** First Daughter: Imperial Princess Hisako (1318–1358; 寿子内親王) later Kianmon-in (徽安門院), married Emperor Kogon ** Second Son: Imperial Prince Nobunaga (業永親王; 1327–1353) later Imperial Prince priest Genshi (源性入道親王) ** Third son: Imperial Prince Naohito (直仁親王; 1335–1398) ** Daughter: Imperial Princess Noriko (儀子内親王; d. 1348) ** Priest Shōgoin ** Daughter married to Kazan'in clan *Consort: Ichijo-no-Tsubone (d. 1325), Ogimachi Saneakira's daughter ** First Son: Imperial Prince Priest Kakuyo (1320–1382; 覚誉法親王) *Lady-in-waiting: Wamuro Yoriko (葉室頼子), Wamuro Yorito's daughter ** Fifth Daughter: Imperial Princess Noriko (祝子内親王) – Nun ** Princess

Events of Hanazono's life

Tomihito''-shinnō'' became emperor upon the death of his second cousin, the Daikakuji-tō Emperor Go-Nijō. * Tokuji 3, in the 8th month (1308): In the 8th year of Go-Nijo''-tennō'' reign (後二条天皇八年), the emperor died at the young age of 24; and the succession (''senso'') was received by his cousin. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Hanazono is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui''). * Tokuji 3, in the 10th month (1308): The nengō was changed to Enkyō to mark the accession of Emperor Hanazono. Hanazono's father, the retired- Emperor Fushimi, and Hanazono's brother, the retired- Emperor Go-Fushimi, both exerted influence as cloistered emperors during this reign. In these years, negotiations between the Kamakura Bakufu and the two imperial lines resulted in an agreement to alternate the throne between the two lines every 10 years (the Bumpō Agreement). This agreement was not long-lasting. The negotiated provisions would soon be broken by Hanazono's successor. In 1318, he abdicated to his second cousin, the Daikakuji-tō Emperor Go-Daigo, who was Nijō's brother. After his abdication, he raised his nephew, the future Northern Pretender Emperor Kōgon. Portrait of Emperor Hanazono

In 1335, he became a

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monk of the

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sect, and under his sponsorship, his palace became the temple of Myōshin-ji, now the largest network in Rinzai Buddhism. Many places and institutions in the area are named for him, including Hanazono University (the Rinzai university) and Hanazono Station. He died in 1348. Hanazono's imperial tomb is known as ''Jurakuin no ue no misasagi''; it is located 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 ...

. He excelled at waka composition, and was an important member of the Kyōgoku School. He also left behind a diary, called Hanazono-in-Minki (Imperial Chronicles of the Flower Garden Temple or ''Hanazono-in'') (花園院宸記). He was a very religious and literate person, never missing his prayers to the Amitabha

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

Kugyō

is a collective term for the very few most powerful noble men attached to the imperial 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 Hanazono'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: * '' Sesshō'', Kujō Moronori, 1308 * ''Sesshō'', Takatsukasa Fuyuhira, 1308–1311 * '' Kampaku'', Takatsukasa Fuyuhira, 1311–1313 * ''Kampaku'', Konoe Iehira, 1313–1315 * ''Kampaku'', Takatsukasa Fuyuhira, 1315–1316 * ''Kampaku'', Nijō Michihira, 1316–1318 * '' Sadaijin'' * '' Udaijin'' * '' Nadaijin'' * ''

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 ...

Eras of Hanazono's reign

The years of Hanazono's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or '' nengō''.Titsingh, p. 278. * '' Tokuji'' (1306–1308) * '' Enkyō'' (1308–1311) * ''

Ōchō was a after ''Enkyō (Kamakura period), Enkyō'' and before ''Shōwa (first), Shōwa.'' This period spanned 11 months from April 1311 through February 1312. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1311 : The new era name was created to mar ...

'' (1311–1312) * '' Shōwa'' (1312–1317) * '' Bumpō'' (1317–1319)

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References