was the 53rd

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 ...

, Emperor Junna, Ōharano no Nishi no Minenoe Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency 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.823 to 833.

Traditional narrative

Junna had six empresses and imperial consorts and 13 imperial sons and daughters. Brown and Ishida, p. 282. 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 . Junna is traditionally venerated at his tomb; the

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 ...

designates , in Nishikyō-ku, Kyoto, as the location of Junna's

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

Events of Junna's life

* 810: After the rebellion of Emperor Heizei, he became the crown prince of

Emperor Saga was the 52nd emperor of Japan, Emperor Saga, Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Saga's reign lasted from 809 to 823. Traditional narrative Saga was the second son of ...

at 25 years of age. * 30 May 823 (): In the 14th year of Emperor Saga's reign, he abdicated; the succession (''senso'') was received by Junna, Saga's younger brother and Emperor Kanmu's third son. Brown and Ishida, pp. 282–283. * 22 March 833 (): In the 10th year of Emperor Junna's reign, the emperor abdicated; and the succession (''senso'') was received by his adopted son. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Ninmyo is said to have acceded to the throne. After Junna stepped down from the throne, two former Emperors were alive. In this period, Saga was called the Senior Retired Emperor and Junna was known as the Junior Retired Emperor. * 11 June 840 (: Former-Emperor Junna died at the age of 55. Following his death, Fujiwara no Yoshifusa maneuvered to have Montoku, rather than the crown prince Tsunesada, put on the throne; Junna's death set the stage for the

Fujiwara clan The was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

's ascendancy.

Eras of Junna's reign

The years of Junna'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 ...

(''nengō''). * '' Kōnin'' (810–824) * '' Tenchō'' (824–834)

Kugyō

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.Furugosho
''Kugyō'' of Junna-tennō
/ref> 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 Junna'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 ...

'', Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu (藤原冬嗣), 825–826. * ''Sadaijin'', Fujiwara no Otsugu (藤原緒嗣), 832–843. * ''

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 ...

'', Fujiwara no Otsugu (藤原緒嗣), 825–832. * ''Udaijin'', Kiyohara no Natsuno (清原夏野), 832–837. * '' Naidaijin'' (not appointed) * ''

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 ...

'', Fujiwara no Otsugu (藤原緒嗣), 821–825. * ''Dainagon'', Yoshimine no Yasuyo (良峯安世) (half brother of Emperor Junna), 828–830. * ''Dainagon'', Kiyohara no Natsuno (清原夏野), 828–832 * ''Dainagon'', Fujiwara no Mimori (藤原三守), 829–838

Consorts and children

Empress: '' Imperial Princess Shōshi''/Masako (正子内親王; 810–879),

's daughter *Second Son: Imperial Prince Tsunesada (恒貞親王), the Crown Prince (deposed in 842) *Third Son: Imperial Prince Motosada (基貞親王; 827–869) *Fourth Son: Imperial Prince Tsunefusa (恒統親王; 829–842) ''Hi'' (Empress as posthumous honors): Imperial Princess Koshi (高志内親王; 789–809), Emperor Kanmu's daughter *First Son: Imperial Prince Tsuneyo (恒世親王; 806–826) *First Daughter: Imperial Princess Ujiko (氏子内親王; d.885), 16th Saiō in

Ise Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shi ...

(823–827) *Imperial Princess ''Yushi'' (有子内親王; d. 862) *Imperial Princess Sadako (貞子内親王: d. 834) Court lady: Princess Otsugu (緒継女王; 787–847) ''Nyogō'': Nagahara no Motohime (永原原姫) ''Nyogō'': Tachibana no Ujiko (橘氏子), Tachibana no Nagana's daughter * Prince ''Koui'': Fujiwara no Kiyoko (藤原潔子), Fujiwara no Nagaoka's daughter Court lady: Kiyohara no Haruko (清原春子), Kiyohara no Natsuno's daughter *Imperial Princess ''Meishi'' (明子内親王; d. 854) Court lady: Ōnakatomi no Yasuko (大中臣安子), Ōnakatomi Fuchiio's daughter *Fifth Son: Imperial Prince Yoshisada (良貞親王; d. 848) Court lady: Ōno no Takako (大野鷹子), Ōno no Masao's daughter *Imperial Princess Hiroko (寛子内親王; d. 869) Court lady: Tachibana no Funeko (橘船子), Tachibana no Kiyono's daughter *Imperial Princess Takaiko (崇子内親王; d. 848) Court lady: Tajihi no Ikeko (丹犀池子), Tajihi no Kadonari's daughter *Imperial Princess Tomoko (同子内親王; d. 860) Unknown lady *Mune no ''Chushi'' (統忠子; d. 863), removed from the Imperial Family by receiving the family name from Emperor (Shisei Kōka, 賜姓降下) in 862.

Ancestry

Notes

References

* * * * Kasai, Masaki. (1991). Tokyo: Yamakawa Shuppan-sha. ; ; * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan''.
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. * Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). '' Nihon Ōdai Ichiran''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''.
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. * Varley, H. Paul. (1980)
''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns''.
New York: Columbia University Press. ;