was the 63rd

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 ...

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'')
冷泉天皇 (63)
/ref> 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.967 through 969, ending with his abdication and retirement.

Biography

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 Norihira''-shinnō'' (憲平親王). Norihira''-shinnō'' was the second son of

Emperor Murakami The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother ( empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rul ...

. His mother, Empress Yasuko, was a daughter of minister of the right Fujiwara no Morosuke. Soon after his birth he was appointed as crown prince, displacing the Emperor's first-born son with the daughter of Fujiwara no Motokata. This decision was supposedly made under the influence of Morosuke and his brother Fujiwara no Saneyori who had seized power in the court. Motokata soon died, in despair at having lost the prospect of being grandfather to the next emperor. The malevolent influence of Motokata's was blamed for Norihira''-shinnōs mental illness, which resulted in Saneyori acting as

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

for the duration of his short reign. From ancient times, there have been four noble clans, the ''Gempeitōkitsu'' (源平藤橘). One of these clans, the

Minamoto clan was a Aristocracy (class), noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, imperial family who were excluded from the List of emperors of Japan, line of succession and demoted into the ranks of Nobili ...

(源氏) are also known as Genji, and of these, the Reizei Genji (冷泉源氏) are descended from 63rd emperor Reizei.

Events of Reizei's reign

Questions about mental illness made Norihira''-shinnōs succession somewhat problematic. In 967 his father Murakami died and Reizei ascended to the throne at the age of eighteen. * July 5, 967 (''

Kōhō was a after ''Ōwa'' and before ''Anna (era), Anna.'' This period spanned the years from July 964 through August 968. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * February 16, 964 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series ...

4, 25th day of the 5th month''): In the 16th year of Emperor Murakami's reign (村上天皇十六年), he died; and the succession (‘‘senso’’) was received by his second son. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Reizei is said to have acceded to the throne (‘‘sokui’’). * 969 ('' Anna 2''): Reizei abdicated; and he took the honorific title of Reizei-in Jōkō. His reign lasted for just two years; and he lived another 44 years in retirement.Brown, p. 298. * November 21, 1011 ('' Kankō 8, 24th day of the 10th month''): ''Daijō-tennō'' Reizei-in Jōkō died at age 62. The actual site of Reizei's

grave A grave is a location where a cadaver, dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is burial, buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of buria ...

is known. This emperor is traditionally venerated at a

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

(''misasagi'') at Kyoto. The

designates this location as Reizei'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 ...

. It is formally named ''Sakuramoto no misasagi''

Kugyō

is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre- Meiji eras. 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-Toba'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: * '' Kampaku'', Ōno-no-miya Fujiwara no Saneyori (藤原実頼), 900–970. * '' Daijō-daijin'', Fujiwara Saneyori. * ''

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 ...

'', Minamoto no Takaakira (源高明) (relegated in 969 by Anna Incident) * ''

'', Fujiwara Morotada (藤原師尹) * ''

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 Morotada (藤原師尹), 920–969. * '' 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 Arihira (藤原在衡) * ''

'', Minamoto no Kaneakira (源兼明) * ''

'', Fujiwara no Koretada (藤原伊尹)

Eras of Reizei's reign

The years of Reizei's reign are more specifically identified by more than one :Titsingh
p. 142.
/ref> * ''

'' (964–968) * '' Anna'' (968–970)

Consorts and children

Empress The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

(Chūgū): Imperial Princess Masako (昌子内親王) later Kanon'in taigō (観音院太后),

Emperor Suzaku was the 61st emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 朱雀天皇 (61)/ref> according to the traditional List of emperors of Japan, order of succession. Suzaku's reign spanned the years from Heian period, 930 through 946. B ...

’s daughter * Adopted Son: Imperial Prince Nagahira (永平親王; 965–988) Consort ( Nyōgo): Fujiwara no ''Kaishi''/Chikako (藤原懐子, 945–975), Fujiwara no Koretada’s daughter *First Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Sōshi'' (宗子内親王; 964–986) *Second Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Sonshi'' (尊子内親王; 966–985), 15th Saiin in Kamo Shrine 968–975; later, married to Emperor En'yū in 980 *First Son: Imperial Prince Morosada (師貞親王) later Emperor Kazan Consort ( Nyōgo): Fujiwara no ''Chōshi''/Tōko (藤原超子; d.982), Fujiwara no Kaneie’s daughter *Third Daughter: Imperial Princess Mitsuko (光子内親王; 973–975) *Second Son: Imperial Prince Okisada (居貞親王) later Emperor Sanjō *Third son: Imperial Prince Tametaka (為尊親王; 977–1002) *Fourth Son: Imperial Prince Atsumichi (敦道親王; 981–1007) Consort ( Nyōgo): Fujiwara no ''Fushi''/Yoshiko (藤原怤子), Fujiwara no Morosuke’s daughter

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979)
''Gukanshō: The Future and the Past.''
Berkeley: University of California Press.
OCLC 251325323
* Kitagawa, Hiroshi and Bruce T. Tsuchida. (1975). ''The Tale of the Heike''. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press
OCLC 262297615
* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

Nihon Odai Ichiran Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in t ...

''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
* Varley, H. Paul. (1980)
''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns.''
New York: Columbia University Press.
OCLC 59145842