Emperor Higashiyama

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Higashiyama also refers to a ward of Kyoto City.

Emperor Higashiyama (東山天皇 Higashiyama-tennō) (October 21, 1675 - January 16, 1710) was the 113th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.^[1] He ruled from May 6, 1687 to July 27, 1709. His personal name was Asahito (朝仁) and his pre-accession title was Go-no-miya (五宮)

1 Genealogy
2 Events of Higashiyama's life
- 2.1 Kugyō
3 Eras of Higashiyama's reign
4 References

[edit] Genealogy

Higasiyama was the fifth son of Emperor Reigen; and he himself had at least ten children.

Empress: Princess Yukiko (幸子女王) (Empress Dowager Shōshū, 承秋門院), daughter of Arisugawa-no-miya Yukihito
- First daughter: Imperial Princess Akiko (秋子内親王)
Lady-in-waiting: Kushige Yoshiko (櫛笥賀子) (Empress Dowager Shin-syuken, 新崇賢門院)
- First son: Ichi-no-miya (一宮)
- Second son: Ni-no-miya (二宮)
- Fourth son: Hisa-no-miya (寿宮)
- Second daughter: Tomi-no-miya (福宮)
- Fifth son: Imperial Prince Yasuhito (慶仁親王) (Emperor Nakamikado)
- Sixth son: Imperial Prince Kan'in-no-miya Naohito (閑院宮直仁親王) - First Kan'in-no-miya
Lady-in-waiting: Reizei Tsuneko (冷泉経子) (Buddhist priestess)
- Third son: Prince Kōkan (公寛法親王) (Buddhist priest)
Handmaid (?): Daughter of Takatsuji (Sugawara) Nagakazu (高辻（菅原）長量)
- Third daughter: Kōmyōjyō'in-no-miya (光明定院宮)
- Fourth daughter: Princess Syōsyuku (聖祝女王)

[edit] Events of Higashiyama's life

In 1687, he acceded to the throne after the abdication of Emperor Reigen. On the 16th day of the 11th month of that year, he revived the Daijōsai (大嘗祭), the first ceremonial offering of rice by a newly enthroned Emperor.

Initially, Emperor Reigen continued to rule in Higashiyama's name, which caused much friction with the Bakufu. However, Higashiyama's gentle character helped to improve relations with the Bakufu, and imperial property was increased, and repairs were carried out on Imperial mausoleums.

In 1695, the shogunate placed the Japanese character gen (元) on the obverse of copper coins, the same character used today in China for the yuan. There is no connection between those uses, however.^[1]

In 1701, when the Akō Incident took place, due to the bloodshed by Matsuno Ōroku, Emperor Higashiyama came near to withdrawing the imperial will.

In 1709, Emperor Nakamikado became emperor upon his abdication. Shortly afterwards, Higashiyama died of smallpox.

[edit] Kugyō

Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan 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 Higashiyama's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:

[edit] Eras of Higashiyama's reign

The years of Higashiyama's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.^[1]

Jōkyō (1684-1688)
Genroku (1688-1704)
Hōei (1704-1711)

[edit] References

↑ ^a ^b ^c Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, p. 415.

Screech, Timon. (2006). Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822. London: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 0-700-71720-X
Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652], Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, tr. par M. Isaac Titsingh avec l'aide de plusieurs interprètes attachés au comptoir hollandais de Nangasaki; ouvrage re., complété et cor. sur l'original japonais-chinois, accompagné de notes et précédé d'un Aperçu d'histoire mythologique du Japon, par M. J. Klaproth. Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland...Click link for copy of this book digitized from the collection of the University of Michigan (in French)