Emperor Go-Kashiwabara
Encyclopedia
Emperor Go-Kashiwabara (後柏原天皇 Go-Kashiwabara-tennō) (November 19, 1464 - May 19, 1526) was the 104th emperor
of Japan
, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from November 16, 1500 to May 19, 1526. His personal name was Katsuhito (勝仁). His reign marked the nadir
of Imperial authority during the Ashikaga shogunate
.
. His mother was Niwata (Fujiwara) Asako (庭田（源）朝子), the daughter of Niwata Nagakata (庭田長賢).
. However, because of the aftereffects of the Ōnin War
, the Imperial Family was left so impoverished, that he was unable to perform the formal coronation
ceremony. On the 3rd month, 22nd day of 1521, thanks to contributions from Honganji Jitsunyo本願寺実如 (Rennyo
's son) and the Muromachi Bakufu
, the Emperor was finally able to carry out this ceremony.
Because of the Ōnin War, the scattering of the Court Nobility, and the poverty of the Imperial Court
, the Emperor's authority fell to a low point.
Emperor Go-Kashiwabara is enshrined with other emperors at the imperial tomb called Fukakusa no kita no misasagi (深草北陵) in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto
.
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-Kashiwabara's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from November 16, 1500 to May 19, 1526. His personal name was Katsuhito (勝仁). His reign marked the nadir
Nadir
The nadir is the direction pointing directly below a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at a specified location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface there. Since the concept of being below is itself somewhat vague, scientists define the nadir in more rigorous...
of Imperial authority during the Ashikaga shogunate
Ashikaga shogunate
The , also known as the , was a Japanese feudal military regime, ruled by the shoguns of the Ashikaga clan.This period is also known as the Muromachi period and gets its name from Muromachi Street of Kyoto where the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu established his residence...
.
Genealogy
He was the first son of Emperor Go-TsuchimikadoEmperor Go-Tsuchimikado
was the 103rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1464 through 1500....
. His mother was Niwata (Fujiwara) Asako (庭田（源）朝子), the daughter of Niwata Nagakata (庭田長賢).
- Lady-in-waiting: Kajūji? (Fujiwara) Fujiko (勧修寺（藤原）藤子)
- First daughter: Princess ?? (覚鎮女王)
- Second son: Imperial Prince Tomohito (知仁親王) (Emperor Go-NaraEmperor Go-NaraEmperor Go-Nara was the 105th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from June 9, 1526 until September 27, 1557, at the end of the Sengoku period. His personal name was Tomohito .-Genealogy:He was the second son of Emperor Go-Kashiwabara...
) - Fifth son: Imperial Prince Kiyohiko (清彦親王)
- Lady-in-waiting: Niwata (Minamoto) Motoko (庭田（源）源子)
- Third son: Prince Kakudō (覚道法親王) (Buddhist Priest)
- Second daughter: Princess Kakuon (覚音女王)
- Sixth son: Imperial Prince ?? (寛恒親王)
- Handmaid (?): Takakura (Fujiwara) ?? (高倉（藤原）継子)
- Fourth son: ?? (道喜)
Events of Go-Kashiwabara's life
In 1500, he became Emperor upon the death of his father, the Emperor Go-TsuchimikadoEmperor Go-Tsuchimikado
was the 103rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1464 through 1500....
. However, because of the aftereffects of the Ōnin War
Onin War
The ' was a civil war that lasted 10 years during the Muromachi period in Japan. A dispute between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen escalated into a nationwide war involving the Ashikaga shogunate and a number of daimyo in many regions of Japan....
, the Imperial Family was left so impoverished, that he was unable to perform the formal coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
ceremony. On the 3rd month, 22nd day of 1521, thanks to contributions from Honganji Jitsunyo本願寺実如 (Rennyo
Rennyo
' was the 8th Monshu, or head-priest, of the Hongwanji Temple of the Jōdo Shinshū sect of Buddhism, and descendant of founder Shinran. Jodo Shinshu Buddhists often referred to as the restorer of the sect , and for this is also referred to as Rennyo Shonin...
's son) and the Muromachi Bakufu
Ashikaga shogunate
The , also known as the , was a Japanese feudal military regime, ruled by the shoguns of the Ashikaga clan.This period is also known as the Muromachi period and gets its name from Muromachi Street of Kyoto where the third shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu established his residence...
, the Emperor was finally able to carry out this ceremony.
Because of the Ōnin War, the scattering of the Court Nobility, and the poverty of the Imperial Court
Imperial Court in Kyoto
thumb|left|350px|Front view of Kyoto imperial palaceImperial Court in Kyoto was the nominal ruling government of Japan from 794 AD until the Meiji Era, in which the court was moved to Tokyo and integrated into the Meiji government....
, the Emperor's authority fell to a low point.
- BunkiBunkiwas a after Meiō and before Eishō. This period spanned the years from February 1501 through February 1504. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
1 (1501): The former Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimura was exiled; and he retired to Suō ProvinceSuo Provincewas a province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suō bordered on Aki, Iwami, and Nagato Provinces....
. The former shogun lived in exitle in the home of the daimyo of that han. He changed his name to Ashikaga YoshitaneAshikaga Yoshitane, also known as Ashikaga Yoshiki , was the 10th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who headed the shogunate first from 1490 to 1493 and then again from 1508 to 1521 during the Muromachi period of Japan....
. He had many of the world with him, and he summoned all the military forces of the western empire to come to his aid. Hosokawa MasamotoHosokawa Masamotoa notable Deputy-Shogun of the Hosokawa clan of Japan, and son of Hosokawa Katsumoto. Masamoto was appointed to this very high rank during the year of 1486. However, for a brief period this title was lost by Hatakeyama Masanaga but was regained in time. When Ashikaga Yoshihisa died childless during...
was made master of all the provinces which encircled the KinaiKinaiis a Japanese term denoting an ancient division of the country. Kinai is a name for the ancient provinces around the capital Nara and Heian-kyō. The five provinces were called go-kinai after 1760....
. - Bunki 2, in the 7th month (1502): Minamoto Yoshitane was elevated to the 2nd tier of the 4th class kugeKugeThe was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto until the rise of the Shogunate in the 12th century at which point it was eclipsed by the daimyo...
officials; and he expressed thanks to the emperor for that honor. In the same month, the name of Ashikaga Yoshitaka was changed to that of Yoshizumi. - Bunki 3 (1503): There was a great drought in the summer of this year.
- Eishō 1 (1504): A great famine.
- Eishō 5, in the 1st month (1508): A new revolt in Miyako and the assassination of Hosokawa Masamoto encouraged former-Shogun Ashikaga YoshitaneAshikaga Yoshitane, also known as Ashikaga Yoshiki , was the 10th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate who headed the shogunate first from 1490 to 1493 and then again from 1508 to 1521 during the Muromachi period of Japan....
in believing that this would be a good opportunity to re-take Miyako. He assembled his troops and marched at their head towards the capital; and by the 6th month of Eishō 5, he was once more in command of the streets of Miyako. Starting in 1508, Yoshitane is known as the Muromachi periodMuromachi periodThe is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
's 10th shogun
- Daiei 5, on the 1st day of the 1st month (1525): All ceremonies in the court were suspended because of the lack of funds to support them.
- Daiei 6, on the 7th day of the 4th month (1525): Go-Kashiwabara died at the age of 63 years. He had reigned 26 years; that is, his reign lasted 3 years in the nengō Bunki, 17 years in the nengō Eishō, and 6 years in the nengo Daiei. The emperor was found dead in his archives.
Emperor Go-Kashiwabara is enshrined with other emperors at the imperial tomb called Fukakusa no kita no misasagi (深草北陵) in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto
Fushimi-ku, Kyoto
is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Famous places in Fushimi include the Fushimi Inari Shrine, with thousands of torii lining the paths up and down a mountain; Fushimi Castle, originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, with its rebuilt towers and gold-lined...
.
Kugyō
Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of JapanEmperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
in pre-Meiji
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
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-Kashiwabara's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
- SadaijinSadaijin, most commonly translated as "Minister of the Left", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Sadaijin in the context of a central...
- UdaijinUdaijinUdaijin , most commonly translated as the "Minister of the Right", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Udaijin in the context of a central...
- Nadaijin
- DainagonDainagonwas 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....
Eras of Go-Kashiwabara's reign
The years of Go-Kashiwabara's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.- MeiōMeio, also known as Mei-ō, was a after Entoku and before Bunki. This period spanned the years from July 1492 through February 1501. Reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:...
(1492–1501) - BunkiBunkiwas a after Meiō and before Eishō. This period spanned the years from February 1501 through February 1504. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
(1501–1504) - Eishō (1504–1521)
- DaieiDaiei (era), also known as Taiei or Dai-ei, was a after Eishō and before Kyōroku. This period spanned the years from August 1521 through August 1528. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:...
(1521–1528)
See also
- Emperor of JapanEmperor of JapanThe Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
- List of Emperors of Japan
- Imperial cultImperial cultAn imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor, or a dynasty of emperors , are worshipped as messiahs, demigods or deities. "Cult" here is used to mean "worship", not in the modern pejorative sense...