Emperor Reizei

Reizei
Emperor of Japan
Reign 967–969
Coronation 967
Predecessor Murakami
Successor En'yū
Born (950-06-12)June 12, 950
Heian Kyō (Kyōto)
Died November 21, 1011(1011-11-21) (aged 61)
Heian Kyō (Kyōto)
Burial Sakuramoto no misasagi (Kyoto)
Father Murakami
Mother Fujiwara no Anshi

Emperor Reizei (冷泉天皇 Reizei-tennō, June 12, 950 – November 21, 1011) was the 63rd emperor of Japan,[1] according to the traditional order of succession.[2]

Reizei's reign spanned the years from 967 through 969.[3]

Traditional narrative

Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his imina) was Norihira-shinnō (憲平親王).[4]

Norihira-shinnō was the second son of Emperor Murakami. His mother, Empress Yasuko, was a daughter of minister of the right Fujiwara no Morosuke.[5] Soon after his birth he was appointed as crown prince. This decision was supposedly made under the influence of Morosuke and his brother Fujiwara no Saneyori who had seized power in the court.

From ancient times, there have been four noble clans, the Gempeitōkitsu (源平藤橘). One of these clans, the Minamoto clan (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-shinnō's succession somewhat problematic.

In 967 his father Murakami died and Reizei ascended to the throne at the age of eighteen.

The tomb of Emperor Reizei, Kyoto (front view)

The actual site of Reizei's grave is known.[1] This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine (misasagi) at Kyoto.

The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Reizei's mausoleum. It is formally named Sakuramoto no misasagi[9]

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.

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 included:

Eras of Reizei's reign

The years of Reizei's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.[10]

Consorts and Children

Empress: Imperial Princess Masako (昌子内親王) (950–999), daughter of Emperor Suzaku

Nyōgo: Fujiwara no Fushi/Yoshiko (藤原怤子) (?–?), daughter of Fujiwara no Morosuke (藤原師輔);later, Naishi-no-Kami (尚侍) 982–989

Nyōgo: Fujiwara no Kaishi/Chikako (藤原懐子) (945–975), daughter of Fujiwara no Koretada (藤原伊尹)

Nyōgo: Fujiwara no Chōshi/Tōko (藤原超子) (?–982), daughter of Fujiwara no Kaneie (藤原兼家)

Notes

Japanese Imperial kamon — a stylized chrysanthemum blossom
  1. 1 2 Imperial Household Agency (Kunaichō): 冷泉天皇 (63)
  2. ↑ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, p. 71.
  3. ↑ Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, pp. 142–143; Brown, Delmer et al. (1979). Gukanshō, pp. 298–300; Varely, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, pp. 190–191.
  4. ↑ Titsingh, p. 142; Varely, p. 190; Brown, p. 264; prior to Emperor Jomei, the personal names of the emperors (their imina) were very long and people did not generally use them. The number of characters in each name diminished after Jomei's reign.
  5. ↑ Varley, p. 190.
  6. ↑ Titsingh, p. 142; Brown, p. 298; Varley, p. 44; a distinct act of senso is unrecognized prior to Emperor Tenji; and all sovereigns except Jitō, Yōzei, Go-Toba, and Fushimi have senso and sokui in the same year until the reign of Emperor Go-Murakami.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Brown, p. 298.
  8. ↑ Titsingh, p. 155; Brown, p. 306; Varley, p. 190.
  9. ↑ Ponsonby-Fane, p. 420.
  10. ↑ Titsingh, p. 142.

References

See also

Regnal titles
Preceded by
Emperor Murakami		 Emperor of Japan:
Reizei
967–969 		Succeeded by
Emperor En'yū
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