Emperor Suzaku

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Emperor Suzaku
61st Emperor of Japan
Reign The 22nd Day of 9th Month of Enchō 8 (930) - The 20th Day of 4th Month of Tengyō 9 (946)
Coronation The 21st Day of 11th Month of Enchō 8 (930)
Born Enchō 1 (923)
Birthplace Heian Kyō (Kyōto)
Died The 15th Day of 8th Month of Tenryaku 6 (952)
Place of death Heian Kyō (Kyōto)
Buried Daigo no Misasagi (Kyōto)
Predecessor Emperor Daigo
Successor Emperor Murakami
Father Emperor Daigo
Mother Fujiwara no Onshi

Emperor Suzaku (朱雀天皇 Suzaku-tennō) (923-952) was the 61st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He ruled from 930 to 946.[1]

Contents

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[edit] Genealogy

Before his ascension of the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his imina)[2] was Hiroakira-shinnō.[3] He was also known as Yutaakira-shinnō.[4]

Hiroakira-shinnō was the 11th son of Emperor Daigo and Empress Consort Onshi, a daughter of the regent and great minister of the council of state, Fujiwara no Mototsune.[5]

Daigo had two Empresses or consorts and one Imperial daughter.[6]

[edit] Events of Suzaku's life

Suzaku's older brother died unexpectedly young, as did his brother's son. These untimely deaths opened the way for Suzaku to acede to the throne.

  • Enchō 8, on the 22nd day of the 9th month (930): In the 33rd year of the reign of Daigo-tennō (醍醐天皇33年), the emperor died; and the succession (the senso) was received by his eleventh son, Hiroakira-shinnō[3] (also known as Yutaakira-shinnō).[7]
  • Enchō 8, in the 11th month (930): Emperor Suzaku, who was only 8 years old, acceded to the throne (the sokui).[8]
  • Enchō 9, on the 26th day of the 4th month (931): The era name was changed to mark the beginning of the new emperor's reign.[9]
  • Jōhei 1, on the 19th day of the 7th month (931): The former-Emperor Uda (867-931) died at the age of 65.[10]
  • Jōhei 2, in the 8th month (932): The udaijin (Minister of the Right) Fujiwara no Sadakata (873-932) died at the age of 65.[11]
  • Jōhei 3, in the 8th month (933): The dainagon (Counselor) Fujiwara no Nakahira is named udaijin. Nakahira is the brother of sesshō (regent) Fujiwara Tadahira.[12]
  • Jōhei 3, in the 12th month (933): Ten of the chief dignitaries of the empire went falcon-hunting together in Owari province. Each of them was magnificent in his formal hunting attire.[11]
  • Jōhei 5 (935): The Great Fundamental Central Hall (kompon chūdō) on Mt. Hiei burned down.[6]
  • Jōhei 6, on the 19th day of the 8th month (936): Fujiwara Tadahira was named daijō-daijin (Prime Minister); and in this same period, Fujiwara Nakahira was named sadaijin (Minister of the Left), and Fujiwara Tsunesuke was named udaijin.[11]
  • Jōhei 7, in the 12th month (937): The former-Emperor Yōzei celebrated his 70th birthday.[11]
  • Jōhei 8, in the 4th month (937): Serial intermittent ground-tremors were felt in Heian-kyo from the 10th through the 29th days of this month.[13]
  • Tenryaku 6, on the 15th day of the 8th month (952): Suzaku died at the age of 30.[14]

The emperor was succeeded by his younger brother, who would become Emperor Murakami.

[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.-- kugyō of Suzaku-tennō (in French)

In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Suzaku's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:

[edit] Eras of Suzaku's reign

The years of Suzaku's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.[16]

[edit] Consorts and Children

Nyōgo: Princess Hiroko/Kishi (熙子女王) (?-950), daughter of Imperial Prince Yasuakira(son of Emperor Daigo)

  • Imperial Princess Masako (昌子内親王) (950-999), Empress consort of Emperor Reizei

Nyōgo: Fujiwara no Yoshiko (藤原慶子) (?-951), daughter of Fujiwara no Saneyori (藤原実頼)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, pp. 134-139; Brown, Delmer. (1879). Gukanshō, pp. 294-295; Varley, H. Paul (1980) Jinnō Shōtōki, pp. 181-183.
  2. ^ Brown, p. 264. [Up until the time of 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.]
  3. ^ a b Titsingh, p. 134; Varley, p. 181.
  4. ^ a b c d Brown, p. 294.
  5. ^ Varley, p. 181.
  6. ^ a b c d e Brown, p. 295
  7. ^ Brown, p. 295, 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 Go-Murakami.]
  8. ^ Titsingh, p. 134; Varley, p. 44.
  9. ^ Brown, p. 295; Varley, p. 181-182.
  10. ^ Titsingh, p. 135; Brown, p. 295.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Titsingh, p. 135.
  12. ^ a b Titsingh, p. 135; Brown, p. 294.
  13. ^ Titsingh, p. 136.
  14. ^ a b Brown, p. 295; Varley, p. 130.
  15. ^ Brown, p. 291.
  16. ^ Titsingh, p. 134.


[edit] See also


Preceded by
Emperor Daigo
Emperor of Japan:
Suzaku

930-946
Succeeded by
Emperor Murakami