Emperor Hanazono


Emperor Hanazono was the 95th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1308 through 1318.

Genealogy

Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was Tomihito-shinnō.
He was the fourth son of the 92nd Emperor, Fushimi. He belonged to the Jimyōin-tō branch of the Imperial Family.
  • Consort: Ogimachi Michiko later Senkomon'in, Ogimachi Saneakira's daughter
  • * First Daughter: Imperial Princess Hisako later Kianmon-in, married Emperor Kogon
  • * Second Son: Imperial Prince Nobunaga later Imperial Prince priest Genshi
  • * Third son: Imperial Prince Naohito
  • * Daughter: Imperial Princess Noriko
  • * Priest Shōgoin
  • * Daughter married to Kazan'in clan
  • Consort: Ichijo-no-Tsubone, Ogimachi Saneakira's daughter
  • * First Son: Imperial Prince Priest Kakuyo
  • Lady-in-waiting: Wamuro Yoriko, Wamuro Yorito's daughter
  • * Fifth Daughter: Imperial Princess Noriko – Nun
  • * Princess

    Events of Hanazono's life

Tomihito-shinnō became emperor upon the death of his second cousin, the Daikakuji-tō Emperor Go-Nijō.
  • Tokuji 3, in the 8th month : In the 8th year of Go-Nijo-tennō reign, the emperor died at the young age of 24; and the succession was received by his cousin. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Hanazono is said to have acceded to the throne.
  • Tokuji 3, in the 10th month : The nengō was changed to Enkyō to mark the accession of Emperor Hanazono.
Hanazono's father, the retired-Emperor Fushimi, and Hanazono's brother, the retired-Emperor Go-Fushimi, both exerted influence as cloistered emperors during this reign.
In these years, negotiations between the Kamakura Bakufu and the two imperial lines resulted in an agreement to alternate the throne between the two lines every 10 years. This agreement was not long-lasting. The negotiated provisions would soon be broken by Hanazono's successor.
In 1318, he abdicated to his second cousin, the Daikakuji-tō Emperor Go-Daigo, who was Nijō's brother.
After his abdication, he raised his nephew, the future Northern Pretender Emperor Kōgon.
In 1335, he became a Buddhist monk of the Zen sect, and under his sponsorship, his palace became the temple of Myōshin-ji, now the largest network in Rinzai Buddhism. Many places and institutions in the area are named for him, including Hanazono University and Hanazono Station.
He died in 1348. Hanazono's imperial tomb is known as Jurakuin no ue no misasagi; it is located in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto.
He excelled at waka composition, and was an important member of the Kyōgoku School. He also left behind a diary, called Hanazono-in-Minki . He was a very religious and literate person, never missing his prayers to the Amitabha Buddha.

Kugyō

Kugyō is a collective term for the very few most powerful noble men attached to the imperial 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 Hanazono's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
The years of Hanazono's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.
  • Tokuji
  • Enkyō
  • Ōchō
  • Shōwa
  • ''Bumpō''