EMPEROR SANJO

'Emperor Sanjō' (三条天皇 ''Sanjō-tennō'') (February 5, 976 - June 5, 1017) was the '67th' emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He ruled from 1011 to 1016. ^[1]

Contents

Genealogy

Events of of Sanjō''-tennō's life

Eras of Sanjō''-tennō's reign

References

Genealogy

He was the second son of Emperor Reizei. His mother was Empress Chōshi (超子), 9__-982. Empress Chōshi was the daughter of the sesshō, Fujiwara no Kaneie.^[2]
His personal name before ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne was Okisada (居貞).^[3] He was also known as Iyasada.^[2]
He was the half-brother of Emperor Kazan. His mother died when he was seven, and his father, the Retired Emperor Reizei, became mentally ill. His maternal grandfather, Fujiwara no Kaneie raised him.

★ 994-1051 Imperial Prince Atsuakira (敦明親王), Ko-ichijō-in (小一条院), Emperor Go-Ichijō's Crown Prince

★ 997-1054 Imperial Prince Atsunori(敦儀親王)

★ 999-1049 Imperial Prince Atsuhira (敦平親王)

★ 1001-1023 known as Imperial Princess Toshō (real pronunciation is unknown, 当子内親王) - ''saigū'' (priestess at the Grand Shrine of Ise)

★ 1003-1048 known as Imperial Princess Teishi (real pronunciation is unknown, 禔子内親王) - spouse of Fujiwara no Norimichi (藤原教通)

★ 1005-1085 Imperial Prince Moroakira (師明親王), lay priest under the name Seishin (性信)

★ 1013-1094 known as Imperial Princess Teishi (禎子内親王) (real pronunciation is unknown, Empress Dowager Yōmeimon-in, 陽明門院) - Empress (''kōgō'') to Emperor Go-Suzaku, mother of Emperor Go-Sanjō
In ancient Japan, there were 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 Sanjō Genji (三条源氏) are descended from the 67th emperor Sanjō.

Events of of Sanjō''-tennō's life

After his mother died when he was at seven, his maternal grandfather Fujiwara no Kaneie raised him at Kaneie's mansion. Another grandson of Kaneie ascended to the throne as Emperor Ichijō in 986.

★ '''Kanna 2''', on the 16th day of the 7th month (986): When Emperor Kanzan abandoned the world for holy orders, another grandson of Kaneie ascended to the throne as Emperor Ichijō.^[5] Okisada was appointed as heir and crown prince at age 11.^[2] This followed the convention that two imperial lineages took the throne in turn, although Emperor Ichijō was in fact Okisada's junior. He thus gained the nickname ''Sakasa-no moke-no kimi'' (the imperial heir in reverse).
Kaneie died in the early of Ichijō's reign and Okisada lost his political backbone. His three uncles, sons of Kaneie, made their daughters consorts of Ichijo and aimed to seize power as the grandfather of the future emperor. These courtiers therefore sought to exclude Okisada from the Imperial succession, though each of them married their daughter to him. Later Ichijō had children by Fujiwara no Kishi, the daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga, and Michinaga expected his grandson to ascend to the throne as soon as possible. Michinaga became the kampaku (regent) of Japan during the reign of Ichijō and expected to hold this position in Sanjō's government as well.

★ '''Kankō 8''', 13th day of the 6th month (1011): When Emperor Ichijō abdicates, Okisada''-shinnō'' accedes to the throne as Emperor Sanjō at age 36.^[2] From the outset of his reign, Fujiwara no Michinaga is ''kampaku''.^[8]

★ '''Kankō 8''', 10th month (1011): ''Daijō-tennō'' Reizen, who was Emperor Sanjō's father, died at age 62.^[9]

★ '''Chōwa gannen''' or '''Chōwa 1''' (1012): The era name is changed to mark Emperor Sanjō's accession; and in the 8th month, he marries a daughter of kampaku Michinaga.^[3]
Sanjō, going blind, came under pressure from Michinaga to abdicate. Finally he relented and abdicated in 1016. His eldest son, Prince Atsuakira, became the crown prince but later he abandoned this position because of the pressure from Michinaga. Michinaga gifted Atsuakira a status equal to the retired emperor, with the title of Koichijo-in and Nariakira married a daughter of Michinaga.
Although no son of Sanjō ascended to the throne, a future emperor (Emperor Go-Sanjo) was child of Princess Teishi, Sanjo's daughter, and thus his blood remained in the imperial bloodline.
He was given the posthumous name of 'Sanjō-in' (三条院) after the palace where he spent his life after abdicating. The palace, in turn, was named for the location of the palace where he lived after his abdication. After the Meiji Era, the ''in'' was dropped and replaced with ''tennō'' (Emperor)

Eras of Sanjō''-tennō's reign

The years of Sanjō's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or ''nengō''.^[3]

★ ''Kankō'' (1004-1012)

★ ''Chōwa'' (1012-1017)

References

1. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du japon,'' p. 154; Brown, Delmer ''et al.'' (1979). ''Gukanshō,'' p. 307.
2. Brown, p. 307.
3. Titsingh, p. 154.
4. Brown, p. 307.
5. Varley, H. Paul. (1980). ''Jinnō Shōtōki,'' p. 195.
6. Brown, p. 307.
7. Brown, p. 307.
8. Titsingh, p. 155
9. Titsingh, p. 155.
10. Titsingh, p. 154.
11. Titsingh, p. 154.


★ Brown, Delmer and Ichiro Ishida, eds. (1979). ''Gukanshō; "The Future and the Past: a translation and study of the 'Gukanshō,' an interpretive history of Japan written in 1219" translated from the Japanese and edited by Delmer M. Brown & Ichirō Ishida.'' Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03460-0

★ Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (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.--''Two copies of this rare book have now been made available online: (1) from the library of the University of Michigan, digitized January 30, 2007; and (2) from the library of Stanford University, digitized June 23, 2006.'' Click here to read the original text in French.

★ Varley, H. Paul , ed. (1980). [Kitabatake Chikafusa (1359)], ''Jinnō Shōtōki ("A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa" translated by H. Paul Varley).'' New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-04940-4