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'Emperor Sutoku' (崇徳天皇 ''Sutoku-tennō'') (7 July 1119 – 14 September 1164) was the '75th' emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He ruled from 1123 to 5 January 1142.

Contents

Genealogy

Events of Sutoku''-tennō's life

''Kugyō''

Eras of Sutoku''-tennō's reign

References

Genealogy

Sutoku was the eldest son of Emperor Toba. Some old books say he was actually the son of Toba's grandfather, Emperor Shirakawa.
His personal name was Akihito (顕仁). [Note: Although the rōmaji spelling does appear similar to the personal name of the present emperor of Japan, Akihito(明仁) the kanji in the 12th century emperor's name are quite dissimilar.]

Events of Sutoku''-tennō's life

In 1151, Sutoko ordered Waka imperial anthology ''Shika Wakashū''.
In 1156, after failing to put down the Hōgen Rebellion, he was exiled to Sanuki Province (modern-day Kagawa prefecture on the island of Shikoku).

★ '''Eiji 1''', in the 3rd mongh (1141): The former emperor Toba accepted the tonsure in becoming a monk at the age of 39 years.^[1]
Emperor Sutoku's reign lasted for 18 years: two years in the ''nengō'' ''Tenji'', 5 years in ''Daiji'', 1 year in 'Tenshō'', 3 years in ''Chōshō'', 6 years in Hōen, and 1 year in ''Eiji''.^[2]

''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 Sutoku's reign, this apex of the ''Daijō-kan'' included:

★ ''Sesshō'', Fujiwara Tadamichi, 1097-1164.^[3]

★ ''Daijō-daijin'', Fujiwara Tadamichi.^[4]

★ ''Nadaijin'', Fujiwara Yorinaga, 1120-1156.^[4]

Eras of Sutoku''-tennō's reign

The years of Sutoku's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or ''nengō''.

★ ''Hōan'' (1120–1124)

★ ''Tenji'' (1124–1126)

★ ''Daiji'' (1126–1131)

★ ''Tenshō'' (1131–1132)

★ ''Chōshō'' (1132–1135)

★ ''Hōen'' (1135–1141)

★ ''Eiji'' (1141–1142)

References

1. Titsingh, I. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du Japon,'' p. 185.
2. Titsingh, p. 185.
3. Brown, Delmer. (1979). ''Gushankō,'' p. 323.
4. Brown, p. 323.
5. Brown, p. 323.


★ 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 Chitafusa (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