Emperor Kōmei (孝明天皇, Kōmei Tennō) (July 22, 1831 - January 30, 1867) was the 121st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from March 10, 1846 to January 30, 1867. His personal name was Osahito (統仁) and his title was Hiro-no-miya (煕宮).
Genealogy
Emperor Kōmei was the fourth son of Emperor Ninkō. His wife was Kujō Asako (九条夙子), posthumously titled Eishō Kōteigō (英照皇太后). Emperor Meiji was his second son, by Nakayama Yoshiko (中山慶子). Kōmei had 6 children, four daughters and two sons, but the future Emperor Meiji was the only one to survive past the age of four.
Life
The Emperor's younger sister, Imperial princess Kazu-no-Miya Chikako (和宮親子内親王) was set to marry the Tokugawa shogun Tokugawa Iemochi as part of the Movement to Unite Court and Bakufu (公武合体), but the shogun's death ended the negotiations. Both the Emperor and his sister were against the marriage, even though he realized the gains to be had from such familial connections with the true ruler of Japan. Emperor Kōmei did not care much for anything foreign. He also hated the changes going on in Japan at the time. He was against opening Japan to Western powers, even as the Shogun continued to accept foreign demands. He was infuriated with nearly every development during his reign as emperor. In his lifetime he never saw any foreigners and he knew little about them. During his reign he started to get more power as the Tokugawa Shogunate declined, though this was limited to consultation and other protocol deference.
Emperor Kōmei generally agreed with anti-Western sentiments, and, breaking with centuries of imperial tradition, began to take an active role in matters of state: as opportunities arose, he fulminated against the treaties and attempted to interfere in the shogunal succession. His efforts culminated in 1863 with his "Order to expel barbarians." Although the Shogunate had no intention of enforcing the order, it nevertheless inspired attacks against the Shogunate itself and against foreigners in Japan: the most famous incident was that of the English trader Charles Lennox Richardson, for whose death the Tokugawa government had to pay an indemnity of one hundred thousand British pounds.[1] Other attacks included the shelling of foreign shipping in Shimonoseki.[2]
In January 1867 he was diagnosed with smallpox. This was somewhat surprising to people because it is said that Kōmei has never been sick before. On 30 January 1867 he suffered a violent bout of vomiting and diarrhea. He had purple spots on his face caused by smallpox. He died in agony at the age of 35. There is a theory that he was actually poisoned by the anti-Bakufu clique. He is buried at Sennyuji temple in Higashiyama, Kyoto in the Nochi no Tsukinowa no Higashiyama no misasagi 後月輪東山陵.
Name
Emperor Kōmei was the last emperor to be given a posthumous name chosen after his death. Beginning with Emperor Meiji, posthumous names were chosen in advance, being the same as the names coinciding with their reigns.
Eras of his reign
In addition, Emperor Komei was the last Japanese Emperor who had multiple Era Names (nengo) during a single ruling term. Beginning with his successor Meiji, a single Era Name (identical to the Emperor's official title) was selected and did not change until his death.
References
- Jansen, Marius B. (2002). The Making of Modern Japan. Harvard. ISBN 0-674-00991-6.
- Keene, Donald (2005). Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912. Columbia. ISBN 0-231-12340-X.