Empress Dowager Eishō (英照皇太后, Eishō-kōtaigō, 11 January 1835 – 11 January 1897) was the consort of Emperor Kōmei of Japan.[1] She is also known under the technically incorrect name Empress Eishō (英照皇后, Eishō-kōgō).
As the daughter of Kujō Hisatada, who was a former kampaku, Kujō Asako could anticipate a life unfolding entirely within the ambit of the Imperial court; but she could not have anticipated the vast array of changes which the years would bring during her lifetime. At age 13, she was matched with Crown Prince Osahito.[2] Upon the death of Emperor Ninkō in 1846, Osahito, who succeeded him as Emperor Kōmei, named her Nyōgo, a consort position of high honor to which princesses of the blood were appointed after the time of Emperor Kammu.[3]
Consortedit
Asako had two daughters, who both died in infancy; but she became the official mother of Komei's heir, Crown Prince Mutsuhito, later Emperor Meiji. He developed a strong emotional attachment to her, which became especially important in the unsettled period after Emperor Kōmei died unexpectedly.[4]
Empress dowageredit
Soon after the death of Emperor Kōmei, his successor Emperor Meiji conferred upon her the title of Empress Dowager; and she was given a posthumous name to go with her new title. This was a highly unusual gesture; and she was afterward known as Empress Dowager Eishō (英照皇太后, Eishō kōtaigō). This specific posthumous name was taken from the title of a poem, "Purple Wisteria over a Deep Pool," by a Tang dynasty poet; and it was deemed appropriate for a daughter of the Kujō family as part of the Fujiwara ("Wisteria Field") clan.[5] When the Meiji Imperial court relocated from Kyoto to Tokyo, she followed, living first in the Akasaka Palace and then in the Aoyama Palace.[4]
The empress dowager died in 1897 at age 62 and was buried at Senyū-ji, which is in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto.[4] Her memory is officially honored at her husband's mausoleum in Kyoto, which is known as Nochi-no-tsukinowa no higashiyama no misasagi.[6]
Franz Eckert composed "Trauermarsch" ("Deep mourning" funeral march or "Kanashimi no kiwami") for the funeral of Empress Dowager Eishō.
Emperor Meiji and his wife could not attend the funeral, but they traveled to Kyoto to pay graveside respects in the spring after her death.[7]
empress, dowager, eishō, 英照皇太后, eishō, kōtaigō, january, 1835, january, 1897, consort, emperor, kōmei, japan, also, known, under, technically, incorrect, name, empress, eishō, 英照皇后, eishō, kōgō, empress, dowager, japantenure1868, 1897bornasako, kujō, 九条夙子, 183. Empress Dowager Eishō 英照皇太后 Eishō kōtaigō 11 January 1835 11 January 1897 was the consort of Emperor Kōmei of Japan 1 She is also known under the technically incorrect name Empress Eishō 英照皇后 Eishō kōgō Empress Dowager EishōEmpress dowager of JapanTenure1868 1897BornAsako Kujō 九条夙子 1835 01 11 11 January 1835Heian kyō JapanDied11 January 1897 1897 01 11 aged 62 Tokyo City JapanBurialSennyu ji Higashiyama ku Kyoto JapanSpouseEmperor KōmeiIssuePrincess YorikoPrincess FukiHouseYamatoFatherKujō HisatadaMotherKarahashi MeikoReligionShinto Contents 1 Early life 2 Consort 3 Empress dowager 4 Ancestry 5 See also 6 Notes 7 ReferencesEarly life edit nbsp Asako KujōAs the daughter of Kujō Hisatada who was a former kampaku Kujō Asako could anticipate a life unfolding entirely within the ambit of the Imperial court but she could not have anticipated the vast array of changes which the years would bring during her lifetime At age 13 she was matched with Crown Prince Osahito 2 Upon the death of Emperor Ninkō in 1846 Osahito who succeeded him as Emperor Kōmei named her Nyōgo a consort position of high honor to which princesses of the blood were appointed after the time of Emperor Kammu 3 Consort editAsako had two daughters who both died in infancy but she became the official mother of Komei s heir Crown Prince Mutsuhito later Emperor Meiji He developed a strong emotional attachment to her which became especially important in the unsettled period after Emperor Kōmei died unexpectedly 4 Empress dowager editSoon after the death of Emperor Kōmei his successor Emperor Meiji conferred upon her the title of Empress Dowager and she was given a posthumous name to go with her new title This was a highly unusual gesture and she was afterward known as Empress Dowager Eishō 英照皇太后 Eishō kōtaigō This specific posthumous name was taken from the title of a poem Purple Wisteria over a Deep Pool by a Tang dynasty poet and it was deemed appropriate for a daughter of the Kujō family as part of the Fujiwara Wisteria Field clan 5 When the Meiji Imperial court relocated from Kyoto to Tokyo she followed living first in the Akasaka Palace and then in the Aoyama Palace 4 The empress dowager died in 1897 at age 62 and was buried at Senyu ji which is in Higashiyama ku Kyoto 4 Her memory is officially honored at her husband s mausoleum in Kyoto which is known as Nochi no tsukinowa no higashiyama no misasagi 6 Franz Eckert composed Trauermarsch Deep mourning funeral march or Kanashimi no kiwami for the funeral of Empress Dowager Eishō Emperor Meiji and his wife could not attend the funeral but they traveled to Kyoto to pay graveside respects in the spring after her death 7 Ancestry edit 8 Ancestors of Empress Dowager Eishō16 Kujō Yukinori 1700 1728 8 Nijō Munemoto 1727 1754 17 Tokugawa Sen hime4 Nijō Harutaka 1754 1826 2 Kujō Hisatada 1798 1871 20 Higuchi Yasuhiro 1677 1723 10 Higuchi Motoyasu 1706 1780 21 Yoshida5 Higuchi Nobuko 1751 1845 1 Empress Eishō6 Shōbai3 Karahashi Meiko 1796 1881 See also editJapanese empresses Ōmiya PalaceNotes edit Ponsonby Fane Richard 1859 The Imperial House of Japan p 334 335 Ponsonby Fane p 334 Ponsonby Fane p 302 a b c Ponsonby Fane p 335 Keene Donald 2002 Emperor of Japan Meiji and His World 1852 1912 p 531 Ponsonby Frane p 423 Keene p 532 Genealogy Reichsarchiv in Japanese Retrieved 2 July 2018 References editKeene Donald 2002 Emperor of Japan Meiji and His World 1852 1912 New York Columbia University Press ISBN 978 0 231 12340 2 OCLC 46731178 Ponsonby Fane Richard Arthur Brabazon 1959 The Imperial House of Japan Kyoto Ponsonby Memorial Society OCLC 194887Japanese royaltyPreceded byTakatsukasa Yasuko Empress dowager of Japan1868 1897 Succeeded byIchijō Masako Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Empress Dowager Eishō amp oldid 1184963630, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
