Emperor Komei
 |
Emperor Kōmei of Japan |
(
July 22,
1831 -
January 30,
1867) was the 121st
imperial ruler of
Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from
March 10,
1846 to
January 30,
1867. His personal name was and his title was .
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 Noshiko (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.
The Emperor's younger sister, Imperial princess
Kazu-no-Miya Chikako('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, but the shogun's death ended the negotiations. Emperor Kōmei didn't care much for anything foreign. He also hated the changes going on in Japan at the time. He was against opening Japan to the United States. During his reign he started to get more power as the
Tokugawa Shogunate declined. He died of
small pox at the age of 35. There is a theory that he was actually poisoned by the anti-
Bakufu clique.
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
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Kōka (弘化)
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Kaei (嘉永)
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Ansei (安")
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Man'en (万延)
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Bunkyū (文久)
*
Genji (元治)
*
Keiō (慶応)
