was the 53rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Junna reigned from 823 to 833. He is also known as Emperor Saiin.
Emperor Junna was the seventh son of Emperor Kanmu. His mother was Tabiko, the daughter of Fujiwara no Momokawa. He was the half-brother of Emperor Heizei and Emperor Saga. His birth mother died when he was age two, and Emperor Kanmu had Hirata no Magoà Â, the wife of the capable courtier Fumuro no Yoki, raise him as a surrogate mother. Per the Nihon Kà Âki, in 798, he underwent his coming-of-age ceremony in the palace.
In 810, following the failed attempt by the retired Emperor Heizei to return to power, Prince Takaoka, son of Emperor Heizei, was deposed as Crown Prince. In his place, Junna was appointed Crown Prince as the younger brother of Emperor Saga. While Emperor Heizei and Emperor Saga were sons of Emperor Kanmu's Empress (Fujiwara no Otomuro), Prince à Âtomo (Emperor Junna) was not born to the Empress, but his mother, Tabiko, was from the same Fujiwara Shiki-ke family as the Empress. Furthermore, Prince à Âtomo had married Princess Takashi, the Empress's half-sister, and fathered Prince Tsuneyo. In this respect, Prince Tsuneyo was closer to the direct line of Emperor Kanmu than either Prince Takaoka or Prince Masayoshi (later Emperor Ninmyà Â), the son of Emperor Saga. In addition to this, it is believed that Prince à Âtomo became Crown Prince due to his good relationship with Emperor Saga. On the other hand, Prince à Âtomo himself was not enthusiastic about succeeding to the throne, fearing that he and Prince Tsuneyo would be drawn into a succession dispute like Prince Otobe and Prince Sawara. Some researchers believe that his petition to be demoted to commoner status in 795 AD was a manifestation of this attitude.
On April 16, 823 (May 29, 823), he ascended the throne after Emperor Saga abdicated. The details of the enthronement ceremony are recorded in the "Record of Emperor Junna's Enthronement." Furthermore, upon Emperor Junna's enthronement, the à Âtomo clan changed their surname to Tomo to avoid using the emperor's given name.
Although many details of his reign remain unclear due to the loss of the "Nihon Kà Âki," he actively appointed competent officials such as Kiyohara no Natsuno and attempted to rectify the political decay in the provinces. He also implemented land policies and strived to increase tax revenue. He also oversaw the compilation of the "Ryà Âgige" and the "Nihon Kà Âki."
On March 22, 833, he abdicated in favor of Emperor Ninmyà Â, becoming a retired emperor and moving to Junna-in, a villa located in Ukyo-ku, Kyoto. Later, the head of the Minamoto clan served as its administrator, and the villa became the Shogakuin Academy, also known as "Saiin".
Emperor Junna had six empresses and imperial consorts and 13 imperial sons and daughters. His personal name (imina) was .
After his enthronement, Emperor Junna appointed Prince Masayoshi (Emperor Ninmyà Â), the legitimate son of Emperor Saga, as Crown Prince, rather than his own son, Prince Tsuneyo. Since Prince Tsuneyo died of illness during Emperor Junna's reign, the newly enthroned Emperor Ninmyà  appointed Prince Tsunetsada, born to Emperor Junna and Princess Masako (a daughter of Emperor Saga), as Crown Prince. Emperor Junna is said to have been uneasy about Prince Tsunetsada becoming Crown Prince without the backing of powerful nobles, and entrusted the prince's affairs to his loyal confidant, Fujiwara no Yoshino. However, this unease became a reality after the Emperor Junna's death in the Jà Âwa Incident.
Emperor Junna on May 8th, 840 (June 11th, 840) at the age of 55. He left a will requesting a simple burial, so his ashes were scattered on Mount Oshio in Oharano.
The Imperial Household Agency designates , in Nishikyà Â-ku, Kyoto () as the location of Emperor Junna's tomb. According to legend, prior to his death Emperor Junna told Crown Prince Tsunetsada of his belief that family tomb should not be constructed, as when a person dies their spirit returns to heaven, but the empty tombs can draw demons and evil spirits. He commanded that his bones but crushed into powder and scattered throughout the mountains. He was cremated in what is now Mukà Â, Kyoto and his bones and ashes were scattered from a ridge in Ohara, with no tomb constructed per his will. This is why no tomb located is listed in the Engishiki. During the Edo period an arbitrary site was selected on the mountain to be a worship site for the emperor.
The years of Junna's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name (nengà Â).
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 Junna's reign, this apex of the Daijà Â-kan included:
Empress: Imperial Princess Shà Âshi/Masako (æ£åÂÂå 親çÂÂ; 810âÂÂ879), Emperor Saga's daughter
Hi (Empress as posthumous honors): Imperial Princess Koshi (é«Âå¿Âå 親çÂÂ; 789âÂÂ809), Emperor Kanmu's daughter
Court lady: Princess Otsugu (ç·Âç¶Â女çÂÂ; 787âÂÂ847)
Nyogà Â: Nagahara no Motohime (æ°¸åÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ姫)
Nyogà Â: Tachibana no Ujiko (æ©Âæ°ÂÃ¥ÂÂ), Tachibana no Nagana's daughter
Koui: Fujiwara no Kiyoko (è¤åÂÂæ½ÂÃ¥ÂÂ), Fujiwara no Nagaoka's daughter
Court lady: Kiyohara no Haruko (渠åÂÂæÂ¥åÂÂ), Kiyohara no Natsuno's daughter
Court lady: à Ânakatomi no Yasuko (大ä¸Âè£å®ÂÃ¥ÂÂ), à Ânakatomi Fuchiio's daughter
Court lady: à Âno no Takako (大éÂÂé·¹åÂÂ), à Âno no Masao's daughter
Court lady: Tachibana no Funeko (æ©Âè¹åÂÂ), Tachibana no Kiyono's daughter
Court lady: Tajihi no Ikeko (丹çÂÂæ± åÂÂ), Tajihi no Kadonari's daughter
Unknown lady