(22 March 1212 â 31 August 1234) was the 86th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1221 through 1232.
This 13th-century sovereign was named after the 11th-century Emperor Horikawa and go- (å¾Â), translates literally as "later"; and thus, he is sometimes called the "Later Emperor Horikawa". The Japanese word go has also been translated to mean the "second one;" and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as "Horikawa, the second," or as "Horikawa II."
Genealogy
Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his imina) was , also known as Motsihito-shinnÃ
Â. The third son of Imperial Prince Morisada (å®Âè²Â親çÂÂ) (Go-Takakura-in, å¾Âé«ÂÃ¥ÂÂé¢), the second son of Emperor Takakura.
- Empress (JingÃ
«): SanjÃ
 (Fujiwara) Ariuko (ä¸ÂæÂ¡ï¼Âè¤åÂÂï¼ÂæÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ) later AnkimonâÂÂin (å®ÂÃ¥ÂÂéÂÂé¢), Sanjo Kinfusa's daughter
- Empress (ChÃ
«gÃ
«): Konoe (Fujiwara) Nagako (è¿Âè¡Âï¼Âè¤åÂÂï¼Âé·åÂÂ) Later TakatsukasaâÂÂin (é·¹å¸é¢), Konoe IezaneâÂÂs daughter.
- Empress (ChÃ
«gÃ
«): KujÃ
 (Fujiwara) Shunshi (ä¹ÂæÂ¡ï¼Âè¤åÂÂï¼Âç«´åÂÂ) Later SÃ
ÂhekimonâÂÂin (èÂȍ§éÂÂé¢), Kujo MichiieâÂÂs daughter
- First son: Imperial Prince Mitsuhito (ç§Âä»Â親çÂÂ) later Emperor ShijÃ
Â
- Fourth daughter: Imperial Princess Hoshi (æÂ¤åÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ
親çÂÂ; 1232-1237)
- Second Son: (1233)
- Lady-in-waiting: Betto-Naishi (å¥å½ÂÃ¥Â
¸ä¾Â), JimyÃ
Âin IeyukiâÂÂs daughter
- First daughter: Imperial Princess Kishi (æÂÂÃ¥ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ
親çÂÂ; 1228-1300) later Muromachi-in (室çºé¢)
- Second daughter: Imperial Princess Taishi (ä½ÂÃ¥ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ
親çÂÂ; 1231-1302) later ShinsenmonâÂÂin (ç¥Âä»ÂéÂÂé¢)
- Lady-in-waiting: Dainagon-no-Tsubone (大ç´Âè¨Âå±Â), Fujiwara KaneyoshiâÂÂs daughter
- Third daughter: Imperial Princess Akiko (æÂ±åÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ
親çÂÂ; 1231-1246)
Events of Go-Horikawa's life
In 1221, because of the JÃ
ÂkyÃ
« Incident, an unsuccessful attempt by Emperor Go-Toba to seize real power, the Kamakura shogunate completely excluded those of the imperial family descended from Emperor Go-Toba from the Chrysanthemum Throne, thus forcing Emperor ChÃ
«kyÃ
 to abdicate. After the Genpei War, he, as the grandson of the late Emperor Takakura, who was also a nephew of the then-exiled Retired Emperor Go-Toba, and ChÃ
«kyÃ
Â's first cousin, was enthroned as Go-Horikawa. He ruled from July 29, 1221 to October 26 (?), 1232.
- 29 July 1221 (JÃ
ÂkyÃ
« 3, 9th day of the 7th month): In the 1st year of what is now considered to have been ChÃ
«kyÃ
Â-tennÃ
Âs reign (仲æÂÂ天çÂÂä¸Âå¹´), he abruptly abdicated without designating an heir; and contemporary scholars then construed that the succession (âÂÂâÂÂsensoâÂÂâÂÂ) was received by a grandson of former Emperor Go-Toba.
- 14 January 1222 (JÃ
ÂkyÃ
« 3, 1st day of the 12th month): Emperor Go-Horikawa acceded to the throne (âÂÂâÂÂsokuiâÂÂâÂÂ).
As Go-Horikawa was only ten-years-old at this time, his father Imperial Prince Morisada acted as cloistered emperor under the name Go-Takakura-in.
In 1232, he began his own cloistered rule, abdicating to his 1-year-old son, Emperor ShijÃ
Â. However, he had a weak constitution, and his cloistered rule lasted just under two years before he died.
Emperor Go-Horikawa's Imperial tomb (misasagi) is at SennyÃ
«-ji in the .
KugyÃ
Â
KugyÃ
 (Ã¥Â
ŒÂ¿) 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 Go-Horikawa's reign, this apex of the DaijÃ
Â-kan included:
Eras of Go-Horikawa's reign
The years of Go-Horikawa's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengÃ
Â.
See also
Notes
References
- Brown, Delmer M. and IchirÃ
 Ishida, eds. (1979). [ Jien, c. 1220], GukanshÃ
 (The Future and the Past, a translation and study of the GukanshÃ
Â, an interpretative history of Japan written in 1219). Berkeley: University of California Press.
- Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. OCLC 194887
- Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi GahÃ
Â, 1652], Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland.
- Varley, H. Paul , ed. (1980). [ Kitabatake Chikafusa, 1359], JinnÃ
 ShÃ
ÂtÃ
Âki (A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: JinnÃ
 ShÃ
ÂtÃ
Âki. New York: Columbia University Press. )