Editing Emperor Saga

{{Short description|Emperor of Japan from 809 to 823}}
{{Distinguish|Emperors SaGa}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2012}}
{{Infobox royalty
|name = Emperor Saga<br/>{{nobold|{{lang|ja|嵯峨天皇}}}}
|succession = [[Emperor of Japan]]
|image = Emperor Saga large.jpg
|reign = May 18, 809 – May 29, 823
|coronation = May 30, 809
|cor-type = [[Enthronement of the Japanese Emperor|Enthronement]]
|predecessor = [[Emperor Heizei|Heizei]]
|successor = [[Emperor Junna|Junna]]
|posthumous name = [[Posthumous name#Tsuigō|''Tsuigō'']]:<br/>Emperor Saga ({{lang|ja|嵯峨天皇}})
|spouse = [[Tachibana no Kachiko]]
|issue = {{plainlist|
* [[Emperor Ninmyō]]
* [[Minamoto no Makoto]]
* [[Minamoto no Tōru]]}}
|issue-link = #Consorts and children
|issue-pipe = more...
| royal house  = [[Imperial House of Japan]]
|father = [[Emperor Kanmu]]
|mother = [[Fujiwara no Otomuro]]
|birth_name = {{nihongo|Kamino|神野}}
|birth_date = October 3, 784
|birth_place = 
|death_date = {{death date and age|842|8|24|784|10|3|mf=y}}
|death_place = 
|burial_date = 
|burial_place = [[Kyoto|Saga no yamanoe no misasagi]]
}}
[[Image:Koku Saitcho shounin.jpg|thumb|''Cry for noble [[Saichō]]'' (哭最澄上人), which was written by Emperor Saga for Saichō's death. Saga was a scholar of the [[Chinese language|Chinese]] classics. He was also renowned as a skillful [[calligraphy|calligrapher]]. Chinese calligraphic influence was weakened during the [[Heian period]]; this text was an example of the different way it was evolving in Japan.]]
{{nihongo|'''Emperor Saga'''|嵯峨天皇|Saga-tennō|October 3, 786 – August 24, 842}} was the 52nd [[emperor of Japan]],<ref name="kunaichō">[[#Kunaichō|Emperor Saga, Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum]], Imperial Household Agency</ref> according to the traditional [[List of Emperors of Japan|order of succession]].<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', pp. 63–64.</ref> Saga's reign lasted from [[Heian period|809 to 823.]]<ref>[[#Brown-Ishida|Brown and Ishida]], pp. 280–282; Varley, H. Paul. (1980).  ''Jinnō Shōtōki'', p. 151–163; Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). {{Google books|18oNAAAAIAAJ|''Annales des empereurs du Japon,'' pp. 97–102.|page=97}}</ref>

==Traditional narrative==
Saga was the second son of [[Emperor Kanmu]] and [[Fujiwara no Otomuro]].<ref>Varley, p. 151.</ref><ref name="b280">[[#Brown-Ishida|Brown and Ishida]], p. 280.</ref> His personal name was {{nihongo|'''Kamino'''|神野}}.<ref>Titsingh, p. 96; [[#Brown-Ishida|Brown and Ishida]], p. 280.</ref> Saga was an "accomplished calligrapher" able to compose in Chinese who held the first imperial poetry competitions ({{Transliteration|ja|naien}}).<ref>[[#Brown-Ishida|Brown and Ishida]], p. 281</ref> According to legend, he was the first Japanese emperor to drink [[tea]].

Saga is traditionally venerated at his tomb; the [[Imperial Household Agency]] designates {{nihongo3|Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum|嵯峨山上陵|Saganoyamanoe no Misasagi}}, in [[Ukyō-ku, Kyoto]], as the location of Saga's [[mausoleum]].<ref name="kunaichō" />

===Events of Saga's life===
* '''806''' Saga became the crown prince at age 21.
* '''June 17, 809'''<ref>Julian dates derived from [http://web.me.com/meyer.eva/www.yukikurete.de/nengo_calc.htm NengoCalc]</ref> ({{nihongo foot|''[[Daidō]] 4, 1st day of the 4th month''|大同四年五月一日}}): In the 4th year of Emperor Heizei's reign, he fell ill and abdicated; and the succession (''senso'') was received by Kanmu's second son Saga, the eldest son having become a Buddhist priest.  Shortly thereafter, Emperor Saga is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui'').<ref>Titsingh, p. 96; [[#Brown-Ishida|Brown and Ishida]], p. 280; Varley, p. 44; a distinct act of ''senso'' is unrecognized prior to [[Emperor Tenji]]; and all sovereigns except [[Empress Jitō|Jitō]], [[Emperor Yōzei|Yōzei]], [[Emperor Go-Toba|Go-Toba]], and [[Emperor Fushimi|Fushimi]] have ''senso'' and ''sokui'' in the same year until the reign of [[Emperor Go-Murakami]].</ref>

Soon after his [[enthronement of the Japanese emperor|enthronement]], Saga himself took ill. At the time the retired Heizei had quarreled with his brother over the ideal location of the court, the latter preferring the Heian capital, while the former was convinced that a shift back to the Nara plain was necessary, and Heizei, exploiting Saga's weakened health, seized the opportunity to foment a rebellion, known historically as the [[Kusuko Incident]]; however, forces loyal to Emperor Saga, led by ''[[taishōgun]]'' [[Sakanoue no Tamuramaro]], quickly defeated the Heizei rebels which thus limited the adverse consequences which would have followed any broader conflict.<ref>Titsingh, p. 98; Varley, p. 151.</ref>  This same Tamuramaro is remembered in [[Aomori Prefecture|Aomori]]'s annual [[Nebuta Matsuri]] which feature a number of gigantic, specially-constructed, illuminated paper floats.  These great lantern-structures are colorfully painted with mythical figures; and teams of men carry them through the streets as crowds shout encouragement.  This early ninth century military leader is commemorated in this way because he is said to have ordered huge illuminated lanterns to be placed at the top of hills; and when the curious [[Emishi]] approached these bright lights to investigate, they were captured and subdued by Tamuramaro's men.<ref>Boroff, Nicholas. ''National Geographic Traveler Japan,'' p. 156.</ref>
* '''August 24, 842''' ({{nihongo foot|''[[Jōwa (Heian period)|Jōwa]] 9, 15th day of the 7th month''|承和九年七月十五日}}): Saga died at the age of 57.<ref>[[#Brown-Ishida|Brown and Ishida]], p. 282; Varley, p. 163.</ref>

===Eras of Saga's reign===
The years of Saga's reign are more specifically identified by more than one [[Japanese era names|era name]] (''nengō'').<ref>Titsingh, p. 97.</ref>
* ''[[Daidō]]''             (806–810)
* ''[[Kōnin (era)|Kōnin]]'' (810–824)

==Legacy==
In ancient Japan, there were four noble clans, the ''Gempeitōkitsu'' (源平藤橘).  One of these clans, the [[Minamoto clan]] are also known as Genji (源氏), and of these, the Saga Genji (嵯峨源氏) are descended from 52nd emperor Saga.  Saga's son, [[Minamoto no Tōru]], is thought to be an inspiration for the protagonist of the novel ''[[The Tale of Genji]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bargen |first1=Doris G. |title=Mapping Courtship and Kinship in Classical Japan: The Tale of Genji and Its Predecessors |date=2015 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |isbn=978-0-8248-5733-2 |page=230 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C1gEEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA230 |language=en |quote=he has often been seen as a historic model for Genji}}</ref>

Emperor Saga played an important role as a stalwart supporter of the [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] monk [[Kūkai]].  The emperor helped Kūkai to establish the [[Shingon]] School of Buddhism by granting him [[Tō-ji]] Temple in the capital [[Heian-kyō]] (present-day [[Kyoto]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=About To-ji Temple |url=https://www.toji.or.jp/en/about/index.html |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=www.toji.or.jp}}</ref>

=== Daikaku-ji ===
{{nihongo|[[Daikaku-ji]]|大覚寺}} is a [[Shingon Buddhism|Shingon Buddhist]] temple in [[Ukyō-ku, Kyoto|Ukyō-ku]] in Kyoto. The site was originally a residence of the emperor, and later various emperor conducted their [[cloistered rule]] from here. The artificial lake of the temple, Ōsawa Pond, is one of the oldest [[Japanese garden]] ponds to survive from the [[Heian period]].<ref>Young and Young, ''The Art of the Japanese Garden'', pg. 72</ref>

The ''[[Saga Go-ryū]]'' school of ''[[ikebana]]'' has its headquarters in the temple and is named in his honour.

==Kugyō==
{{nihongo|''[[Kugyō]]''|公卿}} is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the [[Emperor of Japan]] in pre-[[Meiji period|Meiji]] eras.<ref>Furugosho: [http://www.furugosho.com/moyenage/empereur-g2.htm ''kugyō'' of Saga-tennō]</ref>

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 Saga's reign (809–823), this ''kugyō'' included:
* ''[[Sadaijin]]''
* ''[[Udaijin]]'', [[Fujiwara no Uchimaro]] (藤原内麿), 806–812.<ref name = "b280"/>
* ''Udaijin'', Fujiwara no Sonohito (藤原園人), 812–818.<ref name = "b280"/>
* ''Udaijin'', [[Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu]] (藤原冬嗣), 821–825.<ref name="b280"/>
* ''Udaijin'', Tachibana no Ujikimi.<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, p. 319.</ref>
* ''[[Naidaijin]]''
* ''[[Dainagon]]''

==Consorts and children==
{{Further|topic=terms related to imperial consorts|Kōkyū#consorts}}
Saga had 49 children with at least 30 different women. Many of the children received the surname Minamoto, thereby removing them from royal succession.

*Empress: [[Tachibana no Kachiko]] (橘嘉智子), also known as {{Nihongo|Empress Danrin|檀林皇后|Danrin-kōgō}}, Tachibana no Kiyotomo's daughter.<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, pp. 318–319.</ref>
**Second Son: Imperial Prince Masara (正良親王) later [[Emperor Ninmyō]]
**Imperial [[Princess Seishi]] (正子内親王; 810–879), married to [[Emperor Junna]]
**Imperial Princess Hideko (秀子内親王; d. 850)
**Imperial Prince Hidera (秀良親王; 817–895)
**Imperial Princess Toshiko (俊子内親王; d. 826)
**Fifth Daughter: Imperial Princess Yoshiko (芳子内親王; d. 836)
**Imperial Princess Shigeko (繁子内親王; d. 865)
*''Hi'' (deposed): Imperial Princess Takatsu (高津内親王; d. 841), [[Emperor Kanmu]]’s daughter
**Second Prince: Imperial Prince Nariyoshi (業良親王; d. 868)
**Imperial Princess Nariko (業子内親王; d. 815)
*''Hi'': Tajihi no Takako (多治比高子; 787–825), Tajihi no Ujimori's daughter
*''Bunin'': Fujiwara no Onatsu (藤原緒夏; d. 855), Fujiwara no Uchimaro's daughter
*Court lady (''Naishi-no-kami''): Kudara no Kyomyō (百済王慶命; d. 849), Kudara no Kyōshun's daughter
**Minamoto no Yoshihime (源善姫; b. 814)
**Minamoto no Sadamu (源定; 815–863)
**Minamoto no Wakahime (源若姫)
**Minamoto no Shizumu (源鎮; 824–881)
*''Nyōgo'': Kudara no Kimyō (百済貴命; d. 851), Kudara no Shuntetsu's daughter
**Imperial Prince Motora (基良親王; d. 831)
**Fourth Son: Imperial Prince Tadara (忠良親王; 819–876)
**Imperial Princess Motoko (基子内親王; d. 831)
*''Nyōgo'': Ōhara no Kiyoko (大原浄子; d. 841), Ōhara no Ietsugu's daughter
**Tenth Daughter: Imperial Princess ''Ninshi'' (仁子内親王; d. 889), 15th [[Saiō]] in [[Ise Shrine]] 809–823
*''Koui'': Iidaka no Yakatoji (飯高宅刀自), Iidaka Gakuashi
**Minamoto no Tokiwa (源常; 812–854)
**Minamoto no Akira (源明; 814–852/853)
*''Koui'': Akishino no Koko (秋篠高子/康子), Akishino no Yasuhito's daughter
**Minamoto no Kiyoshi (源清)
*''Koui'': Yamada no Chikako (山田近子)
**Minamoto no ''Hiraku(?)'' (源啓; 829–869)
**Minamoto no Mituhime (源密姫)
*''Nyōgo'': Princess Katano (交野女王), Prince Yamaguchi's daughter
**Eighth Daughter: Imperial Princess Uchiko (有智子内親王; 807–847), 1st [[Saiin (Priestess)|Saiin]] in [[Kamo Shrine]] 810–831
*Court lady: Takashina no Kawako (高階河子), Takashina no Kiyoshina's daughter
**Imperial Princess ''Sōshi'' (宗子内親王; d. 854)
*Court lady: Hiroi no Otona's daughter
**Seventh Son: [[Minamoto no Makoto]] (源信)
*Court lady: Fuse no Musashiko (布勢武蔵子)
**Minamoto no Sadahime (源貞姫; 810–880)
**Minamoto no Hashihime (源端姫)
*Court lady: Kamitsukeno clan's daughter
**Minamoto no Hiromu (源弘; 812–863)
*Court lady: Abe no Yanatsu's daughter
**Minamoto no Yutaka (源寛; 813–876)
*Court lady: Kasa no Tsugiko (笠継子), Kasa no Nakamori's daughter
**Minamoto no Ikeru (源生; 821–872)
*Court lady: Awata clan's daughter
**Minamoto no Yasushi (源安; 822–853)
*Court lady: Ōhara no Matako (大原全子), Ōhara no Mamuro's daughter
**[[Minamoto no Tōru]] (源融), ''Sadaijin''
**Minamoto no Tsutomu (源勤; 824–881)
**Minamoto no Mitsuhime (源盈姫)
*Court lady: Ki clan's daughter
**Minamoto no Sarahime (源更姫)
*Court lady: Kura no Kageko (内蔵影子)
**Minamoto no Kamihime (源神姫)
**Minamoto no ''Katahime'' (源容姫)
**Minamoto no Agahime (源吾姫)
*Court lady: Kannabi no Iseko (甘南備伊勢子)
**Minamoto no Koehime (源声姫)
*Court lady: Fun'ya no Fumiko (文屋文子), Fun'ya no Kugamaro's daughter
** Imperial Princess ''Junshi'' (純子内親王; d. 863)
** Imperial Princess ''Seishi'' (斉子内親王; d. 853), married to Prince Fujii (son of Emperor Kanmu)
** Prince Atsushi (淳王)
*Court lady: Tanaka clan's daughter
**Minamoto no ''Sumu(?)'' (源澄)
*Court lady: Koreyoshi no Sadamichi's daughter
**Minamoto no Masaru (源勝)
*Court lady: Ōnakatomi no Mineko (大中臣峯子)
*Court lady: Tachibana no Haruko (橘春子)
*Court lady: Nagaoka no Okanari's daughter
**Minamoto no ''Sakashi(?)'' (源賢)
*Court lady (''Nyoju''): Taima no Osadamaro's daughter
** Minamoto no Kiyohime (源潔姫; 810–856), married to [[Fujiwara no Yoshifusa]]
**Minamoto no Matahime (源全姫; 812–882), Naishi-no-kami (尚侍)
*Lady-in-waiting: Sugawara Kanshi (菅原閑子)
*(from unknown women)
**Minamoto no ''Tsugu (?)'' (源継)
**Minamoto no Yoshihime (源良姫)
**Minamoto no Toshihime (源年姫)

==Ancestry==
<ref name=descent>{{cite web|url=https://reichsarchiv.jp/%e5%ae%b6%e7%b3%bb%e3%83%aa%e3%82%b9%e3%83%88/%e5%a4%a9%e7%9a%87%e5%ae%b6#emp052|title=Genealogy|website=Reichsarchiv|date=April 30, 2010 |access-date=28 January 2018|language=ja}}</ref>
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Emperor Saga'''
|2= 2. [[Emperor Kanmu]] (737-806)
|3= 3. [[Fujiwara no Otomuro]] (760-790)
|4= 4. [[Emperor Kōnin]] (709–782)
|5= 5. [[Takano no Niigasa]] (c. 720-790)
|6= 6. [[Fujiwara no Yoshitsugu]] (716-777)
|7= 7. [[:ja:阿倍古美奈|Abe no Komina]] (d. 784)
|8= 8. [[:ja:志貴皇子|Prince Shiki]] (d. 716)
|9= 9. [[:ja:紀橡姫|Ki no Tochihime]] (d. 709)
|10=10. Yamato no Ototsugu 
|11=11. Haji no Maimo 
|12=12. [[Fujiwara no Umakai]] (694-737) 
|13=13. Isonokami no Kunimina no Ōtoji 
|14=14. [[:ja:阿倍粳蟲|Abe no Nukamushi]]  
|15=  
}}

==See also==
*[[Emperor Go-Saga]]
*[[Imperial cult]]

==Notes==
[[File:Imperial Seal of Japan.svg|thumb|right|120px|[[Imperial Seal of Japan|Japanese Imperial kamon]] — a stylized [[chrysanthemum]] blossom]]
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book| last1 = Giesen| first1 = Walter| last2 = Beck| first2 = Vera| last3 = Eisenschmid| first3 = Rainer| title = Japan| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PF8RgOwmgwEC| year = 2004| publisher = Baedeker| isbn = 978-3-87504-432-4 }}
嵯峨山上
* {{cite web | url=http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/ryobo/guide/052/index.html | script-title=ja:嵯峨天皇 嵯峨山上 | access-date=February 4, 2011 | author=Imperial Household Agency | language=ja |trans-title=Emperor Saga, Saganoyamanoe Imperial Mausoleum | year=2004 | ref=Kunaichō}}
* {{cite book| author = Brown, Delmer M.| title = ''The Future and the Past''| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=w4f5FrmIJKIC| format = a translation and study of the [[Gukanshō]], an interpretive history of Japan written in 1219| year = 1979| publisher = Berkeley: University of California Press.| isbn = 978-0-520-03460-0| oclc = 251325323| ref = Brown-Ishida| author2 = Ishida, Ichirō }}
* {{cite book| author = Richard Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby-Fane| title = The Imperial House of Japan| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SLAeAAAAMAAJ| year = 1959| publisher = Ponsonby Memorial Society }}
* {{cite book| last = Rin-siyo| first = Siyun-zai| title = Annales des empereurs du Japon| url = https://archive.org/details/niponodaitsiran00ringoog| year = 1834| publisher = Oriental Translation Fund }}
* {{cite book| last = Chikafuza| first = Kitabatake| title = A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Bh-FQgAACAAJ| year = 1980| publisher = Columbia University Press| isbn = 978-0-231-04940-5 }}

== External links ==
* [http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~ryobo-youran/kyoto/ukyo/001.htm Another photo of Emperor Saga's mausoleum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927193118/http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~ryobo-youran/kyoto/ukyo/001.htm |date=September 27, 2007 }}

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{{s-bef|before=[[Emperor Heizei]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Emperors of Japan|Emperor of Japan]]:<br/>Saga|years=809–823}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Emperor Junna]]}}
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{{Emperors of Japan}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saga, Emperor}}
[[Category:Emperors of Japan]]
[[Category:9th-century Japanese calligraphers]]
[[Category:786 births]]
[[Category:842 deaths]]
[[Category:9th-century Japanese monarchs]]
[[Category:Japanese emperors who abdicated]]