Emperor Ninmyō

Template:Short description Template:Infobox royalty

Template:Nihongo<ref>Spelling note: A modified Hepburn romanization system for Japanese words is used throughout Western publications in a range of languages including English. Unlike the standard system, the "n" is maintained even when followed by "homorganic consonants" (e.g., shinbun, not shimbun).</ref> was the 54th emperor of Japan,<ref name="kunaichō">Emperor Ninmyō, Fukakusa Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency</ref> according to the traditional order of succession.<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, pp. 64–65.</ref> Ninmyō's reign lasted from 833 to 850, during the Heian period.<ref>Brown and Ishida, pp.283–284; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, p. 164-165; Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Template:Google books</ref>

Traditional narrative

Ninmyō was the second son of Emperor Saga and the Empress Tachibana no Kachiko. His personal name (imina) was Template:Nihongo.<ref>Brown and Ishida, p. 282; Varley, p. 164.</ref> After his death, he was given the title Template:Nihongo.

Ninmyō had nine Empresses, Imperial consorts, and concubines (kōi); and the emperor had 24 Imperial sons and daughters.<ref name="b283">Brown and Ishida, p. 283.</ref>

Emperor Ninmyō is traditionally venerated at his tomb; the Imperial Household Agency designates Template:Nihongo3, in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, as the location of Ninmyō's mausoleum.<ref name="kunaichō" />

Events of Ninmyō's life

File:Fujiwara no Junshi-Rijksmuseum RP-P-1991-578.jpeg

Fujiwara no Junshi, print by Teisai Hokuba, 1800 and 1805, (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam)

Ninmyō ascended to the throne following the abdication of his uncle, Emperor Junna.

6 January 823<ref>Julian dates derived from NengoCalc</ref> (Template:Nihongo foot): Received the title of Crown Prince at the age of 14.
22 March 833 (Template:Nihongo foot): In the 10th year of Emperor Junna's reign, the emperor abdicated; and the succession (senso) was received by his adopted son. Masara-shinnō was the natural son of Emperor Saga, and therefore would have been Junna's nephew.<ref name="b283"/> Shortly thereafter, Emperor Ninmyo is said to have acceded to the throne (sokui).<ref>Titsingh, p. 106; Brown and Ishida, pp. 283; Varley, p. 44; a distinct act of senso is unrecognized prior to Emperor Tenji; and all sovereigns except Jitō, Yōzei, Go-Toba, and Fushimi have senso and sokui in the same year until the reign of Emperor Go-Murakami.</ref>

Shortly after Ninmyo was enthroned, he designated an heir. He named Prince Tsunesada, a son of former Emperor Junna, as the crown prince.<ref name="b284">Brown and Ishida, pp. 284.</ref>

835 (Template:Nihongo foot): Kūkai (known posthumously as Kōbō-Daishi) died. This monk, scholar, poet, and artist had been the founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism.<ref name="b284"/>
838-839 (Jōwa 5-6): Diplomatic mission to Tang China headed by Fujiwara no Tsunetsugu.<ref>Sansom, George Bailey. (1958). A History of Japan to 1334, pp. 134-135; Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Tsunetsugu" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 211.</ref>
842: Following a coup d'état called the Jōwa Incident, Tsunesada the crown prince was replaced with Ninmyō's first son, Prince Michiyasu (later Emperor Montoku) whose mother was the Empress Fujiwara no Junshi, a daughter of sadaijin Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu. It is supposed that this was the result of political intrigue planned by Ninmyō and Fujiwara no Yoshifusa.<ref name="ReferenceA">Mason and Caiger, p. 69</ref> The first of what would become a powerful line of Fujiwara regents,<ref>Mason and Caiger, p. 71</ref> Yoshifusa had numerous family ties to the imperial court; he was Ninmyō's brother in law (by virtue of his sister who became Ninmyō's consort), the second son of sadaijin Fuyutsugu, and uncle to the new crown prince.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

In his lifetime, Ninmyō could not have anticipated that his third son, Prince Tokiyasu, would eventually ascend the throne in 884 as Emperor Kōkō.<ref>Titsingh, p. 124; Brown and Ishida, p. 289; Varley, pp. 171–175.</ref>

6 May 850 (Template:Nihongo foot): Emperor Ninmyō died at the age of 41.<ref>Brown and Ishida, p. 284</ref><ref>Adolphson, Mikael et al. (2007). Heian Japan, centers and peripheries, p. 23.</ref> He was sometimes posthumously referred to as "the Emperor of Fukakusa", because that was the name given to his tomb.<ref>Brown and Ishida, p. 284; Varley, p. 165.</ref>

Eras of Ninmyō's reign

The years of Ninmyō's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name (nengō).<ref>Titsingh, p. 106.</ref>

Tenchō (824–834)
Jōwa (834–848)
Kashō (848–851)

Kugyō

Template:Nihongo is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras.<ref>Heian period Imperial courts: – kugyō of Ninmyō-tennō (in French)</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 Ninmyō's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:

Sadaijin, Fujiwara no Otsugu (藤原緒嗣), 773–843.<ref name="nussbaum208">Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fujiwara no Otsugu" in Template:Google books.</ref>
Sadaijin, Minamoto no Tokiwa (源常), 812–854.<ref name="b283"/>
Udaijin, Kiyohara no Natsuno (清原夏野), 782–837.<ref name="b283"/>
Udaijin, Fujiwara no Mimori (藤原三守), d. 840.<ref name="b283"/>
Udaijin, Minamoto no Tokiwa (源常)
Udaijin, Tachibana no Ujikimi (橘氏公), 783–847.<ref name="b283"/>
Udaijin, Fujiwara no Yoshifusa (藤原良房), 804–872.<ref name="b284"/>
Udaijin, Fujiwara no Otsugu, 825–832<ref name="nussbaum208"/>
Naidaijin (not appointed)
Dainagon, Fujiwara no Otsugu, ?–825.<ref>Titsingh, Template:Google books</ref>

Consorts and children

Template:Further Consort (Nyōgo) later Empress Dowager (Tai-Kōtaigō): Fujiwara no Junshi (藤原順子; 809–871), Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu’s daughter

First Son: Imperial Prince Michiyasu (道康親王) later Emperor Montoku

Consort (Nyōgo): Fujiwara no Takushi/Sawako (藤原沢子; d.839), Fujiwara no Fusatsugu’s daughter

Second Son: Imperial Prince Muneyasu (宗康親王; 828–868)
Third Son: Imperial Prince Tokiyasu (時康親王) later Emperor Kōkō
Fourth Son: Imperial Prince Saneyasu (人康親王; 831–872)
Imperial Princess Shinshi (新子内親王; d.897)

Consort (Nyōgo): Fujiwara no Teishi/Sadako (藤原貞子; d.864), Fujiwara no Tadamori’s daughter

Eighth Son: Imperial Prince Nariyasu (成康親王; 836–853)
Imperial Princess Shinshi (親子内親王; d. 851)
Imperial Princess Heishi (平子内親王; d. 877)

Court lady: Shigeno no Tsunako (滋野縄子), Shigeno no Sadanushi’s daughter

fifth Son: Imperial Prince Motoyasu (本康親王; d. 902)
Ninth Daughter: Imperial Princess Tokiko (時子内親王; d. 847), 2nd Saiin in Kamo Shrine 831–833
Imperial Princess Jūshi (柔子内親王; d. 869)

Consort (Nyōgo): Tachibana no Kageko (橘影子; d. 864), Tachibana no Ujikimi’s daughter

Consort (Nyōgo): Fujiwara Musuko (藤原息子)

Court Attendant (Koui): Ki no Taneko (紀種子; d. 869), Ki no Natora’s daughter

Seventh Prince: Imperial Prince Tsuneyasu (常康親王; d. 869)
Imperial Princess Shinshi/Saneko (真子内親王; d. 870)

Court Attendant (Koui) (deposed in 845): Mikuni-machi (三国町), daughter of Mikuni clan

Sada no Noboru (貞登), given the family name "Sada" from Emperor (Shisei Kōka, 賜姓降下) in 866

Court lady: Fujiwara no Katoko (藤原賀登子), Fujiwara no Fukutomaro's daughter

Sixth Son: Imperial Prince Kuniyasu (国康親王; d. 898)

Court lady: Fujiwara no Warawako (藤原小童子), Fujiwara no Michitō's daughter

Imperial Princess Shigeko (重子内親王; d. 865)

Court lady: Princess Takamune (高宗女王), Prince Okaya's daughter

Seventh/eighth Daughter: Imperial Princess Hisako (久子内親王; d. 876), 18th Saiō in Ise Shrine 833–850.<ref>Saikū Historical Museum, Meiwa, Mie: wall-display information table.</ref>

Court lady: daughter of Yamaguchi clan (山口氏の娘)