Cloistered Emperor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daijō Hōō or Daijō Hō (both accepted readings of 太上法皇), sometimes Cloistered Emperor in English was a Japanese Emperor (Tennō) who abdicated and entered the Buddhist monastic community by receiving the Pravrajya rite. It is also shortened as Hōō (法皇).
Cloistered emperors sometimes acted as Daijō Tennō (retired emperors), therefore maintaining effective power.
Famous emperors who adopted cloistered rule:
- Emperor Shirakawa (1053-1129, r. 1073-1087 and cloistered rule 1087-1129)
- Emperor Toba (1103-1156, r. 1107-1123 and cloistered rule 1129-1156)
- Emperor Go-Shirakawa (1127-1192, r. 1155-1158 and cloistered rule 1158-1192)
The last cloistered emperor was Emperor Reigen, in the Edo period.