Emperor Daigo

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Emperor Daigo.

Emperor Daigo (醍醐天皇 Daigo Tennō) (January 18, 885– October 23, 930) was the 60th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from 897 to 930. He is also known as Imperial Prince Atsuhito.

[edit] Biography

The name Daigo comes from Daigo Temple, which is located in Kyoto and was Emperor Daigo's official temple during his life. Daigo temple in turn takes its name from daigo, or ghee in English, which is the most refined of the 5 flavors of Buddhism (milk, cream, curdled butter, butter and ghee). It is said that when a buddhist monk climbed the mountain on which Daigo temple is now located and tasted the water from a spring there, he exclaimed that the water had the finest taste of ghee (daigo), and proceeded to build a temple there of the same name.

Emperor Daigo was the eldest son of his predecessor, Emperor Uda with his official wife, a daughter of a Fujiwara woman. He succeeded the throne after his father, the Emperor Uda, abdicated his throne. The highlight of Daigo's thirty four year reign was that he ruled by himself without the regency of the Fujiwara clan, though he himself was part Fujiwara.

There was not too much political change during Emperor Daigo's rule. Rather, it was a time of flowering of the Heian Period. Emperor Daigo ordered a compilation of the Kokin Wakashū, the oldest waka collection compiled by request of the court. He also ordered construction of several halls in the Daigo-ji Temple, such as the Yakushi hall.

Emperor Daigo was succeeded by his son, Emperor Suzaku, after his death in 930.

[edit] Wives

885-954 Empress Fujiwara no Onshi (中宮藤原穏子) － daughter of Kampaku Fujiwara no Mototsune
？-899 Imperial Princess Tameshi (妃　為子内親王) － daughter of Emperor Kōkō
?-947 Lady Minamoto no Wako (女御源和子) － princess of Emperor Kōkō
？-964 Court Lady Fujiwara no Nōko (女御藤原能子) － daughter of Udaijin Fujiwara no Sadakata (藤原定方)
？-935 Court Lady Fujiwara no Wakako (女御藤原和香子) － daughter of Dainagon Fujiwara no Sadakuni (藤原定国)
？-？ Lady Minamoto no Shōme (更衣源昇女) － daughter of Dainagon Minamoto no Shō (源昇)
？-921 Lady Fujiwara no Kuwako (更衣藤原桑子) － daughter of Chūnagon Fujiwara no Kensuke (藤原兼輔)
？-948 Lady Fujiwara no Hidehime (更衣藤原淑姫) － daughter of Sangi Fujiwara no Sugane (藤原菅根)
？-935 Lady Minamoto no Chikako (更衣源周子) － daughter of Sadaiben Minamoto no Tonou (源唱)
？-？ Lady Minamoto no Fūko (更衣源封子) － daughter of Ukyōdaibu Minamoto no Kyūkan (源旧鑑)
？-915 Lady Fujiwara no Senko (更衣藤原鮮子) － daughter of Iyonosuke (伊予介) Fujiwara no Tsunenaga(藤原連永)

(and others including a large number of women of lower rank)

[edit] Imperial princes and princesses

903-927 first son, Katsuakira Shinnō (克明親王) － father of the musician Minamoto no Hiromasa － child of Minamoto no Fuuko
903-923 second son, Yasuakira Shinnō (保明親王) - Emperor Daigo's crown prince and bunkengentaishi (文献彦太子) － child of Fujiwara no Onshi
904-937 third son, Yoakira Shinnō (代明親王) － child of Fujiwara no Senko
904-938 fifth daughter, Kinshi Naishinnō (勤子内親王) － wife of Udaijin Fujiwara no Morosuke（藤原師輔) － child of Minamoto no Chikako
906-954 fourth son, Jigeakira Shinnō (重明親王) - author of the Ribuōki (吏部王記) － child of Minamoto no Shōme
909-954 tenth daughter, Masako Naishinnō (雅子内親王) - Imperial shrine maiden at the Grand Shrine of Ise; later, wife of Udaijin Fujiwara no Morosuke　－　child of Minamoto no Chikako
914-982 tenth son, Minamoto no Takaakira (源高明) - also called Nishinomiya (西宮) Sadaijin － child of Minamoto no Chikako
914-987 eleventh son, Kaneakira Shinnō (兼明親王) － also called saki no chūshoō (前中書王) － child of Fujiwara no Hidehime
919-957 fourteenth daughter, Kouko Naishinnō (康子内親王) － wife of Udaijin Fujiwara no Morosuke (藤原師輔) － child of Fujiwara no Onshi
923-952 twelfth son, Kanmei Shinnō (寛明親王) － Emperor Suzaku － child of Fujiwara no Onshi
926-967　fourteenth son, Nariakira Shinnō (成明親王) － Emperor Murakami － child of Fujiwara no Onshi