Emperor Go-Hanazono - Events of Go-Hanazono's Life

Events of Go-Hanazono's Life

Because the previous emperor, Emperor Shōkō had no son, retired Emperor Go-Komatsu needed to secure the Jimyōin inheritance against the Daikakuji line, before Emperor Shōkō died, he adopted a son out of the Fushimi-no-miya house, who became Emperor Go-Hanazono after Shōkō's death.

• 1428 (Shōchō 1, 20th day of the 7th month): In the 17th year of Shōkō-tennō 's reign (称光天皇17年), the emperor died at age 27; and the succession (senso) was received by his adopted son.
• Shōchō 1, on the 29th day of the 7th month (1428): Emperor Go-Hanazono is said to have acceded to the throne (sokui). The new emperor is age 10.

• 1429 (Eikyō 1, 9th day of the 3rd month): Minamoto-no Yoshinobu is honored in court; and thereafter, he is known as Shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori.
• 1433 (Eikyō 5, 6th month): The Emperor of China, at that time the Xuande Emperor, addressed a letter to Yoshinori in which he gave the Shogun the title, "King of Japan."

• 1441 (Kakitsu 1, 24th day of the 6th month): Shogun Yoshinori is murdered at age 48 by Akamatsu Mitsusuke; and shortly thereafter, his 8-year-old son, Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, is proclaimed as the new Shogun.
• 1441 (Kakitsu 1, 9th month): The assassins of Yoshinori kill themselves.
• 1442 (Kakitsu 3, 21 day of the 7th month): Shogun Yoshikatsu died at the age of 10. He enjoyed riding horses; but he was gravely injured in a fall from a horse, and died as a result. He was shogun for only three years. His 8-year-old brother, Yoshinari, was then named shogun.
• 1443 (Kakitsu 3, 23rd day of the 9th month).: An armed group of rebels penetrated the palace defenses. A fire was started and one of the men sought to kill Go-Hanazono, but the emperor escaped. However, the intruders managed to steal the Three Sacred Treasures: the mirror, the sword and the jewel. Later, a guard found the mirror and a priest found the sword, but the location of jewel was not known until the 8th month of the starting year of the Bun'an-era (1444).

• 1451 (Hōtoku 3, 7th month ): A delegation from the Ryukyu Islands arrives for the first time in Heian-kyō (Kyoto).

• 1451 (Hōtoku 3, 8th month ): Shogun Yoshinari sent a letter to the Emperor of China, at that time, the Jingtai Emperor.

• 1453 (Kyōtoku 2, 6th month): The name of Shogun Minamoto-no Yoshinari was changed to Ashikaga Yoshimasa.

• 1458 (Chōroku 2, 8th month): The Sacred Jewel is retrieved from the former Southern Court. It is returned to Miyako to join the other Sacred Treasures.

• 1464 (Kanshō 5, 7th month): Go-Hanazono resigned his throne in favor of his son, who would be known as Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado.

Until former-Emperor Go-Komatsu died in 1433, Emperor Go-Hanazono held the title of formal head of the Daïri, the real power in the court was wielded by his uncle, who continued a practice known as cloistered rule. After this, Go-Hanazono enjoyed 30 years of direct imperial rule, until his abdication on August 21, 1464, when the conventional pattern of indirect government by cloistered emperors was again resumed.

• January 18, 1471 (Bunmei 3, 12th month): Former Emperor Go-Hanazono died at age 52.