Posthumous Name - Japanese Emperor

Japanese Emperor

The posthumous names of Japanese emperors are called teigō (帝号, lit. emperor names). In addition to the appellation Ten'nō (天皇, lit. heavenly sovereign, usually translated as Emperor) that is a part of all Japanese emperors' posthumous name, most consist of two kanji characters, although a few consist of three. Some names are given several generations later—this is the case for Emperor Jimmu and Emperor Antoku, for example. Others are given immediately after death, like that of Emperor Mommu.

Many have Chinese-style names, for example:

• Emperor Jimmu (神武天皇 Jinmu Ten'nō, lit. Divine Might)
• Emperor Nintoku (仁徳天皇 Nintoku Ten'nō, lit. Humane Virtue)
• Emperor Ōjin (応神天皇 Ōjin Ten'nō, lit. Answering the Gods)

Some have Japanese-style names. For example:

• those who were named after the place where the emperor was born, lived or frequented:
  • Emperor Saga (嵯峨天皇 Saga Ten'nō), named after a palace (院 in)
  • Emperor Ichijō (一条天皇 Ichijō Ten'nō), named after an official residence (邸 tei)
  • Emperor Kōmyō (光明天皇 Kōmyō Ten'nō), named after a temple
  • Emperor Higashiyama (東山天皇 Higashiyama Ten'nō), named after a hill
• those who were named after an emperor whose admirable characteristics resemble those of an earlier one by adding Go (後, lit. latter) as a prefix to the earlier emperor's name:
  • Emperor Go-Ichijō (後一条天皇 Go-Ichijō Ten'nō)
  • Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇 Go-Daigo Ten'nō)
  • Empress Go-Sakuramachi (後桜町天皇 Go-Sakuramachi Ten'nō)
• those who were named by combining the characters from two previous emperors' names:
  • Empress Gemmei (元明天皇 Genmei Ten'nō) + Empress Genshō (元正天皇 Genshō Ten'nō) = Empress Meishō (明正天皇 Meishō Ten'nō)
  • Empress Shōtoku (称徳天皇 Shōtoku Ten'nō) + Emperor Kōnin (光仁天皇 Kōnin Ten'nō) = Emperor Shōkō (称光天皇 Shōkō Ten'nō)

Since the death of Emperor Meiji (明治天皇 Meiji Ten'nō) in 1912, the posthumous name of an emperor has always been the name of his era. For example, after his death Hirohito (by which he is usually called outside Japan) was formally renamed Emperor Shōwa (昭和天皇 Shōwa Ten'nō) after his era; Japanese now refer to him by only that name. Hirohito was his given name; most Japanese never refer to their emperors by their given names, as it is considered disrespectful.