Daijō Tennō


Daijō Tennō or Dajō Tennō is a title for an Emperor of Japan who abdicates the Chrysanthemum Throne in favour of a successor.
As defined in the Taihō Code, although retired, a Daijō Tennō could still exert power. The first such example is the Empress Jitō in the 7th century. A retired emperor sometimes entered the Buddhist monastic community, becoming a cloistered emperor. This practice was rather common during the Heian period.
The title is a shortened form of Daijō Tennō, sometimes used in the past, and currently held by Akihito, who abdicated on 30 April 2019. The official translation of Akihito's title, as designated by the Imperial Household Agency, is "Emperor Emeritus".

List

A total of 64 Japanese emperors have abdicated. A list follows:
NameAccededAbdicatedDiedSuccessorNotes
Jitō686697703MonmuPrince Kusabake was named as crown prince to succeed Empress Jitō, but he died aged only 27. Kusabake's son, Prince Karu, was then named as Jitō's successor. He eventually would become known as Emperor Monmu. After Jitō abdicated in Monmu's favor, as a retired sovereign, she took the post-reign title daijō-tennō. After this, her imperial successors who retired took the same title after abdication. Jitō continued to hold power as a cloistered ruler, which became a persistent trend in Japanese politics. She died 4 years later at the age of 58.
Genmei707715721GenshōGemmei had initially planned to remain on the throne until her grandson might reach maturity. However, after reigning for 8 years, Gemmei abdicated in favor of Monmu's older sister who then became known as Empress Genshō.
  • 715 : Gemmei resigned as empress in favor of her daughter, who was then known as Empress Genshō.
After abdicating, Gemmei was known as Daijō-tennō; she was only the second woman after Empress Jitō to claim this title. Gemmei lived in retirement until her death at the age of 61.
Genshō715724748Shōmu
Shōmu724749756Kōken
Kōken749758770 JunninEmperor Shōmu abdicated in favor of his daughter Princess Takano in 749, who became Empress Kōken. Empress Kōken abdicated in 758 for her cousin to reign as Emperor Junnin but returned to rule again in 764 as Empress Shōtoku. Her cousin would die a year later in 765.
Junnin758764765Shōtoku
Kōnin770781781Kanmu
Heizei806809824SagaEmperor Heizei was forced to abdicate due to illness in 809 and lived for 14 years as monk.
Saga809823842Junna
Junna823833840Nimmyō
Seiwa858876881Yōzei
Yōzei876884 949Kōkō
Uda887897931Daigo
Daigo897930930SuzakuEmperor Daigo abdicated in favour of his son, as he fell ill, and died a few months later.
Suzaku930946952Murakami
Reizei9679691011En'yū
  • Anna 2 969: Reizei abdicated; and he took the honorific title of Reizei-in Jōkō. His reign lasted for just two years; and he lived another 44 years in retirement.
  • Kankō 8, 24th day of the 10th month : Daijō-tennō Reizei-in Jōkō died at age 62.
En'yū969984991Kazan
Kazan9849861008Ichijō
Ichijō98610111011Sanjō
Sanjō101110161017Go-Ichijō
Go-Suzaku103610451045Go-Reizei
Go-Sanjō106810731073Shirakawa
  • Kankō 8, on the 13th day of the 6th month : In the 25th year of Emperor Ichijō's reign, the emperor abdicated; and the succession was received by his cousin. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Sanjō is said to have acceded to the throne at age 36.
  • Kankō 8, 22nd day of the 6th month : Daijō-tennō Emperor Ichijō died at the age of 32.
    • Shirakawa107310871129Horikawa
  • Ōtoku 3, on the 26th day of the 11th month : Emperor Shirakawa formally abdicated, and he took the title Daijō Tennō. Shirakawa had personally occupied the throne for 14 years; and for the next 43 years, he would exercise broad powers in what will come to be known as cloistered rule.
    • Emperor Go-Sanjō had wished for Shirakawa's younger half-brother to succeed him to the throne. In 1085, this half-brother died of an illness; and Shirakawa's own son, Taruhito became Crown Prince. On the same day that Taruhito was proclaimed as his heir, Shirakawa abdicated; and Taruhito became Emperor Horikawa. The now-retired Emperor Shirakawa was the first to attempt what became customary cloistered rule. He exercised power, ruling indirectly from the Shirakawa-in ; nevertheless, nominal sesshō and kampaku offices continued to exist for a long time.
    • Kanji 1, in the 5th month : Daijō Tennō Shirakawa retired himself to Uji.
    Toba110711231156Sutoku
  • Eiji 1, in the 3rd month : The former emperor Toba accepted the tonsure and became a Buddhist monk at the age of 39 years.
  • Kōji 2, in the 1st month : Cloistered Emperor Toba-in, now known by the title Daijō Hōō, visited his mother.
    • Sutoku112311421164Konoe
  • Eiji 1, on the 7th day of the 12th month : In the 18th year of Sutoku-tennō's reign, the emperor abdicated; and the succession was received by a younger brother, the 8th son of former Emperor Toba. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Konoe is said to have acceded to the throne.
    • At that time, Fujiwara-no Tadamichi became sesshō. The Cloistered Emperor Toba continued to direct all the affairs of government, while the retired Emperor Sutoku had no powers. This conflict resulted in many controversies during Konoe's reign.
    Go-Shirakawa115511581192Nijō
    Nijō115811651165Rokujō
    Rokujō116511681176Takakura
    Takakura116811801181Antoku
    Go-Toba118311981239Tsuchimikado
    Tsuchimikado119812101231Juntoku
    Juntoku121012211242Chūkyō
    Chūkyō122112211234Go-Horikawa
    Go-Horikawa122112321234Shijō
    Go-Saga124212461272Go-Fukakusa
    Go-Fukakusa124612591304Kameyama
    Kameyama125912741305Go-Uda
    Go-Uda127412871324Fushimi
    Fushimi128712981317Go-Fushimi
    Go-Fushimi129813011336Go-Nijō
    Hanazono130813181348Go-Daigo
    Kōgon13311333 1364Go-Daigo
    Go-Daigo131813391339Go-Murakami
    Kōmyō 133613481380Sukō
    Sukō 134813511398Go-Kōgon
    Go-Kōgon 135213711374Go-En'yū
    Chōkei 136813831394Go-Kameyama
    Go-En'yū 137113821393Go-Komatsu
    Go-Kameyama 138313921424Go-Komatsu
    Go-Komatsu1382 1392 14121433Shōkō
    Go-Hanazono 142814641471Go-TsuchimikadoEmperor Go-Hanazono abdicated in 1464, but not long afterwards, the Ōnin War broke out; there were no further abdications until 1586, when Emperor Ōgimachi passed the throne to his grandson, Emperor Go-Yōzei. This was due to the disturbed state of the country; and the fact that there was neither a house for an ex-emperor nor money to support him or it.
    Ogimachi155715861593Go-Yōzei
    Go-Yōzei158616111617Go-Mizunoo
    Go-Mizunoo161116291680Meishō
    Meishō162916431696Go-Kōmyō
    Go-Sai165516631685Reigen
    Reigen166316871732Higashiyama
    Higashiyama168717091710Nakamikado
    Nakamikado170917351737Sakuramachi
    Sakuramachi173517471750Momozono
    Momozono174717621762Go-Sakuramachi
    Go-Sakuramachi176217711813Go-MomozonoIn the history of Japan, Empress Go-Sakuramachi was the last of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant. The seven female monarchs who reigned before Go-Sakuramachi were Suiko, Kōgyoku, Jitō, Genmei, Genshō, Kōken, and Meishō.
    She reigned from 15 September 1762 to 9 January 1771 and died on 24 December 1813.
    Kōkaku178018171840NinkōPrior to the start of the third millennium the last emperor to become a jōkō was Kōkaku in 1817. He later created an incident called the "Songo incident". The jōkō disputed with the Tokugawa Shogunate about his intention to give a title of Abdicated Emperor to his father, who was Imperial Prince Sukehito.
    He died on 11 December 1840.
    Akihito19892019LivingNaruhito
    The special law authorizing the abdication of Emperor Akihito on 30 April 2019 provides that the title of Jōkō will be revived for him. As there was no official English translation of the title of Jōkō previously, the Imperial Household Agency decided to define it as "Emperor Emeritus".

    Abdication during the Empire of Japan

    Emperor Kōmei and the Shōgun

    Commodore Matthew C. Perry and his squadron of what the Japanese dubbed "the Black Ships", sailed into the harbor at Edo in July 1853. Perry sought to open Japan to trade, and warned the Japanese of military consequences if they did not agree. During the crisis brought on by Perry's arrival, the Tokugawa shogunate took, for the first time in at least 250 years, the highly unusual step of consulting with the Imperial Court, and Emperor Kōmei's officials advised that they felt the Americans should be allowed to trade and asked that they be informed in advance of any steps to be taken upon Perry's return. Feeling at a disadvantage against Western powers, the Japanese government allowed trade and submitted to the "Unequal Treaties", giving up tariff authority and the right to try foreigners in its own courts. The shogunate's willingness to consult with the Imperial Court was short-lived: in 1858, word of a treaty arrived with a letter stating that due to shortness of time, it had not been possible to consult. Emperor Kōmei was so incensed that he threatened to abdicate—though even this action would have required the consent of the shōgun.

    Meiji constitution on abdication

    wished to allow a clause codifying the right to abdicate and the formal institution of Daijō Tennō in the new Meiji Constitution. The Prime Minister refused, stating that the Emperor should be above politics, and that in the past, the role of Daijō Tennō had most definitely been employed in the opposite fashion.

    Emperor Taishō and regency

    In 1921, it became clear that Emperor Yoshihito was mentally incapacitated. In pre-modern Japan, he would have been forced to abdicate, but he was left in place and Crown Prince Hirohito was made Sesshō.