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Emperor Ōgimachi (正親町天皇 Ōgimachi-tennō) (June 18, 1517 - February 6, 1593) was the 106th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from October 27?, 1557 to December 17, 1586, corresponding to the transition between the Warring States Era and the Azuchi-Momoyama period. His personal name was Michihito (方仁).[1]
Genealogy
Ōgimachi was the first son of Emperor Go-Nara
- Lady-in-waiting: Madenokōji (Fujiwara) Fusako (万里小路（藤原）房子)
- Second daughter: Princess Eikō (永高女王)
- Fifth son: Imperial Prince Sanehito (誠仁親王)
Events of Ōgimachi's life
Ōgimachi became Emperor upon the death of Emperor Go-Nara.
- Eiroku 3, in the 1st month (1560): Ōgimachi was proclaimed emperor. The ceremonies of coronation were made possible because they were paid for by Mōri Motonari and others.[1]
- Eiroku 3. in the 5th month (1560): Imagawa Yoshimoto led the armies of the province of Suruga against the Owari; and at the Battle of Okehazama (桶狭間の戦い Okehazama-no-tatakai), his forces fought against Oda Nobunaga; but Imagawa's army was vanquished and he did not survive. Then Nobunaga took over the province of Owari. Tokugawa Ieyasu took over the province of Mikawa and made himself master of Okazaki Castle (岡崎城, Okazaki-jō).[1]
- Eiroku 7 (1564): Oda Nobunaga completed the conquest of Mino; and he built a new castle at Gifu.[2]
- Eiroku 11, in the 2nd month (1568): Ashikaga Yoshihide became shogun.[3]
- Eiroku 11, in the 9th month (1568): The Shogun Yoshihide died from a contagious disease.[3]
The finances of the emperor and is court were greatly strained. The authority of the Imperial Court also began to fall, but Oda Nobunaga, entering Kyoto changed this situation. Frequently using the Emperor as a mediator when fighting enemies, Oda Nobunaga brought peace to Japan. However, by around 1573, Oda Nobunaga came to frequently demand the Emperor's abdication, but the Emperor refused.
Before political power was transferred to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, in order to take advantage of the Emperor's authority, the power of the Imperial Family was increased. In this way, Hideyoshi and the Imperial Family entered into a mutually beneficial relationship.
In 1586, he abdicated in favor of his grandson, Imperial Prince Katahito (周仁親王), who became the Emperor Go-Yōzei. Ōgimachi retired to the Sennōda Palace. On February 6 1593, he died.
During Ōgimachi's reign, with the assistance of Oda Nobunaga and Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the Imperial Family was able to halt the decline it had been in since the Ōnin War, and began a time of recovery.
Kugyō
Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras. Even during those years in which the court's actual influence outside the palace walls was minimal, the hierarchic organization persisted.
In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Ōgimachi's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
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