Go-Sakuramachi

was the 117th monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. She was named after her father Emperor Sakuramachi, with the word before her name translating in this context as "later" or "second one", also referred to as "Sakuramachi II". Her reign during the Edo period spanned the years from 1762 through to her abdication in 1771. As of 2026, she remains the most recent Japanese empress regnant.

Birth and pre-reign Empress Go-Sakuramachi was born Princess Toshiko (智子) to Emperor Sakuramachi and in 1740. Her father died when she was young, and so the Tokugawa shogunate granted her mother some land, and gave the princess herself 300 koku of land as there was no intention for her to enter a nunnery.

Her brother was sickly and had only one child, a young boy. It was unusual for the emperor to come to the throne without the backing of a Daijō Tennō, the retired emperor, and so Momozono named his sister as his heir in his will. In 1762 Go-Sakuramachi came to the throne.

Reign

Her reign was contested by some nobles, including commander Nomiya Sadaharu who argued that it was unusual to enthrone a female emperor in modern times, and that Go-Sakuramachi's female predecessor, Empress Meishō, could not count as precedence for a modern female emperor since she was an "example from a strange and degenerate age". He lamented "Alas, this is a time when the royal way has declined and fallen into decay in the latter days", further saying "It has never been heard of that a younger brother should cede the imperial throne to his elder sister or brother". It was suggested the crown of Empress Shōtoku be used, but regent Konoe Uchisaki rejected this, and so a crown based on one worn on a statue of Tokugawa Masako was made instead. Thus, the Emperor's death was kept a secret, as Go-Sakuramachi adopted Prince Morohito, making him heir. He was of the Kan'in-no-miya branch of the imperial family and would become Emperor Kōkaku.

She worried over the new emperor greatly, who was nine years old, and wrote to the former regent of Japan that she still relied on him and needed his help. While it started small, it grew into tens of thousands of people per day, and people began throwing coins at the palace gate, praying, and holding festivities.

This, along with her teachings to Emperor Kōkaku in which she taught him compassion and benevolence to the people, earned her the nickname "Mother of the Nation" or "National Mother".

Death Empress Go-Sakuramachi died on 24 December 1813, aged 73, 11 months after the death of her adopted son's biological mother, Ōe Iwashiro.

Eras and Kugyō The years of Go-Sakuramachi's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō. While , 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.

The following eras occurred during Go-Sakuramachi's reign:

Hōreki (1751–1764) Meiwa (1764–1772)

During Go-Sakuramachi's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included: Sadaijin Udaijin Naidaijin Dainagon

Ancestry