Emperor Montoku (文徳天皇) (August 826 – 7 October 858) was the 55th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Montoku's reign lasted from 850 to 858.

Traditional narrative

Before Montoku's ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (imina) was Michiyasu (道康). He was also known as Tamura-no-mikado or Tamura-tei. He was the eldest son of Emperor Ninmyō. His mother was Empress Dowager Fujiwara no Junshi (also called the Gojō empress 五条后), daughter of the minister of the left, Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu. Montoku had six Imperial consorts and 29 Imperial children.

Events of Montoku's life

Events during his reign included the repression of insurrections among the Ebisu people in Mutsu Province in 855, and among the people of the island of Tsushima two years later. The actual site of Montoku's grave is known. This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine (misasagi) at Kyoto. The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Montoku's mausoleum. It is formally named Tamura no misasagi.

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.– kugyō of Montoku-tennō (in French) 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 Montoku's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:

Eras of Montoku's reign

The years of Montoku's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.

Consorts and children

Ancestry