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Emperor Heizei

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Heizei
Emperor of Japan
Reign806–809
Coronation9 April 806
PredecessorKammu
SuccessorSaga
Born773
Died5 August 824 (age 51)
Heijō-kyō (Nara)
Burial
Yamamomo no misasagi (Nara)

Emperor Heizei (平城天皇, Heizei-tennō, 773–5 August 824), also known as Heijō-tennō. was the 51st emperor of Japan,[1] according to the traditional order of succession.[2] Heizei's reign started in 806 and ended in 809.[3]

Traditional history

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Before he became the monarch, this prince's personal name (imina) was Ate (安殿).[4]

Heizei was the eldest son of the Emperor Kammu.[5]

He had three empresses and seven sons and daughters.[5]

Events of Heizei's life

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Before he became the monarch, he was Crown Prince for over twenty years.

  • 785 (Enryaku 4, 11th month): Heizei was appointed Crown Prince at the age of 12.[5]
  • 9 April 806 (Daidō 1, 17th day of the 3rd month): In the 25th year of Kammu's reign, the emperor died; and the succession (senso) was received by his son. A short time later, Emperor Heizei is said to have acceded to the throne (sokui).[4] This was confirmed in ceremonies.[6]
  • 809 (Daidō 4, 1st month): After a reign of four years, Heizei fell ill and he feared that he would die. Heizei abdicated in favor of his younger brother who would be known as Emperor Saga. After abdicating, Heizei moved to Nara; and he was known as the "Emperor of Nara" (Nara no Mikado).[7]
  • 18 May 809 (Daidō 4, 1st day of the 4th month): Emperor Saga was enthroned at age 24.[7]
  • 810 (Kōnin 1): Heizei became a Buddhist monk.[7]
  • 5 August 824 (Tenchō 1, 7th day of the 7th month): Heizei died at 14 years after his abdication.[8]

After his death

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According to the Imperial Household Agency, the mausoleum (misasagi) of Heizei is in Nara. The emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine at this location.[1] The site can be visited by the public.[9]

Era of reign

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The years of Heizei's reign are identified by only one era name (nengō).[3]

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References

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The chrysanthemum symbol of the Japanese emperor and his family.
  1. 1.0 1.1 Imperial Household Agency (Kunaichō), 平城天皇 (51); retrieved 2011-10-21.
  2. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, pp. 62-63.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Klaproth, Julius von (1834). Nipon o dai itsi ran: ou Annales des empereurs du Japon. Oriental Translation Fund. pp. 96–97.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Klaproth, Julius von (1834). Nipon o dai itsi ran: ou Annales des empereurs du Japon. Oriental Translation Fund. p. 96.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Jien; Delmer Myers Brown, Ichirō Ishida (1979). 愚管抄: A Translation and Study of the Gukansho, an Interpretative History of Japan Written in 1219. University of California Press. p. 279. ISBN 978-0-520-03460-0.
  6. Varley, p. 44; a distinct act of senso is unrecognized prior to Emperor Tenji; and all sovereigns except Jitō, Yōzei, Go-Toba, and Fushimi have senso and sokui in the same year until the reign of Emperor Go-Murakami. Compare Imperial Household Agency (Kunaichō), Ceremony of Accession (Sokui-no-Rei); retrieved 2011-12-23.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Jien; Delmer Myers Brown, Ichirō Ishida (1979). 愚管抄: A Translation and Study of the Gukansho, an Interpretative History of Japan Written in 1219. University of California Press. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-520-03460-0.
  8. Klaproth, Julius von (1834). Nipon o dai itsi ran: ou Annales des empereurs du Japon. Oriental Translation Fund. p. 103.
  9. Nara City Sightseeing Information Center (Narashikanko): Heizei's misasagi, map Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2011-10-21.
Preceded by
Emperor Kammu
Emperor of Japan
Heizei

806–809
Succeeded by
Emperor Saga