[December 4] Meisho, empress of Japan

Local Name: 明正天皇
Parents: Go-Mizunoo, emperor of Japan, and Tokugawa Masako
Date of Birth: 9 January 1624
House: Japan
Predecessor: Go-Mizunoo

Reign: 1629 – 1643
Brief: The succession of women to the throne of Japan was not unknown, but it was also extremely uncommon. In most cases, the women were single with no children of their own, begging the question: why did they succeed. Such was the case with Meisho, the first empress regnant in nearly a thousand years. She was raised with her family rather than with the females in the Imperial palace at Heian. Her father abdicated in 1629, leaving the five-year-old empress under the control of the Tokugawa shogunate and Shogun Iemitsu. In 1634, her retired father, Go-Mizunoo, claimed the regency for his daughter and never seemed to relinquish his control until her own abdication in 1643. Her reign was dominated by revolts and crises in Japan. In 1637, Christians revolted in numerous provinces. The next year the revolt was crushed, with up to 37,000 Christians killed. Iemitsu decreed that Christians were thereafter banned from Japan. In 1640, a delegation of Spaniards arrived in Nagasaki and were decapitated a month later. By 1643, possibly resigned to non-governance by the interferences of her father, Meisho abdicated the throne in favor of her eleven-year-old half-brother, Go-Komyo. She outlived her two successors and died in the reign of Emperor Higashiyama in 1696. 
Date of Death: 4 December 1696

Successor: Komyo

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Jafar Sadiq, imam of Shi'a Islam (765)
• Carloman I, king of the Franks (771)
• Anno II, archbishop of Cologne (1075)
• William I, king of Scots (1214)
• Theobald II, king of Navarre (1270)
• John XXII, pope of Rome (1334)
• Adolf VIII, duke of Jutland (1459)

[November 19] Matsunaga Hisahide, daimyo in Japan

Local Name: 松永 久秀
Born: 1510
House: Matsunaga

Reign: 1560s – 1577
Brief: One of the later independent daimyos in Japan, Hisahide worked hard to build up a power base in the Awa region of Japan. He was educated in poetry and was a patron of the arts within his lands. In 1565, he captured the shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, and either murdered him or forced him to commit suicide. A young cousin, Yoshihide, was installed as shogun. By 1568, the tables were turning against Hisahide as the legitimate shogun, Yoshiaki, allied with Oda Nobunaga, capturing Kyoto and forcing Hisahide to surrender. Hisahide was allowed to keep Yamato Province and served Nobunaga until the death of the shogun in 1573. Hisahide fought a four year campaign against Nobunaga until he was trapped in his castle in 1577 and forced to commit suicide. Most of his family died with him rather than submit to Nobunaga. 

Date of Death: 19 November 1577

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Anastasius II, pope of Rome (498)
• Baeda Maryam, emperor of Ethiopia (1478)

[October 21] Go-Tsuchimikado, emperor of Japan

Local Name: 後土御門天皇
Parents: Go-Hanazono, emperor of Japan, and Öinomikado, daughter of Fujiwara Takanaga
Born: 3 July 1442
House: Japan
Spouse(s): Kasannoin Fujiwara
Predecessor: Go-Hanazono

Reign: 1464 – 1500
Brief: While little of note can be said of the reigns of the emperors of Japan in this era, a few important events occurred during Go-Tsuchimikado's reign that effected the future of the Japanese imperial family. Go-Tsuchimikado reigned during the Önin War, where Shinto shrines and temples across Japan were pillaged and ransacked. This led directly to the decline of the imperial family's financial stability. Tsuchimikado's reign was the longest prior to Emperor Meiji, but most of its was under the indirect leadership of first the emperor's uncle, and then his father. By the time the latter died in 1471, the war had devastated the reputation of the imperial family and few sought to revive it. Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado's death in 1500 was a passing note. His successor, his eldest son Go-Kashiwabara, lacked the funds to pay for a state funeral, and Tsuchimikado's body lay in a storeroom for a month while donations were made for his burial. Kashiwabara's reign was the lowest point in the history of the Japanese imperial family.

Date of Death: 21 October 1500
Successor: Go-Kashiwabara

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Alix, duchess of Brittany (1221)
• Charles VI, king of France (1422)
• Toda Katsushige, daimyo in Japan (1600)

[September 30] Yoshitaka, daimyo in Japan

Native Name: 大内 義隆
Parents: Yoshioki, daimyo of Suo Province
Date of Birth: 18 December 1507
House: Öuchi
Predecessor: Yoshioki

Reign: 1528 – 1551
Brief: Before he ascended the throne, Yoshitaka worked with his father and the Amago clan to take control of Aki Province. After his father's death, he continued the campaign conquering northern Kyushu and then the territories of his former ally, Amago Clan. By 1541, Yoshitaka was the sole ruler of Aki Province as well as his own hereditary area of Suo. Discontented with his new status, Yoshitaka turned on Izumo and lost terribly. He gave up on campaigning and turned to the arts and culture, splitting his advisors into two camps: those who wished to continue the wars and those who were content like their lord. In 1551, the warmonger camp rebelled and captured the daimyo, forcing him to commit suicide. Yoshitaka's adopted son, Yoshinaga, was installed on the throne as a puppet for the conqueror, Sue Harukata.

Date of Death: 30 September 1551

Successor: Yoshinaga

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Louis IV, king of France (954)
• Yaroslav II, grand prince of Vladimir (1246)

[September 19] Go-Daigo, emperor of Japan

Parents: Go-Uda, emperor of Japan, and Fujjiwara no Chüshi
Date of Birth: 26 November 1288
House: Japan
Spouse(s): Kishi, daughter of Saionji Sanekane
Predecessor: Hanazono

Reign: 1318 – 1339
Brief: Go-Daigo was not an emperor to be ruled over by shoguns. In 1324, and again in 1331, he attempted to overthrown the Kamakura Shogunate in the hope of ruling Japan by himself. In 1331, he raised an army abut was overthrown and a rival emperor, Kogon, was installed in his stead. He briefly regained the throne in 1333 in what became known as the Kenmu Restoration. This eventually led to the division of the Japanese empire into northern and southern courts, with Go-Daigo setting up his rival court in the south. He abdicated the throne to his son in September  1339 and died the next day.

Date of Death: 19 September 1339

Successor: Go-Murakami

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Peter I, duke of Bourbon (1356)
• Walter VI, count of Lecce (1356)

[September 14] Bidasu, emperor of Japan

Local Name: 敏達天皇
Parents: Kimmei, emperor of Japan, and Iwahime of Japan
House: Japan
Born: 538
Spouse(s): (1) Hirohime, then (2) Nukatabe, daughter of Kimmei, emperor of Japan
Predecessor: Kimmei

Reign: 572 – 585
Brief: Ruling during a time of turmoil when the Soga and Mononobe clans were contemplating acceptance of Buddhism, Bidatsu accomplished little of note during his reign. He worked hard to resume diplomacy with Korea and succeeded in setting up embassies in Baekje and Silla, two Korean kingdoms. After his first wife died, Bidatsu married his half-sister, Nukatabe, who would later succeed to the throne in her own right as Empress Suiko. Bidatsu died in 585 of smallpox, the first royal victim of the disease in Japan.

Date of Death: 14 September 585

Successor: Yomei

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Constantine V, emperor of Constantinople (775)
• Al-Hadi, caliph of Sunni Islam (786)
• Stephen V, pope of Rome (891)
• Zengi, emir of Mosul (1146)
• Sutoku, emperor of Japan (1164)
• Albert Avogadro, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem (1214)
• Albert IV, duke of Austria (1404)
• Adrian VI, pope of Rome (1523)
• Henry III, prince of Nassau-Breda (1538)

[August 7] Yuryaku, emperor of Japan

True Name: 雄略天皇
Parents: Ingyo, emperor of Japan

House: Japan

Spouse(s): (1) Kusahahatahi, (2) Kazuraki no Karahime, among others

Predecessor: Anko
Reign: 456 – 479
Summary: One of the quasi-historical emperors of Japan, Yaryaku never ruled all of Japan and his reigning and death dates are speculative at best. When he was born, he was named Ohatsuse Wakatake, which matches historical data found regarding his tomb. He was the fifth son of Emperor Ingyo and he succeeded to the throne after the death of his brother, Anko, and after suppressing the claims of his younger brothers. Although the formal tomb of the emperor has never been discovered, a Shinto shrine at Osaka is dedicated to him.

Historically, Yaryaku may be the same as King Bu, a Japanese ruler who sent an envoy to the emperor of Liu Song in China during the Northern and Southern Kingdoms period. The envoy bragged that his king's ancestors had conquered 115 barbarian countries (probably states of Japan) and that the king wished for military support against Goguryeo, king of Korea. 

Date of Death: 7 August 479

Successor: Seinei

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Majorian, emperor of Rome (461)
• Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1106)

[June 6] Kiyohide, daimyo in Japan

Province of Kiyohide in blue near center

Full Name: 中川 清秀

Parents: Nakagawa Shigekiyo

Date of Birth: 1542

House: Nakagawa

Predecessor: Shigekiyo

Reign: 1570s – 1583

Summary: During his early years, Kiyohide served the powerful Ikeda clan of the Settsu Province in Japan. His daimyoate became independent in the 1570s alongside Araki Murashige and Takayama Ukon, but all three surrendered to Oda Nobunaga when he marched on Kyoto in 1560. They became loyal followers of Nobunaga and fought for him in numerous conflicts until Nobunaga's death in 1582. In 1578, Kiyohide briefly turned against Nobunaga and joined forces with Murashige to proclaim independence for their daimyoates once gain. Nobunaga spared no time to suppress the revolt and Kiyohide quickly surrendered and turned on his former ally Murashige. Kiyohide then joined Nobunaga in his unification wars against the remaining independent daimyos. When Nobunaga died, Kiyohide joined the side of Toyotomi Hideyoshi against Tokugawa Ieyasu and participated at the Battle of Yamazaki. In 1583, he was in the front lines of the Battle of Shizugatake and died in the battle. His second son, Hdenari, became the leader of the Oka clan in the Bungo Province, a line that continued until the Meiji Reformation.

Date of Death: 6 June 1583

Successor: Hidenari

Other Monarch Deaths:

Go-En'yu, emperor of Japan (1393)

[June 1] Tokugawa Ieyasu, shogun of Japan

True Name: Matsudaira Takechiyo (松平 竹千代), then Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川 家康)

Parents: Matsudaira Hirotada, daimyo of Mikawa, and Odainokata

Date of Birth: 31 January 1543

House: Tokugawa
Spouse: Saigo, daughter of Tozuka Tadahru, among many other wives

Reign: 1603 – 1605

Summary: Ieyasu was born to the Matsudaira clan to a young ruler of Mikawa. His childhood was spent in peril as his clan split between loyalty to two different warlords. In 1548, Ieyasu was sent as a hostage to a rival clan but was captured by another clan on the way. He was raised at the Manshoji Temple in Nagoya for three years, from the age of six to nine. During his captivity, his father died and Ieyasu was ransomed to his originally intended hostage-holders. He spent the next six years as a titular member of the Imagawa clan. At 16, he changed his name to Matsudaira Jirosaburo Motonobu and married his first wife. He was returned to Mikawa where he became leader of the clan. After a few years of intermittent warfare, he allied with the Oda clan against the Imagawa. He invaded the Imagawa land and captured prisoners and territory. Within ten years, Ieyasu was becoming the most powerful warlord in Japan and had taken his final name, Tokugawa Ieyasu. By taking this name, he claimed descent from the Minamoto clan, a clan descended from the 56th emperor, Seiwa. He used Portuguese firearms to win many of his victories. In 1568, his allies in Clan Oda captured the Japanese capital at Kyoto. Ieyasu continued to conquer Japan with his allies until he was forced to parcel lots off to each ally to pacify them. Meanwhile, at the Battle of Shizugatake, Toyotomi Hideyoshi became the most powerful daimyo (duke) in Japan. In 1584, Ieyasu entered the fight to rule Japan. Already overly powerful, he backed the Odo candidate rather than seek the title of shogun himself. Hideyoshi and Ieyasu fought long and hard until the two agreed to a truce. Hideyoshi adopted Ieyasu's son as heir. The two barely cooperated for the next five years until after 1590 when Hideyoshi defeated the last independent daimyo in Japan. Hideyoshi offered the newly-conquered provinces to Ieyasu in exchange for five provinces that Ieyasu controlled. The two agreed and Ieyasu settled in the lands around Edo where he built up his powerbase and became the second most powerful lord in Japan. Whiel Hideyoshi invaded Korea, Ieyasu sought allies in European powers. Hideyoshi died in 1598 leaving his lands in the control of a young son and regents. Over the next five years, Ieyasu manipulated the politics in Hideyoshi's lands to favor him, and eventually, at the battle of Sekigahara, the biggest battle in Japanese history occurred, where a total of 160,000 men fought. Ieyasu defeated his enemies and became the de facto ruler of Japan.


On March 24th, 1603, Emperor Go-Yozei made Ieyasu shogun of Japan at the age of 60. His dynasty would rule Japan for 250 years. He did little during his actual term in office, mostly centralizing and solidifying his control over Japan. He abdicated two years later to his son, Tokugawa Hidetada. But this was mostly done to leave the actual court proceedings to someone else. He remained in power for the last eleven years of his life. In retirement, he supervised the construction of Edo Castle, the largest fortification in Japan. He negotiated with the Netherlands and Spain thought after 1609 he began to distance Japanese politics from foreign powers. In 1614, he banned Christianity from Japan and expelled all known missionaries and foreigners outside of the city of Nagasaki. Most early Japanese converts, the Kirishitans, fled to Macau and the Philippines. A year later, he centralized the Tokugawa government in the Buke Shohatto. The last two years of his life were focused on defeating the heir of Hideyoshi at Osaka Castle. The castle fell in 1615 and nearly everyone was killed in the aftermath. Ieyasu died the next year at the age of 73 having conquered virtually all of Japan during his lifetime. He passed on to his son a centralized nation of Japan, the first verifiable unified Japanese state.

Date of Death: 1 June 1616

Successor: Tokugawa Hidetada

Other Monarch Deaths:

Gaozu, emperor of China (195 BCE)

Didius Julians, emperor of Rome (193)

Dan II, voivode of Wallachia (1432)

Wladislaus II, king of Poland (1434)

Gregory XVI, pope of Rome (1846)

Napoleon IV, pretender to the French Empire (1879)

Birendra, king of Nepal (2001)

[May 22] Gensho, empress of Japan

The Imperial Seal of Japan

True Name: 元正天皇
Parents: Kusakabe and Gemmei, empress of Japan

Date of Birth: 683

House: Japan
Predecessor: Gemmei

Reign: 715 – 724

Summary: Ruling as the second woman in succession in Japan, Gensho was never intended to rule Japan. She was an elder sister of Emperor Mommu, who had predeceased her, and the daughter of the Japanese prince Kusakabe and his wife, Gemmei. When Mommu died, Kusakabe was already dead and his wife, Gemmei, the daughter of Emperor Tenji, took over as empress in his stead. Thus, Gensho descended from the Japanese royal family on both her parents' sides. Her claim to the succession was strong, and when Gemmei abdicated in 715, Gensho was selected as her successor. Gensho was chosen as an interim monarch until her nephew, Obito, son of Mommu, was old enough to rule, thus Gensho would be considered a regent in many other monarchies. But in Japan, regencies were not preferred and so on 3 October 715, Gensho became the 44th monarch of Japan.

Japan's first history book, the Nihonshoki, was completed during Gensho's reign. The book described much of the early history of Japan, copying oral histories and traditions. Gensho's place as the "44th empress" is due to this book's reckoning. The Japanese royal family was expansive during this time and had posts at every level of government. Fujiwara no Nakamaro helped organize a new code of law in Japan while Nagaya worked out a new taxation system. Fujiwara no Fuhito became the most powerful courtier and then was succeeded by Nagaya. Their two lines would fight for control of the government in future generations. In 724, Prince Obito was declared old enough to rule and Gensho abdicated in his favor. He was crowned Emperor Shomu. Gensho never had any children and never married, but lived another 24 years before dying in 748. Her tomb in located in the city of Nara.

Date of Death: 22 May 748

Successor: Shomu

Other Monarch Deaths:

Constantine I, emperor of Rome (337)

Go-Reizei, emperor of Japan (1068)

Alexander VII, pope of Rome (1667)

Ferdinand II, king of the Two Sicilies (1859)

[May 10] Go-Kameyama, emperor of Japan

True Name: 後亀山天皇
Parents: Go-Murakami, emperor of Japan, and Fujiwara Katsuko

Date of Birth: circa 1347

House: Japan

Predecessor: Chokei

Reign: 1383 – 1392

Summary: Japan was in the midst of a continuous civil war when Go-Kameyama took the throne in 1383. The empire was divided between north and south, and Go-Kameyama was the emperor of the Southern Court as his brother and father were before him. Go-Kameyama ended that division. He succeeded his brother, Chokei, in 1383 when the latter abdicated the throne. The Southern Court was had been in decline for the past few decades and influence was strongly moving to the Northern Court. His brother abdicated because Go-Kameyama supported peace in Japan between the two courts, and Chokei was done fighting. Chokei lived until 1394. Meanwhile, Go-Kameyama called together a peace conference on October 15, 1392 with the Northern Court. He agreed to abdicate and end the civil war, and he handed over the Sacred Treasures of Japan to his rival, Go-Komatsu. According to the peace treaty, the leadership of Japan would alternate between a member of the former Northern Court's dynasty and a member of the Southern Court's, but this agreement was ignored in 1412 and all future emperors descended from Go-Komatsu. Go-Kameyama retired and went into seclusion, only appearing briefly once in 1410 in Yoshino. Although the Northern Court became the legitimate rulers of Japan after 1392, later histories decided against the claims of the Northern Court and today the line is considered pretentious until Go-Kameyama's abdication. The former emperor was thought to have had one son, Tsuneatsu, though the fate of the son is unknown.

Date of Death: 10 May 1424

Successor: Go-Komatsu

Other Monarch Deaths:

Mieszko II, king of Poland (1034)

Rudolph II, duke of Austria (1290)

Nakamikado, emperor of Japan (1737)

Louis XV, king of France (1774)

[April 26] Yoshihisa, shogun of Japan

True Name: 足利 義尚
Parents: Yoshimasa, shogun of Japan

Date of Birth: 11 December 1465

House: Ashikaga
Spouse: Mór, daughter of Uí Fiachrach Aidne, king of Connacht, then Gormflaith of Leinster, among others

Predecessor: Yoshimasa

Reign: 1473 – 1489

Summary: The birth of Yoshihisa began a succession struggle in Japan over the Ashikaga shogunate. Although the shoguns were the de facto rulers of Japan during the 1400s, they were just as prone to succession problems as the Japanese monarchy. Prior to Yoshihisa birth, his father appointed an uncle, Yoshimi, as heir to the shogunate. But Yoshihisa was born and his uncle became angry about his lost place in the line of succession. Yoshihia's father, Yoshimasa, and Yoshimi went into open war in 1467 over the different claims. The war that resulted was the Ônin War and it prompted the Sengoku period in Japanese history. To make matters worse, Yoshimasa retired in 1473 leaving the title of shogun to his eight-year-old son. 

Throughout the course of the war, the Ashikaga shogunate lost much of its power to the Hosokawa family, which turned Yoshihisa into a puppet ruler. Thus the Japanese emperor was controlled by a puppet shogun. Yoshihisa took over the government in 1479 but failed to achieve independence from his overlords. In 1487, Yoshihisa led a campaign against the daimyo of southern Omi who had risen up in rebellion against the shogunate. The shogun died unexpectedly while on campaign in 1489 and his rival, Yoshimasa took over for a year until his cousin, Yoshitane, could legitimately succeed in 1490.

Date of Death: 26 April 1489

Successor: Yoshitane

Other Monarch Deaths:

Go-Shirakawa, emperor of Japan (1192)

Giuliano di Piero, patriarch of Florence (1478)

[March 29] Go-Murakami, emperor of Japan

True Name: Noriyoshi Go-Murakami-tennō (義良 後村上天皇)

Parents: Go-Diago and Fujiwara

Date of Birth: 1328

House: Japan

Predecessor: Go-Daigo

Spouse: Fujiwara

Reign: 1339 – 1368

Summary: Noriyoshi grew up in the middle of a civil war that divided Japan between north and south. Following the Kemmu Restoration completed by his father, Go-Daigo, Noriyoshi settled in Tagajo to establish authority over the eastern samurai who had sided with the Hojo branch of the Imperial Family during the war. In 1335, a rebellion broke out and the civil war resumed, forcing Go-Daigo and his family to return to the west of Japan. Takauji, the samurai rebel leader, defeated Go-Daigo in 1336 at Kyoto, forcing the entire family to flee east again. Takauji was finally defeated in 1337 and the imperial family returned again to Kyoto where they set up their capital. Noriyoshi became crown prince in 1339. In September of that year, Go-Daigo abdicated his throne in favor of his eleven year-old son, Noriyoshi.

Emperor Go-Murakami, as he was now called, ruled under a regency for ten years before claiming his authority. This regency was crippling for the Southern Empire. His capital was retaken in another rebellion in 1348 and recovered in 1352 after the Battle of Shichiko Omiya. During the battle, three emperors of Northern Japan were captured. The emperors were released when Kyoto was yet again captured the next month and the imperial family was forced to flee. Brief forays in 1361 briefly recovered the capital but it was lost again. In 1368, the emperor died and the Northern Empire moved the capital to the northern city of Sumiyoshi. The emperor was buried in Kawachinagano, Osaka.

Date of Death: 28 March 1368

Successor: Chōkei

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Stephen IX, pope of Rome (1058)
• Go-Murakami, emperor of Japan (1368)
• Gustav III, king of Sweden (1792)

[February 19] Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, shogun of Edo

True Name: 徳川 綱吉

Parents: Tokugawa Iemitsu, shogun of Edo, and Keishōin

Date of Birth: 23 February 1646

Royal House: Tokugawa

Reign: 1680 – 1709

Predecessor: Tokugawa Ietsuna

Summary: Tsunayoshi was born in Edo, the Japanese Imperial capital,  in 1646, the second son of the reigning shogun, Iemitsu. Fearful that Tsunayoshi would become ambition and claim the title from his elder brother, Iemitsu send the boy away to become a scholar. During his years in academia, he became close to his mother while his father remained faithful to the eldest son. His father died in 1651 and Ietsuna, the eldest son, became the new shogun of Edo. Little is known of Tsunayoshi during the years of his brothers, reign, but things changed in 1680 when that brother died prematurely, leaving the shogunate to Tsunayoshi. Yet despite his legitimate claim, Tsunayoshi had to fight for his title against a son of the Emperor Go-Sai. He finally was confirmed as shogun in 1681.


Tsunayoshi was a harsh shogun, sticking rigidly to the samurai code. He confiscated vast tracks of lands from disloyal or failing government officials. He banned prostitution and expensive fabrics in an effort to increase the standard of living. As a result, smuggling became commonplace. Tsunayoshi also promoted Neo-Confucianism and traveled around Japan lecturing about it. His devotion also led to an interesting fondness for dogs, a trait linked to Tsunayoshi being born in the Year of the Dog. He passed laws protecting strays and diseased dogs, and by 1695 the city of Edo smelled terribly. The next year, 50,000 dogs were deported to kennels outside of Edo and city taxes paid for their food and lodging. The final years of Tsunayoshi's reign were beset with natural disasters. In 1706, a typhoon hit Edo, and the next year Mt. Fuji erupted. The shogun became ill and, in 1709, was murdered by his wife only days away from his 63rd birthday. She killed herself immediately after. The shogun was succeeded by his nephew, the son of a younger brother, who was the default heir since Tsunayoshi was unable to announce his adoption of the son of a different family. 

Date of Death: 19 February 1709

Successor: Tokugawa Ienobu

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Frederick III, king of Denmark (1670)

[January 16] Higashiyama, emperor of Japan

True Name: Asahito Go-no-miya Higashiyama-tennō (朝仁 五宮 東山天皇)
Parents: Reigen
Date of Birth: 21 October 1675

Royal House: Yamato

Spouse: Yukiko

Reign: 1687 – 1709
Predecessor: Reigen

Summary: Higashiyama reigned in a period in Japanese history during which the shogun, or military governor, had actual control over the government. The emperor, as today, played the role of figurehead and semi-divine being. Higashiyama was the son of a secondary consort to his father, but was accepted as heir upon his father's death. He was proclaimed Crown Prince in 1682 and nominally acceded to the throne in 1687 after his father abdicated, but Reigan continued to rule as regent for many years afterwards. The Tokugawa shogun, Tsunayoshi, saw this as subterfuge and eventually suppressed it, taking over the role of regent directly. 

Being a puppet ruler, Higashiyama did nothing in particular during his reign except accept dignitaries, eat, produce offspring, and look important. Still, the success or failure of his reign was based on the politics and realities of the period. During his reign, Edo, the capital city of Japan, experienced a great fire. Six years later, a great earthquake destroyed much of the capital and the subsequent tsunami and fire killed up to 200,000 people. Another earthquake his Osaka four years later and Mt. Fuji erupted the next year, in 1708. Politically, Higashiyama's reign saw the increased use of coin currency in Japan and the arrival of German and Italian missionaries. A scandal at the end of his reign saw his cousin, the wife of the shogun, kill the shogun then commit suicide. That same year, Higashiuama abdicated leaving the empire to his son, Nakamikado.

Date of Death: 16 January 1710

Successor: Nakamikado

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Polyeuctus, patriarch of Constantinople (960)