Emperor Junna (淳和天皇, Junna-tennō; c. 786 – 11 June 840) was the 53rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Junna reigned from 823 to 833. He is also known as Emperor Saiin.
Biography
Emperor Junna was the seventh son of Emperor Kanmu. His mother was Tabiko, the daughter of Fujiwara no Momokawa. He was the half-brother of Emperor Heizei and Emperor Saga. His birth mother died when he was age two, and Emperor Kanmu had Hirata no Magoō, the wife of the capable courtier Fumuro no Yoki, raise him as a surrogate mother. Per the Nihon Kōki, in 798, he underwent his coming-of-age ceremony in the palace.
In 810, following the failed attempt by the retired Emperor Heizei to return to power, Prince Takaoka, son of Emperor Heizei, was deposed as Crown Prince. In his place, Junna was appointed Crown Prince as the younger brother of Emperor Saga. While Emperor Heizei and Emperor Saga were sons of Emperor Kanmu's Empress (Fujiwara no Otomuro), Prince Ōtomo (Emperor Junna) was not born to the Empress, but his mother, Tabiko, was from the same Fujiwara Shiki-ke family as the Empress. Furthermore, Prince Ōtomo had married Princess Takashi, the Empress's half-sister, and fathered Prince Tsuneyo. In this respect, Prince Tsuneyo was closer to the direct line of Emperor Kanmu than either Prince Takaoka or Prince Masayoshi (later Emperor Ninmyō), the son of Emperor Saga. In addition to this, it is believed that Prince Ōtomo became Crown Prince due to his good relationship with Emperor Saga. On the other hand, Prince Ōtomo himself was not enthusiastic about succeeding to the throne, fearing that he and Prince Tsuneyo would be drawn into a succession dispute like Prince Otobe and Prince Sawara. Some researchers believe that his petition to be demoted to commoner status in 795 AD was a manifestation of this attitude.
On April 16, 823 (May 29, 823), he ascended the throne after Emperor Saga abdicated. The details of the enthronement ceremony are recorded in the "Record of Emperor Junna's Enthronement." Furthermore, upon Emperor Junna's enthronement, the Ōtomo clan changed their surname to Tomo to avoid using the emperor's given name.
Although many details of his reign remain unclear due to the loss of the "Nihon Kōki," he actively appointed competent officials such as Kiyohara no Natsuno and attempted to rectify the political decay in the provinces. He also implemented land policies and strived to increase tax revenue. He also oversaw the compilation of the "Ryōgige" and the "Nihon Kōki."
On March 22, 833, he abdicated in favor of Emperor Ninmyō, becoming a retired emperor and moving to Junna-in, a villa located in Ukyo-ku, Kyoto. Later, the head of the Minamoto clan served as its administrator, and the villa became the Shogakuin Academy, also known as "Saiin".
Emperor Junna had six empresses and imperial consorts and 13 imperial sons and daughters. His personal name (imina) was Ōtomo (大伴).
After his enthronement, Emperor Junna appointed Prince Masayoshi (Emperor Ninmyō), the legitimate son of Emperor Saga, as Crown Prince, rather than his own son, Prince Tsuneyo. Since Prince Tsuneyo died of illness during Emperor Junna's reign, the newly enthroned Emperor Ninmyō appointed Prince Tsunetsada, born to Emperor Junna and Princess Masako (a daughter of Emperor Saga), as Crown Prince. Emperor Junna is said to have been uneasy about Prince Tsunetsada becoming Crown Prince without the backing of powerful nobles, and entrusted the prince's affairs to his loyal confidant, Fujiwara no Yoshino. However, this unease became a reality after the Emperor Junna's death in the Jōwa Incident.
Emperor Junna on May 8th, 840 (June 11th, 840) at the age of 55. He left a will requesting a simple burial, so his ashes were scattered on Mount Oshio in Oharano.
Tomb of Emperor Junna
The Imperial Household Agency designates Ōharano no Nishi no Minenoe no Misasagi (大原野西嶺上陵, Ōharano no Nishi no Minenoe Imperial Mausoleum), in Nishikyō-ku, Kyoto (34°57′42.1″N135°38′2.1″E / 34.961694°N 135.633917°E / 34.961694; 135.633917) as the location of Emperor Junna's tomb. According to legend, prior to his death Emperor Junna told Crown Prince Tsunetsada of his belief that family tomb should not be constructed, as when a person dies their spirit returns to heaven, but the empty tombs can draw demons and evil spirits. He commanded that his bones but crushed into powder and scattered throughout the mountains. He was cremated in what is now Mukō, Kyoto and his bones and ashes were scattered from a ridge in Ohara, with no tomb constructed per his will. This is why no tomb located is listed in the Engishiki. During the Edo period an arbitrary site was selected on the mountain to be a worship site for the emperor.
Events of Junna's life
810: After the rebellion of Emperor Heizei, he became the crown prince of Emperor Saga at 25 years of age.
30 May 823 (Kōnin 14, 17th day of the 4th month): In the 14th year of Emperor Saga's reign, he abdicated; the succession (senso) was received by Junna, Saga's younger brother and Emperor Kanmu's third son.
22 March 833 (Tenchō 10, 28th day of the 2nd month): In the 10th year of Emperor Junna's reign, the emperor abdicated; and the succession (senso) was received by his adopted son. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Ninmyo is said to have acceded to the throne. After Junna stepped down from the throne, two former Emperors were alive. In this period, Saga was called the Senior Retired Emperor and Junna was known as the Junior Retired Emperor.
11 June 840 (Jōwa 7, 8th day of the 5th month: Former-Emperor Junna died at the age of 55. Following his death, Fujiwara no Yoshifusa maneuvered to have Montoku, rather than the crown Prince Tsunesada, put on the throne; Junna's death set the stage for the Fujiwara clan's ascendancy.
Eras of Junna's reign
The years of Junna's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name (nengō).
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.
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 Junna's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
