Emperor Kōmei
Osahito (統仁, 22 July 1831 – 30 January 1867), posthumously honored as Emperor Kōmei (孝明天皇, Kōmei-tennō), was the 121st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Kōmei's reign spanned the years from 1846 through 1867, corresponding to the final years of the Edo period.
| Emperor Kōmei 孝明天皇 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Posthumous portrait by Koyama Shōtarō, 1902 | |||||
| Emperor of Japan | |||||
| Reign | 10 March 1846 – 30 January 1867 | ||||
| Enthronement | 31 October 1847 | ||||
| Predecessor | Ninkō | ||||
| Successor | Meiji | ||||
| Shōguns | See list
| ||||
| Born | Osahito, Prince Hiro (煕宮統仁親王) 22 July 1831 Kyoto, Japan | ||||
| Died | 30 January 1867 (aged 35) Kyoto Imperial Palace, Kyoto, Japan | ||||
| Burial | Nochi no tsuki no wa no misasagi (後月輪東山陵), Kyoto | ||||
| Spouse | Asako Kujō | ||||
| Issue | |||||
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| House | Imperial House of Japan | ||||
| Father | Emperor Ninkō | ||||
| Mother | Fujiwara no Tsuneko | ||||
| Religion | Shinto | ||||
| Signature | |||||
During his reign there was much internal turmoil as a result of Japan's first major contact with the United States, which occurred under Commodore Perry in 1853 and 1854, and the subsequent forced re-opening of Japan to western nations, ending a 220-year period of national seclusion. Emperor Kōmei did not care much for anything foreign, and he opposed opening Japan to Western powers. His reign would continue to be dominated by insurrection and partisan conflicts eventually culminating in the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate shortly after his death and the Meiji Restoration in the beginning of the reign of his son and successor Emperor Meiji.