Emperor Go-Komatsu (後小松天皇) (August 1, 1377 - December 1, 1433) was the 100th imperial ruler of Japan. He is officially considered a pretender from May 24, 1382 to October 21, 1392, when Emperor Go-Kameyama abdicated, and a legitimate Emperor from that date until October 5, 1412. His personal name was Motohito (幹仁)

Genealogy

Go-Komatsu was the first son of the Northern Pretender Go-En'yū. His mother was Itsuko (厳子) (Empress Dowager ??, 通陽門院), daughter of the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal Sanjō Kimitada (三条公忠).

• Consort: Motoko (資子) Daughter of Hino Sukekuni (日野資国)
  • First son: Imperial Prince Mihito (実仁親王) ( Emperor Shōkō
  • Second son: Ogawa-no-miya (小川宮) (Crown Prince for Emperor Shōkō
  • First daughter: Princess Riei
  • Adopted son: Prince Hikohito (彦仁王), son of Imperial Prince Fushimi-no-miya ?? (伏見宮貞成親王), grandson of the Northern Pretender Sukō, became Emperor Go-Hanazono
• Consort: Unknown (the daughter of a retainer from the Southern Court)
  • Ikkyū Sōjun

Name

He was named after Emperor Kōkō, who had the alternate name Komatsu, because they both returned the throne to their families, in the case of Go-Komatsu, by defeating his Southern Court rivals, and in the case of Kōkō, by succeeding his elder brother's grandson, Emperor Yōzei.

Life

He was raised in the mansion of Hino Sukenori (日野西資教). He succeeded as Northern Emperor upon the abdication of his father, the Northern Pretender Go-En'yū. With the help of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, his father ruled as Cloistered Emperor. In 1392, following the re-unification of the Northern and Southern Courts, the Southern Emperor Go-Kameyama turned over the Three Sacred Treasures, bringing the Southern Court to and end, and making Go-Komatsu the legitimate Emperor of Japan on October 21, 1392.

In the peace at that time, it was agreed that the northern and southern courts would alternate. However, in 1412, when he abdicated, the agreement was thrown away, and, instead, he was succeeded by his son, Shōkō, and all subsequent Emperors were descended from the Northern Court. Until 1911, the Northern Court Emperors were considered the legitimate ones, and the Southern Court to be illegitimate. However, now the Southern Court is considered to have been legitimate, and thus, Go-Komatsu is not considered to have been legitimate for the first 10 years of his reign.

Eras during his reign

(Northern court)

• Eitoku
• Shitoku
• Kakei
• Kōō

(Southern court)

• Kō
• Genchū

(Both)

• Meitoku
• Ōei

Southern Court Rivals

• Chōkei
• Go-Kameyama