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Emperor Go-Kōgon

Emperor of Japan

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 17, 2026
Entity authorityQ555465 ↗
Source-derived summary

Emperor Go-Kōgon (後光厳天皇, Go-Kōgon-tennō; 23 March 1338 – 12 March 1374) was the 4th of the Emperors of Northern Court during the Period of the Northern and Southern Courts. According to pre-Meiji scholars, his reign spanned the years from 1352 through 1371.

This Nanboku-chō "sovereign" was named after his father Emperor Kōgon and go- (後), translates literally as "later;" and thus, he may be called the "Later Emperor Kōgon", or, in some older sources, may be identified as "Emperor Kōgon, the second", or as "Emperor Kōgon II."

Genealogy

His personal name was Iyahito (彌仁).

He was the second son of the Northern Pretender Emperor Kōgon, and brother of his predecessor, Emperor Sukō. His mother was Hideko (秀子), Sanjō Kinhide's daughter

Lady-in-waiting: Hirohashi (Fujiwara) Nakako (廣橋(藤原)仲子; 1336/9-1427) later Sukenmon’in (崇賢門院), Hirohashi Kanetsuna's daughter

Second son: Imperial Prince Ohito (緒仁親王) later Emperor Go-En'yū

Fifth son: Imperial Prince Priest Eijo (1362–1437; 永助入道親王)

Sixth son: Imperial Prince Priest Gyōnin (堯仁法親王; 1363–1430)

Twelfth son: Imperial Prince Priest Gyōsho (堯性法親王; 1371–1388)

Consort: Uemon-no-Suke no Tsubone (右衛門佐局)

First son: Imperial Prince Priest Ryōnin (1355–1370; 亮仁入道親王)

Third son: Imperial Prince Priest Gyojo (行助法親王; 1360–1386)

son: (1361–1369)

Seventh son: Imperial Prince Priest Kakuzō (1363–1390; 覺増法親王)

Consort: Sakyōdaibu-no-Tsubone (左京大夫局), Hōin Chōkai's daughter

First daughter: Imperial Princess Haruko (d. 1390; 治子内親王)

Fourth son: Imperial Prince Priest Kakuei (覺叡法親王; 1361–1377)

Eighth son: Imperial Prince Priest Dōen (道圓入道親王; 1364–1385)

Eleventh son: Imperial Prince Priest Shōjo (聖助法親王; b.1371)

Consort:Shonagon-naishi (少納言内侍), Tachibana no Mochishige ‘s daughter

Tenth son: Imperial Prince Priest Myōshō (1367–1396; 明承法親王)

from unknown women

Ninth son: Imperial Prince Priest Kanshu (1366–1401; 寬守法親王)

Thirteenth son: Imperial Prince Priest Kankyō (1373–1405; 寬教入道親王)

Second daughter: Imperial Princess Kenshi (見子內親王)

Fourteenth son: ?

Daughter: Princess Shūnin (秀仁女王)

Events of Go-Kōgon's life

In his own lifetime, Go-Kōgon and those around him believed that he occupied the Chrysanthemum Throne from 25 September 1352 to 9 April 1371.

In 1351, Ashikaga Takauji briefly returned to the allegiance of the Southern Dynasty, causing the Southern Court to briefly consolidate control of the Imperial Line. However, this peace fell apart in April 1352. On this occasion, the Southern Court abducted Retired (Northern) Emperors Emperor Kōgon and Emperor Kōmyō as well as Emperor Sukō and the Crown Prince Tadahito from Kyoto to Anau, the location of the Southern Court.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Emperor Go-Kōgon” as emperor of Japan. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Emperor, Go-Kōgon and Japan.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1338, 1374, 1352, 1371—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1338-03-23. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Emperor, Go-Kōgon and Japan providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Emperor Go-Kōgon”, the useful work is to connect “emperor of Japan” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q555465. VIAF identifies the subject as 35807458. The Library of Congress control number is n82139840. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1338, 1374, 1352 and 1371.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Emperor Go-Kōgon” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.