Emperor Go-Mizunoo
emperor of Japan from 1611 to 1629
Kotohito (Japanese: 政仁; IPA: [ko̞to̞çito̞]; 29 June 1596 – 11 September 1680, posthumously honored as Emperor Go-Mizunoo (後水尾天皇, Gomizunō Tennō; [ɡo̞mʲizɨno̞ː tẽ̞nːo̞ː]), was the 108th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Mizunoo's reign spanned the years from 1611 through 1629, and he was the first emperor to reign entirely during the Edo period.
This 17th-century sovereign was named after the 9th-century Emperor Seiwa, sometimes posthumously referred to as Mizunoo (水尾) because this is the location of his tomb, while go translates as "later", and thus, he could be called the "Later Emperor Mizunoo". The Japanese word go has also been translated to mean the "second one", and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as "Mizunoo, the second" or "Mizunoo II".
Genealogy
Before Go-Mizunoo's accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his imina) was Kotohito (政仁) or Masahito. He was the third son of Emperor Go-Yōzei and his consort, Konoe Sakiko. Prince Kotohito had 11 full siblings (7 sisters and 4 brothers).
He resided together with concubines in the Kyoto Imperial Palace. He had 33 children with his empress consort and 6 concubines.
Consort and issue(s):
Empress (Chūgū): Tokugawa Masako (徳川和子, 23 November 1607 – 2 August 1678), later known as Tōfuku-mon'in (東福門院), daughter of Tokugawa Hidetata and Lady Oeyo
Second Daughter: Imperial Princess Okiko (興子内親王, 9 January 1624 – 4 December 1696), later Empress Meishō
Third Daughter: Princess Onna-ni (女二宮, 14 October 1625 – 2 July 1651), Legal Wife of Konoe Hisatsugu
Second Son: Prince Sukehito (高仁親王, 31 December 1626 – 11 July 1628)
Third Son: Prince Waka (若宮, b.1628)
Fourth Daughter: Imperial Princess Akiko (女三宮昭子内親王, 13 October 1629 — 18 June 1675)
Sixth Daughter: Imperial Princess Yoshiko (女五宮賀子内親王, 21 July 1632 – 2 August 1696) married Nijō Mitsuhira
Seventh Daughter: Princess Kiku (菊宮, 1633–1634)
Lady-in-waiting (Naishi-no-Suke): Yotsutsuji Yotsuko (四辻与津子, d.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Emperor Go-Mizunoo” as emperor of Japan from 1611 to 1629. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as emperor of Japan from 1611 to 1629. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q320229. VIAF identifies the subject as 78823180. The Library of Congress control number is n83037553. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1596, 1680, 1611 and 1629.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Emperor Go-Mizunoo”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Emperor Go-Mizunoo primary sources, Emperor Go-Mizunoo archive and Emperor research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Emperor Go-Mizunoo”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Emperor Go-Mizunoo” 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.