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Before he ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (imina)[4] was Hiroakira-shinnō.[5] He was also known as Yutaakira-shinnō (寛明親王).[6]
Hiroakira-shinnō was the 11th son of Emperor Daigo and Empress Consort Onshi, a daughter of the regent and great minister of the council of state, Fujiwara no Mototsune.[7]
Suzaku had two Empresses or consorts and one Imperial daughter.[8]
Events of Suzaku's life
Suzaku's older brother died unexpectedly young, as did his brother's son. These untimely deaths opened the way for Suzaku to accede to the throne.
October 16, 930 (Enchō 8, 22nd day of the 9th month): In the 33rd year of the reign of Daigo-tennō (醍醐天皇三十三年), the emperor abdicated; and the succession (the senso) was received by his eleventh son, Hiroakira-shinnō[5] (also known as Yutaakira-shinnō).[9]
December 14, 930 (Enchō 8, 22nd day of the 11th month): Emperor Suzaku, who was only eight years old, acceded to the throne (the sokui).[5]
May 16, 931 (Enchō 9, 26th day of the 4th month): The era name was changed to mark the beginning of the new emperor's reign.[10]
August 5, 931 (Jōhei 1, 19th day of the 7th month): The former-Emperor Uda (867–931) died at the age of 65.[11]
933 (Jōhei 3, 8th month): The dainagon (Counselor) Fujiwara no Nakahira is named udaijin. Nakahira is the brother of sesshō (regent) Fujiwara Tadahira.[13]
933 (Jōhei 3, 12th month): Ten of the chief dignitaries of the empire went falcon-hunting together in Owari Province. Each of them was magnificent in his formal hunting attire.[12]
935 (Jōhei 5): The Great Fundamental Central Hall (kompon chūdō) on Mt. Hiei burned down.[8]
941 (Tengyō 4): Fujiwara no Sumitomo staged a rebellion, having made a secret agreement with Taira no Masakado, but his army was defeated by Tachibana Tōyasu.[8]
May 23, 946 (Tengyō 9, 20th day of the 4th month): Suzaku abdicates, having ruled for 16 years.[15] The emperor was succeeded by his younger brother, who would become Emperor Murakami.
952 (Tenryaku 6): Suzaku took ordination as a Buddhist monk at Ninna-ji.
September 6, 952 (Tenryaku 6, 15th day of the 8th month): Suzaku died at the age of 30.[15]
The actual site of Suzaku's grave is known.[1] This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorialShintoshrine (misasagi) at Kyoto.
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.[17]
This elite group generally included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background had brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Suzaku's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
^Brown, p. 264; before Emperor Jomei, the personal names of the emperors were very long, and people did not generally use them. The number of characters in each name diminished after Jomei's reign.
^Brown, p. 295; Varley, p. 44; a distinct act of senso is unrecognized before Emperor Tenji; and all sovereigns except Jitō, Yōzei, Go-Toba, and Fushimi have senso and sokui in the same year until the reign of Emperor Go-Murakami.
