Emperor Taisho

Emperor Taishō was the 123rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, and the second monarch of the Empire of Japan from 1912 until his death in 1926. He was the son of Emperor Meiji and Yanagiwara Naruko, a concubine. He was born with the name Yoshihito and the title Haru-no-miya. He suffered from poor health and mental problems since his childhood, which affected his reign. He was often referred to as Tōgu, meaning the Eastern Palace, a metonymy for the heir to the throne. He married Sadako Kujō in 1900 and had four sons, who later became known as Emperor Shōwa, Prince Chichibu, Prince Takamatsu, and Prince Mikasa. He ascended the throne in 1912, after the death of his father, and took the name Taishō, meaning Great Righteousness. His reign coincided with the Taishō era, a period of political, social, and cultural change in Japan. He was the first emperor to live his entire life in or near Tokyo, and the first to be buried in Tokyo. He was also the first emperor to have his official portrait taken by a camera. He had a limited role in the government, due to his ill health and the rise of democracy and constitutionalism. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Hirohito, in 1926. He is posthumously known as Emperor Taishō, according to the Japanese custom of naming the emperors after their era.