Emperor Komei

Emperor Komei was the 121st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He reigned from 1846 to 1867, during the final years of the Edo period. He was the fourth son of Emperor Ninko and his consort Ogimachi Naoko. His personal name was Osahito, and his title before ascending the throne was Hiro-no-miya. He married Asako Kujō, a daughter of a court noble, in 1850 and had six children with her, including his successor Emperor Meiji. Emperor Komei faced many challenges during his reign, as Japan was forced to open its ports to foreign trade and influence by the Western powers, especially the United States, under the threat of military force. He initially opposed the opening of Japan and the unequal treaties that the Tokugawa shogunate signed with the foreigners, and supported the movement of sonnō jōi ("revere the emperor, expel the barbarians"). He also tried to assert his authority and restore the imperial power that had been diminished by the Tokugawa clan for centuries. He issued several imperial edicts and decrees, and consulted with the shogunate and the domains on important matters. He also expressed his opinions and objections on the policies of the shogunate, such as the Harris Treaty of 1858 and the order to attack the Choshu domain in 1864. Emperor Komei died of smallpox on January 30, 1867, at the age of 35. He was the last emperor to die of an infectious disease. He was buried in the Nochi no tsuki no wa no misasagi, a mausoleum in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto. His reign name, which means "enlightened government", was given to him posthumously by his son Emperor Meiji, who also inherited his father's will to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate and restore the imperial rule. Emperor Komei is regarded as one of the most influential and significant emperors in Japanese history, as he played a crucial role in the Meiji Restoration that ended the feudal system and modernized Japan.