Emperor Go Momozono

Emperor Go-Momozono was the son of Emperor Momozono and a lady-in-waiting named Ichijō Tomiko. He was named after his father and became crown prince at the age of nine. He ascended to the throne in 1771, after his aunt, Empress Go-Sakuramachi, abdicated in his favor. His reign was marked by a series of natural disasters, such as the Great Meiwa Fire of 1772, which destroyed much of Kyoto. He also faced a succession crisis, as he had no eligible heir. He married Konoe Koreko, a daughter of a noble family, but they only had one daughter, Princess Yoshiko. He contracted smallpox in 1779 and died at the age of 21. On his deathbed, he adopted his cousin, Prince Kanehito, who became Emperor Kōkaku. He was buried in Tsuki no wa no misasagi, a mausoleum in Kyoto. He was posthumously honored with the name Go-Momozono, meaning "later Emperor Momozono".