Emperor Go-Sai

Emperor Go-Sai was the 111th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He was the eighth son of Emperor Go-Mizunoo and was raised as if he were the son of Tōfuku-mon'in. He ascended to the throne in 1655, after the death of his half-brother Emperor Go-Kōmyō. He was the last emperor of the Kan'ei branch of the imperial family, which traced its origin to Emperor Ogimachi. He could not pass the throne to his descendants, so he adopted his younger half-brother Imperial Prince Satohito as his heir. He abdicated in 1663 in favor of Satohito, who became Emperor Reigen. Go-Sai then became a Buddhist monk and took the name Shōen. He died in 1685 at the age of 47. He was known as a scholar and patron of arts and culture. He compiled the Shoku Nihongi, a continuation of the Nihon Shoki, one of the oldest chronicles of Japanese history. He also wrote poems and calligraphy, and sponsored the construction of several temples and shrines. He was posthumously named Go-Sai, which means "Later Western", after the location of his palace. He was also called Go-Saiin, after an alternate name of Emperor Junna, who had faced a similar situation of having no direct heir. He is enshrined in the imperial mausoleum of Tsuki no wa no misasagi in Kyoto.