Empress Meishō
| Empress Meishō 明正天皇 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empress of Japan | |||||
| Reign | December 22, 1629 – November 14, 1643 | ||||
| Enthronement | October 17, 1630 | ||||
| Predecessor | Go-Mizunoo | ||||
| Successor | Go-Kōmyō | ||||
| Shōguns | Tokugawa Iemitsu | ||||
| Born | Okiko (興子) January 9, 1624 Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Tokugawa shogunate | ||||
| Died | December 4, 1696 (aged 72) Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Tokugawa shogunate | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| |||||
| House | Imperial House of Japan | ||||
| Father | Emperor Go-Mizunoo | ||||
| Mother | Tokugawa Masako | ||||
| Signature | |||||
Okiko (Japanese: 興子), posthumously honored as Empress Meishō (明正天皇, Meishō-tennō; January 9, 1624 – December 4, 1696), was the 109th monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Her reign lasted from 1629 to 1643. Her reign officially began when she was five years old and continued for fifteen years. It is believed that Meishō's father actually ruled in her name until she abdicated in favor of her younger half-brother.
In the history of Japan, Meishō was the seventh of eight women to become empress regnant. The six who reigned before her were Suiko, Kōgyoku/Saimei, Jitō, Genmei, Genshō, and Kōken/Shōtoku. Her sole female successor was Go-Sakuramachi.