Events of Go-Sakuramachi's Life
Princess Toshiko acceded to the throne when Emperor Momozono abdicated in favor of his sister. Momozono's son, Prince Hidehito (later to be known as Emperor Go-Momozono) was only 5 years old at this time. Hidehito's empress aunt was expected to occupy the throne until her nephew would be able to take on the burden of responsibility.
- 23 September 1740: Princess Toshiko was born into the Imperial family.
- 15 September 1762 (Hōreki 12): Accession as Empress Go-Sakuramachi upon the abdication of her brother Emperor Momozono.
- 1763 (Hōreki 13): A merchant association handling Korean ginseng is founded in the Kanda district of Edo.
- 1765 (Meiwa 2): Five-momme coin issued.
- 1766 (Meiwa 3): The Meiwa incident involved planning and other activities which were intened to displace the Shogunate with restored Imperial powers; but the attempt was thwarted.
- 1768 (Meiwa 5): Five-momme usage halted.
- 1770 (Meiwa 7): A typhoon flattened the newly built Imperial Palace in Kyoto.
- 1770 (Meiwa 7): A great comet (Lexell's Comet) with a very long tail lit up the night skies throughout the summer and autumn.
- 1770 (Meiwa 7): Although no one could have known it at the time, this was the first of 15 consecutive years of drought in Japan.
- 9 January 1771: In the ninth year of her reign, the empress abdicated in favor of her nephew; and her reign came to an end.
Go-Momozono's reign did not last long, ending in 1779 when Go-Momozono died without leaving a son. When her nephew was dying, the then-retired (Daijo Tenno) Go-Sakuramachi consulted with the senior courtiers and imperial guards, planning to accept Prince Fushimi-no-miya as an adopted son, but they eventually decided on Prince Morohito (師仁), sixth son of Prince Kan'in-no-miya Sukehito (閑院宮典仁), who was supported by the emperor's chief advisor (Kampaku). Prince Morohito, hastily adopted by Go-Momozono at deathbed, became Emperor Kōkaku.
After the throne had switched to that branch of the imperial line, Go-Sakuramachi, in her role as Retired Empress, came to be referred to as the Guardian of the Young Lord (Emperor Kōkaku). In this role, in 1789, during a scandal involving an honorary title, she admonished the Emperor.
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