Emperor Junna (淳和天皇)
Emperor Junna (786 - June 7, 840) (his reign was from May 30, 823 to March 22, 833) was the fifty-third Emperor during the early Heian Period. He was also called Emperor Saiin.
Genealogy
He was the seventh prince of Emperor Kammu. His mother was FUJIWARA no Momokawa's daughter, FUJIWARA no Tabiko.
He had Prince Tsunesada between Princess (Empress) Seishi. [BETWEEN MAKES NO SENSE]
He had other empresses, such as Princess Koshi (given the title Empress after her death), and there were many children.
Emperor Heizei and Emperor Saga were older half-brothers.
Brief Personal History
After the Kusuko Incident (Revolt of Kusuko), Prince Takaoka (Emperor Heizei's son) was removed from the position of Crown Prince, whereupon Emperor Junna became the crown prince on October 14, 810.
He succeeded to the throne on May 30, 823. Consequently, the Otomo clan changed its name to the Tomo clan. This was because the Otomo clan believed it was too presumptuous to have the same name as the Emperor.
On March 22, 833, he passed the Imperial Throne to Emperor Nimmyo and abdicated.
He actively recruited government officials like KIYOHARA no Natsuno and worked to improve the decline of local politics. He also worked on land measures designed to increase tax revenues. "Ryo no Gi Ge" and "Nihon Koki" were edited. It was a relatively peaceful era, at least on the surface.
However, the succession to the throne wasn't Emperor Junna's intention (according to "Nihon Koki," on May 22, 806, when his father died, Prince Otomo asked to be removed from the Imperial Family, but he was dissuaded from resigning by the crown prince (Emperor Heizei)) and was worried that his son Prince Tsunesada, who lacked the support of court nobles, would become the crown prince of Emperor Nimmyo. The Emperor became Daijo Tenno (the retired Emperor) after he abdicated from the throne; he asked his close aides, FUJIWARA no Yoshino, to care for the prince's future affairs, but after he died his worries were realized as the Showa Incident.
He died on June 7, 840. Due to the Emperor's desire to have a simple funeral, his ashes/remains were dispersed at Saiin, Oharano, Kyoto.
Different names
The Emperor's name (real name) was Otomo. The Japanese-style posthumous name was Yamato neko ame no taka yuzuru iya to no mikoto. He was also called Emperor Sai-in, which came from Junna in (currently Saiin, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City), the palace in which he stayed after he abdicated the throne.
Eras during his reign
Tencho 824 - 833
The Imperial Mausoleum
Following the Retired Emperor's wishes, he was cremated and his ashes/remains were dispersed at Oharano no nishi no mine no e no misasagi in Minami Kasuga-cho Town, Oharano, Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto City.