Emperor Kōgon

	Emperor Kōgon
	;
Born	1313
Died	1364
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation	Emperor of Japan (Northern Court)
Known for	First Northern Court emperor installed by Ashikaga Takauji
Notable work	Establishment of the rival Northern Court during the Nanboku-chō period

Emperor Kōgon (光厳天皇; traditionally Kōgon Tennō) is regarded as the first emperor of the Northern Court during the Nanboku-chō period (1336–1392). He reigned from 1331 to 1333 and again briefly in 1336, though his status as emperor was contested by the Southern Court led by Emperor Go-Daigo.

Kōgon’s installation marked the formal division of the imperial institution into rival courts backed by competing military authorities.

Historical context

The collapse of the Kamakura shogunate and the failure of the Kenmu Restoration created a political vacuum.

Ashikaga Takauji, having turned against Emperor Go-Daigo, sought to legitimize his authority by installing a rival emperor in Kyoto, initiating the division between Northern and Southern Courts.

Accession

Emperor Kōgon ascended the throne in 1331 after Emperor Go-Daigo was deposed and exiled by the Kamakura shogunate.

His initial reign was short-lived due to the fall of Kamakura in 1333, after which Go-Daigo was restored.

In 1336, following Takauji’s break with Go-Daigo, Kōgon was reinstated as emperor in Kyoto.

Role under Ashikaga authority

Kōgon’s authority derived entirely from Ashikaga military support.

He exercised no independent political power and functioned primarily as a legitimizing figure for Takauji’s regime.

Rivalry with the Southern Court

While Kōgon ruled from Kyoto, Emperor Go-Daigo established the Southern Court in Yoshino.

Both courts claimed legitimacy, but later historiography—endorsed by the modern Japanese state—recognizes the Southern Court as legitimate.

Abdication

In 1339, Emperor Kōgon abdicated in favor of his younger brother, Emperor Kōmyō, continuing the Northern Court line.

Post-abdication life

After abdication, Kōgon lived as a cloistered emperor.

Despite his limited authority, he remained symbolically important to the Ashikaga-backed court.

Death

Emperor Kōgon died in 1364.

Sources and historiography

Kōgon’s reign is recorded in Northern Court chronicles and Ashikaga administrative sources.

Modern historiography classifies him as a Northern Court pretender, though he is traditionally numbered among Japan’s emperors.

Historical assessment

Emperor Kōgon is regarded as a structurally significant but politically dependent ruler.

Interpretation emphasizes his role as a legitimizing instrument rather than an autonomous sovereign.

Role in imperial tradition

Kōgon’s reign inaugurated the dual-imperial system that defined the Nanboku-chō period.

His installation demonstrated that emperors could be created and sustained entirely through military backing.