Empress Dowager - Koutaigo

The Empress of the previous Emperor, and the mother of the Emperor. She is ranked higher than the Crown Prince, and her honorific title is Her Majesty. The title of Empress Dowager is written down in the Ritsuryo system, and she is also called Omiya, Kokubo (sometimes also the Empress), and Chorakukyu. Omiya is an alternative name for the Chugu (Empress), which is called Miya. The Empress Dowager's throne is called Omiya Gosho. There are also cases where the Empress of the previous Emperor was honored as Empress Dowager, even if she was not the Emperor's birth mother. In addition, there are cases where the wife of the Crown Prince, a consort, or a quasi-empress dowager, who was proclaimed empress dowager, and cases where the wife of the Crown Prince, a consort, or a quasi-empress was posthumously awarded the title of Empress Dowager. In the past, the only empress dowagers were Empress Dowager Eisho and Empress Dowager Shōken.

[Shigeyoshi Murakami]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

先天皇の皇后で、天皇の母をいう。皇太子より上位で、敬称は陛下。皇太后の称は律令(りつりょう)制で明文化され、大宮(おおみや)、国母（皇后をさす場合もある）、長楽宮(ちょうらくきゅう)の別称がある。大宮は、中宮（皇后）を宮とよぶのに対する別称である。皇太后の御座所を大宮御所という。なお、天皇の生母でなくても、先天皇の皇后を皇太后と尊称した例もある。ほかに、天皇の生母である皇太子夫人・女御(にょうご)・准后(じゅごう)が皇太后の宣下(せんげ)を受けた尊称皇太后、皇太子夫人・女御などで没後に皇太后を追贈された贈皇太后がある。歴代の追号で、皇太后は英照(えいしょう)皇太后と昭憲皇太后のみ。

［村上重良］

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