Empress Meishō

Empress Meishō
明正天皇
Empress of Japan
ReignDecember 22, 1629 – November 14, 1643
EnthronementOctober 17, 1630
PredecessorGo-Mizunoo
SuccessorGo-Kōmyō
ShōgunsTokugawa Iemitsu
BornOkiko (興子)
January 9, 1624
Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Tokugawa shogunate
DiedDecember 4, 1696(1696-12-04) (aged 72)
Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Tokugawa shogunate
Burial
Posthumous name
Tsuigō:
Empress Meishō (明正院 or 明正天皇)
HouseImperial House of Japan
FatherEmperor Go-Mizunoo
MotherTokugawa 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.

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.