Emperor Taishō

Emperor Taishō (31 August 1879 – 25 December 1926), personal name (imina) Yoshihito, was Emperor of Japan from 29 July 1912 until his death in 1926. His reign was marked by a domestic political shift toward liberal democracy, called Taishō Democracy. He oversaw Japan's participation in World War I on the side of the Allies, the Spanish flu epidemic, and the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923. His poor health limited his public duties and contributed to his death at age 47.

Born to Emperor Meiji and his concubine Yanagiwara Naruko, Yoshihito was proclaimed crown prince and heir apparent in 1888, his two older siblings having died in infancy. He suffered various health problems as a child, including meningitis soon after his birth. In 1900, he married Sadako Kujō, a member of the Kujō family of the Fujiwara clan; the couple had four sons. In 1912, Yoshihito became emperor upon the death of his father, but as he suffered from neurological issues for much of his life, he played only a limited role in politics and undertook no official duties from 1919. His declining health led to the appointment of his eldest son, Crown Prince Hirohito, as regent in 1921, and Hirohito succeeded him as emperor when he died aged 47 at Hayama Imperial Villa in Kanagawa Prefecture.