Empress Teimei

Sadako Kujō (九条節子, Kujō Sadako) was born on June 25, 1884, in Tokyo. She was the fourth daughter of Duke Michitaka Kujō, who was the head of the Kujō family, a branch of the Fujiwara clan. Her mother was Ikuko Noma, who was a concubine.

On May 10, 1900, at the age of 15, Sadako Kujō married Crown Prince Yoshihito, the future Emperor Taishō. The couple resided in the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, a newly constructed residence located outside the main Tokyo Imperial Palace complex. In 1901, she gave birth to her first child, Hirohito, who later became Emperor Shōwa. This event marked the first time since 1750 that an official wife of a Crown Prince or Emperor had given birth to an heir to the throne.

Her husband ascended to the throne on July 30, 1912, following the death of Emperor Meiji. Upon his accession, Sadako Kujō assumed the title of empress consort (Kōgō). Due to her husband's physical and mental health issues, she was reported to have wielded considerable influence within imperial affairs. She was also an active benefactor of the Japanese Red Cross Society.

During her tenure as empress consort, she maintained a harmonious relationship with her husband, as evidenced by Emperor Taishō’s notable absence of interest in taking concubines, which was uncommon in imperial tradition. Sadako Kujō and Emperor Taishō had four sons.

Following Emperor Taishō's death on December 25, 1926, she became Dowager Empress (Kōtaigō). She publicly opposed Japan’s involvement in World War II and was involved behind the scenes in efforts to influence political developments, including working with her third son, Prince Nobuhito, Takamatsu, to facilitate the fall of Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō starting in 1943.

Sadako Kujō adhered to Buddhism, specifically Nichiren Shoshu, and incorporated Shinto ritual ceremonies at the Tokyo Imperial Palace into her spiritual practices. She passed away on May 17, 1951, at Omiya Palace in Tokyo, at the age of 66. She was buried adjacent to her husband, Emperor Taishō, at the Tama no higashi no misasagi in the Musashi Imperial Graveyard in Tokyo.

Her posthumous honorific name was Teimei (貞明皇后), meaning "enlightened constancy." She received several honors, including the Grand Cordon of the Order of Meiji and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown from Japan. Internationally, she was awarded the 1,060th Dame of the Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa by Spain.

Sadako Kujō was the mother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and the paternal grandmother of Emperor Emeritus Akihito. She was also the great-grandmother of Emperor Naruhito.