Emperor Kōkaku

Born 23 September 1771, Kōkaku came from a cadet branch of the Imperial Family and took the throne in 1779 at age eight. Early in his reign, famine struck Japan; the way he handled it won public favor and quietly undercut the shōgun's authority. The Kansei Reforms followed as the shōgun's attempt to address problems that had festered since mid-century, meeting only partial success. Kōkaku abdicated in 1817 in favor of his son, Prince Ayahito - the only one of his sixteen children by one spouse and six concubines to survive into adulthood - but continued to wield power as Daijō Tennō until his death on 11 December 1840. Every emperor since, down to Naruhito today, descends directly from him.