Episode 1 of 3

Death of Emperor Kōmei

When
30 January 1867
Where
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Part of
Death of Emperor Kōmei and accession of Emperor Meiji amid shogunal collapse

Emperor Kōmei died suddenly on 30 January 1867 from smallpox complications, leaving his son to succeed him.

Kōmei was diagnosed with smallpox in January 1867, surprising observers as he had allegedly never been ill before. He suffered fatal vomiting and diarrhea on 30 January 1867, resulting in purple spots on his face. His death led to the accession of his son, Mutsuhito, as Emperor Meiji.

Sources

  1. Emperor Kōmei Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-03
  2. Emperor Meiji Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-03

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.