後水尾天皇
Before Meishō's accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne, her personal name (her "imina") was ; and her pre-accession title was . She was the second daughter of Emperor Go-Mizunoo. Her mother was Tokugawa Masako, daughter of the second Tokugawa "shōgun", Tokugawa Hidetada and his wife Oeyo. Hidetada was the son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and his consort, Oai.