noun
confidential report to the ruler on astronomical events and their astrological interpretation
Archaic term from pre-modern Japan, referring to a secret report submitted to the emperor or shogun about celestial phenomena and their divined meanings.
天文密奏は、陰陽寮から朝廷に上げられた極秘の報告書だった。
The tenmon missō was a top-secret report submitted to the imperial court by the Bureau of Yin-Yang.
Compound of 天文 (tenmon, 'astronomy') and 密奏 (missō, 'secret report to the throne'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term is associated with ancient Japanese court practices.