imperial reign; reign of an emperor
Honorific term used to refer to the reign of an emperor of Japan. Archaic and highly formal; in modern Japanese, 御代 (みよ) or 御宇 (ぎょう) may be used in similar contexts, but this specific reading is rare.
In old documents, 御時 is seen as a respectful term for an emperor's reign.
Compound of honorific prefix 御 (おおん) and 時 (とき, 'time'), literally 'honorable time/era'. The reading おおんとき is an archaic honorific form.