noun
court mourning; national mourning
Formal term for the period of mourning observed by the imperial court after the death of an emperor or empress; also used for national mourning. Rare in everyday language.
天皇の崩御に伴い、諒闇が発せられた。
Following the emperor's passing, court mourning was declared.
歴史書には、諒闇の期間中の行事が記されている。
Historical records describe the events during the period of court mourning.
The term originates from classical Chinese, where it referred to the mourning period for a ruler. The exact derivation of the kanji is uncertain, but they are conventionally associated with the meaning of imperial mourning.