also: こうたいこう
noun
Empress Dowager; Queen Mother
Title for the mother of the reigning emperor, or the widow of a previous emperor. Used in historical and modern imperial contexts.
皇太后陛下は式典にご臨席になった。
Her Majesty the Empress Dowager attended the ceremony.
明治時代
The Empress Dowager of the Meiji era was a symbolic figure of the imperial family.