Josei Tennō
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Josei Tennō
is a Japanese title referring to an empress regnant. Unlike the title ''Kōgō'', which can refer to an empress consort, ''Josei Tennō'' only refers to a reigning empress. ''Tennō'' may also refer to a reigning empress. Origins Before Emperor Tenmu (the first to use the title ''Tennō'') all monarchs were probably called Great King/Queen of Yamato, and not ''Tennō''/''Josei Tennō''. From the reign of Empress Jitō onwards, the women were called ''Josei Tennō'' and the men ''Tennō''. The title (much like the male equivalent ''Tennō'') was used to greatly emphasize the emperor's power, and control, adding a divine aspect to it. Unofficially women rulers were typically also called ''Tennō''. On most lists retaining to the emperors of Japan, the term ''Meishō Tennō'' can be seen for female rulers rather than ''Meishō Josei Tennō''. ''Josei Tennō'' is only used to differentiate between the male and female monarchs. Before the Fujiwara clan and in times when an ...
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Empress Jitō
was the 41st monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 持統天皇 (41)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Jitō's reign spanned the years from 686 through 697.Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). In the history of Japan, Jitō was the third of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant. The two female monarchs before Jitō were Suiko and Kōgyoku/ Saimei. The five women sovereigns reigning after Jitō were Genmei, Genshō, Kōken/ Shōtoku, Meishō, and Go-Sakuramachi. Traditional narrative Empress Jitō was the daughter of Emperor Tenji. Her mother was Ochi-no-Iratsume, the daughter of Minister Ō-omi Soga no Yamada-no Ishikawa Maro. She was the wife of Tenji's full brother Emperor Tenmu, whom she succeeded on the throne.Varley, H. Paul. ''Jinnō Shōtōki,'' p. 137. Empress Jitō's given name was , or alternately Uno.Brown, D. (1979). ''Gukanshō'', p. 270. Events of Jitō's reign Jitō took responsibility for court administ ...
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Emperor Sushun
was the 32nd Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')崇峻天皇 (32)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Sushun's reign spanned the years from 587 through 592. Traditional narrative Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (his ''imina'') was Hatsusebe''-shinnō'', also known as Hatsusebe no Waka-sazaki. His name at birth was . He was the twelfth son of Emperor Kinmei. His mother was , a daughter of Soga no Iname,Varley, p. 126. who was the chief, or Ōomi, of the Soga clan. He succeeded his half-brother, Emperor Yōmei in 587, and lived in the Kurahashi Palace (Kurahashi no Miya) in Yamato. * 587: In the , the Emperor died, and despite a dispute over who should follow him as sovereign, the succession was received by another son of Emperor Kinmei, one of Yōmei's younger brothers. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Sushun is said to have acceded to the throne. Sushun's contemporary title would not have been ''tenn ...
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Empress Meishō
was the 109th monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')明正天皇 (108)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 115. Her reign lasted from 1629 to 1643. In the history of Japan, Meishō was the seventh of eight women to become empress regnant. The six who reigned before her were Suiko, Kōgyoku/Saimei, Jitō, Genmei, Genshō, and Kōken/Shōtoku. Her sole female successor was Go-Sakuramachi. Genealogy 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. The reign of the new empress was understood to have begun. She was aged 5; and she would grow to become the first woman to occupy the throne since Empress Shōtoku, the 48th sovereign ...
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Dōkyō
was a Japanese monk of the Hossō sect of Buddhism and a prominent political figure in the Nara period. Early life Dōkyō was born in Kawachi Province. His family, the Yuge no Muraji, were part of the provincial gentry. He was taught both by a Confucian teacher and by the Abbot Gien of the Eihei-ji. Under Gien he learned Sanskrit. Subsequently, Dōkyō lived as an ascetic for several years in the Kongō Range on Honshu, where he practiced meditation and sutras; both of these practices were concerned with the acquisition of magical powers. In 748 he is recorded as being at the Todai-ji under Rōben, and in 749 he participated in a sutra copying ceremony in Nara, and was called to Kōken's court three years later.Shively, Donald H. and William H. McCullough. (1999)''The Cambridge History of Japan'', p. 453 Rise to power When Dōkyō cured the illness of Kōken in 761, after she had abdicated in 758, he attained a secure and influential place in her court; she initially rega ...
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Emperor Junnin
was the 47th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 淳仁天皇 (47)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. The seventh son of Prince Toneri and a grandson of Emperor Tenmu, his reign spanned the years 758 to 764. Traditional narrative Before his ascension to the throne, his name (''imina'') was Ōi''-shinnō'' (Ōi-no-ō). He was the seventh son of Prince Toneri, a son of Emperor Tenmu.Brown, p. 275. And although his father died when he was three, he was not given any rank or office at the court. In the older Japanese documents, he is usually referred to as Haitai (廃帝), the dethroned emperor. The posthumous name of Emperor Junnin was given by Emperor Meiji a thousand years later. Ascension and reign In 757 the Empress Kōken, his third cousin appointed him to be her crown prince instead of Prince Funado, who had been appointed to this position in the will of the Emperor Shōmu. In the tenth year of Kōken''-tennō''s reign (), on D ...
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Empress Kōmyō
(701 – 23 July 760), born Fujiwara Asukabehime (藤原 安宿媛), was the consort of Japanese Emperor Shōmu (701–756) during the Nara Period.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' pp. 57-58. Life A member of the Fujiwara clan, her father was Fujiwara no Fuhito and her mother was Agata Inukai no Michiyo (県犬養三千代). During her life she was also known as Asukabehime (安宿媛), Kōmyōshi (光明子), and Tōsanjō (藤三娘), literally the third Fujiwara daughter. In 716, Kōmyō married the future Emperor Shōmu when he was still the crown prince. Two years later, she gave birth to her daughter, Princess Abe, who would later rule as Empress Kōken and Empress Shōtoku. Her son was born in 727 and was soon named crown prince, but he died as an infant. Rumors circulated that Prince Nagaya cursed the infant prince using black magic, and Nagaya was forced to commit suicide in response. Kōmyō was named queens-consort or "kōgō" in 729 ...
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Empress Genshō
was the 44th monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 元正天皇 (44)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Her reign spanned the years 715 through 724. Genshō was the fifth of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant, and the only one in the history of Japan to have inherited her title from another empress regnant rather than from a male predecessor. The four female monarchs before Genshō were Suiko, Kōgyoku, Jitō and Genmei; the three women sovereigns reigning after her were Kōken, Meishō, and Go-Sakuramachi. Traditional narrative Before her ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, her personal name (''imina'') was Hidaka''-hime''. Genshō was an elder sister of Emperor Monmu and daughter of Prince Kusakabe and his wife who later became Empress Genmei. Therefore, she was a granddaughter of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō by her father and a granddaughter of Emperor Tenji through her mother. Events of Genshō's l ...
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Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperial line. It is claimed in its preface to have been composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Genmei in the early 8th century (711–712), and thus is usually considered to be the oldest extant literary work in Japan. The myths contained in the as well as the are part of the inspiration behind many practices. Later, they were incorporated into Shinto practices such as the purification ritual. Composition It is believed that the compilation of various genealogical and anecdotal histories of the imperial (Yamato) court and prominent clans began during the reigns of Emperors Keitai and Kinmei in the 6th century, with the first concerted effort at historical compilation of which we have record being the one made in 620 under ...
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Wadō (era)
was a after ''Keiun'' and before ''Reiki (era), Reiki''. This period spanned the years from January 708 through September 715. The reigning monarch was Empress Genmei (元明天皇, Genmei-tennō). Change of era * 708 : The new era name ''Wadō'' (meaning "Japanese copper") was created because a high quality copper mine was discovered in Chichibu, Saitama, Chichibu in Musashi Province, what is now known as former Wado Mine. The previous era ended and the new one commenced in the spring of ''Keiun'' 5, on the 11th day of the 1st month of 708. The Japanese word for copper is ; and since this was indigenous copper, the ''"wa"'' (the ancient Chinese term for Japan) could be combined with the ''"dō"'' (copper) to create a new composite term -- "''wadō''"—meaning "Japanese copper". A mint was established in the province of Ōmi Province, Ōmi;Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 56. and the ''Wadō'' era is famous for the coin , ...
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Empress Genmei
, also known as Empress Genmyō, was the 43rd monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 元明天皇 (43) retrieved August 22, 2013. according to the traditional order of succession. Genmei's reign spanned the years 707 through 715 CE. In the history of Japan, Genmei was the fourth of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant. The three female monarchs before Genmei were Suiko, Kōgyoku/Saimei, and Jitō. The four women sovereigns reigning after Genmei were Genshō, Kōken/Shōtoku, Meishō, and Go-Sakuramachi. Traditional narrative Before her ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, her personal name (''imina'') was Abe''-hime''.Brown, p. 271. Empress Genmei was the fourth daughter of Emperor Tenji; and she was a younger sister of Empress Jitō by a different mother. Her mother, Mei-no-Iratsume (also known as Soga''-hime''), was a daughter of ''Udaijin'' Soga-no-Kura-no-Yamada-no-Ishikawa-no-Maro (also known as Soga Yamada-no Ō-omi). Events o ...
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Prince Kusakabe
was a Japanese imperial crown prince from 681 until his death. He was the second son of Emperor Tenmu. His mother was the empress Unonosarara, today known as Empress Jitō. He was the sole child of his mother. According to '' Nihon Shoki'', in 681 he was appointed the crown prince. In the summer of 686 his father, Emperor Temmu, fell ill and gave the imperial authority to his wife Empress Jitō and the crown prince Kusakabe. After the death of his father, he surprisingly did not ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne. He led the funeral ceremony and the construction of Emperor Temmu's tomb but before the coronation, he died in 689 at the age of 28. He was posthumously titled . The location of his tomb is uncertain. Some suppose it to be in Takatori, Nara. He married his paternal cousin and maternal aunt, Princess Abe, the daughter of Emperor Tenji. They had at least three children, Prince Karu, Princess Hidaka and Princess Kibi. After his death, his mother Empress Jitō ascende ...
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