legendary Legendary may refer to: * Legend, a folklore genre * Legendary (hagiography) ** Anjou Legendarium * J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium Film and television * ''Legendary'' (film), a 2010 American sports drama film * ''Legendary'', a 2013 film fea ...

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the ...

order of succession An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.Emperor Kinmei ( – 571 AD), the 29th Emperor,Titsingh
pp. 34–36
Brown
pp. 261–262; Varley, pp. 123–124
is the first for which contemporary historiography is able to assign verifiable dates; however, the conventionally accepted names and dates of the early Emperors were not to be confirmed as "traditional" until the reign of

Emperor Kanmu , or Kammu, was the 50th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 桓武天皇 (50) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Kanmu reigned from 781 to 806, and it was during his reign that the sco ...

(737–806), the 50th sovereign of the

Yamato dynasty The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

. According to '' Kojiki'' and '' Nihon Shoki'', Richū was the eldest son of Emperor Nintoku and Iwanohime, his name was . Richū's contemporary title would not have been ''tennō'', as most historians believe this title was not introduced until the reigns of Emperor Tenmu and

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 ...

. Rather, it was presumably , meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven". Alternatively, Hanzei might have been referred to as or the "Great King of Yamato". Some scholars identify him with King San in the '' Book of Song''. King San sent messengers to the

Liu Song dynasty Song, known as Liu Song (), Former Song (前宋) or Song of (the) Southern Dynasty (南朝宋) in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the first of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period ...

at least twice in 421 and 425. Kamiishizu Misanzai Kofun Aerial photograph 2007

Richū escaped from Naniwa Place to

Isonokami Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in the hills of Furu in Tenri, Nara prefecture, Japan. It is one of the oldest extant Shinto shrines in Japan and has housed several significant artifacts. Isonokami shrine was highly regarded in the ancient era, and ...

because of arson. Richū succumbed to disease in his sixth year of reign. His tomb is in Kawachi province, in the middle of present-day Osaka Prefecture. He was succeeded by his younger brother

Emperor Hanzei was the 18th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 反正天皇 (18) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' p. 38. ...

. None of his sons succeeded to the throne, although two grandsons would eventually ascend as

Emperor Kenzō (450 — 2 June 487) was the 23rd legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 顕宗天皇 (23) retrieved 2013-8-29. according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's lif ...

and as

Emperor Ninken (449 — 9 September 498) was the 24th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 仁賢天皇 (24) retrieved 2013-8-30. according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's ...

. The site of Richū's

grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grav ...

is not known. The Emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine (''misasagi'') in Sakai, Osaka. The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Richū's mausoleum. It is formally named ''Mozu no mimihara no minami no misasagi.''Ponsonby-Fane, p. 419. It is also identified as the kofun.

Consorts and children

Imperial Consort: , Katsuragi no Ashita no Sukune's daughter *First Son: , father of

Emperor Kenzō (450 — 2 June 487) was the 23rd legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 顕宗天皇 (23) retrieved 2013-8-29. according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's lif ...

and

Emperor Ninken (449 — 9 September 498) was the 24th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 仁賢天皇 (24) retrieved 2013-8-30. according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's ...

* * Empress ( Kōgō) : , Emperor Ōjin's daughter *, wife of Prince Ōkusaka, later married

Emperor Anko An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( e ...

Beauty ('' Hin'') : , Prince Funashiwake's daughter Beauty ( Hin) : , Prince Funashiwake's daughter

Ancestry

Notes

References

* Aston, William George. (1896)
''Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697.''
London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner. * Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979)
''Gukanshō: The Future and the Past.''
Berkeley: University of California Press. ; * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. * Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). '' Nihon Ōdai Ichiran''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. * Varley, H. Paul. (1980)
''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns.''
New York: Columbia University Press. ;

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richu Japanese emperors People of Kofun-period Japan 4th-century monarchs in Asia 5th-century monarchs in Asia 4th-century Japanese monarchs 5th-century Japanese monarchs Year of birth unknown 405 deaths

Consorts and children

Ancestry

See also

Notes

References

External links