Nagaya ( ') (684 – 20 March 729) was a politician of the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

and an imperial prince of Japan, a son of

Prince Takechi was a member of the royal family in Japan during the Asuka period. He was the eldest son of Emperor Tenmu. He fought on the side of his father in the Jinshin War (672), a battle of succession, which resulted in his father becoming Emperor. At ...

(grandson of Emperor Tenmu). His father was Prince Takechi and his mother Princess Minabe (a daughter of

Emperor Tenji , also known as Emperor Tenchi, was the 38th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')天智天皇 (38)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 52 ...

and

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 throu ...

's sister). He married Princess Kibi (his cousin, a daughter of Empress Genmei and

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 ...

's sister). He was substantially influential in politics owing to his membership of the Imperial family of the most noble birth, and there were no other competitive Imperial members at that time. A large residence was allocated to him in a prestigious part of Heijō-kyō. The

Fujiwara clan was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until ...

were the most powerful competitors of Nagaya.

Fujiwara no Fuhito Fujiwara no Fuhito (藤原不比等: 659 – 13 September 720) was a powerful member of the imperial court of Japan during the Asuka and Nara periods. Second son of Fujiwara no Kamatari (or, according to one theory, of Emperor Tenji), h ...

, the leader of the house, had been the most powerful courtier in the court in the days when Japan was under the reign of

, a cousin of Nagaya's. After Fuhito's death in 720, Nagaya seized complete power within the court. This power shift was the source of later conflicts between him and Fuhito's four sons ( Muchimaro, Fusasaki, Maro and Umakai) in the reign of

Emperor Shōmu was the 45th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 聖武天皇 (45)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749, during the Nara period. Traditional narrative ...

. In 729, the four sons charged him with a false crime and Nagaya received the death penalty. He was forced to commit suicide. His wife, Princess Kibi, and his children were killed at the same time.

Wives and children

Parents *Father:

(高市皇子, Takechi no ōji, c. 654 – 13 August 696), Emperor Tenmu's son *Mother:

Princess Minabe (? – ?) was a member of the royal family in Japan during the Asuka period. She was a daughter of Emperor Tenji. Her mother was Lady Mei (姪娘), daughter of Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa no Maro (ob. 649) was a member of the Soga clan ...

(御名部皇女), Emperor Tenji's daughter Consorts and issue * Consort (''Hi''): Imperial Princess Kibi (吉備内親王, 686–729),

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'', i ...

's daughter **Son: Prince Kashiwade (膳夫王, d. 16 March 729) **Son: Prince Katsuragi (葛木王, d. 729) **Son: Prince Kagitori (鉤取王, d. 729) * Consort (''Hi''): Lady Ishikawa (石川夫人), daughter of Ishikawa no Mushina (石川虫名) **Second Son: Prince Kuwata (桑田王, d.729) * Consort (Hi): Fujiwara no Nagako (藤原長娥子), daughter of

(藤原不比等) **Fifth Son: Prince Asukabe (安宿王) **Son: Prince Kibumi (黄文王, d. 757) **Son: Prince Yamashiro (Fujiwara no Otosada) (藤原弟貞, d. 17 October 763) **Daughter: Princess Kyōshō (教勝), a nun * Consort (''Hi''): Abe no Ōtoji (安倍大刀自), daughter of Abe no Hironiwa (安倍広庭) **Daughter: Princess Kamo (賀茂女王) *Unknown mother **Son: Prince Kurihara (栗原王) **Son: Prince Ankun (安君王) **Son: Prince Asazuma (朝妻王) **Daughter: Princess Chinu (智努女王)She may be Prince Nagaya's wife not daughter. **Daughter: Princess Madokata (円方女王, d. 27 January 774) **Daughter: Princess Oshimi (忍海女王) **Daughter: Princess Ki (紀女王)

Nagaya's Curse

It is said that, as Prince Nagaya was forced to die unreasonably, he bore a grudge against the living after his death. The following are believed to have been the victims of Nagaya's curse: Muchimaro, Fusasaki, Maro and Umakai, responsible for the prince's death, caught

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

one after another and eventually all of them died during a major Japanese smallpox epidemic in 737. *In 1988, the former site of Nagaya's residence was discovered with many wooden tablets and historic relics on the construction site of a Sogo department store. Sogo did not care and continued construction. Twelve years after the store's completion, Sogo went bankrupt.

References

The Cambridge History of Japan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagaya Japanese princes 684 births 729 deaths People of Asuka-period Japan People of Nara-period Japan