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 (grandson of

Emperor Tenmu was the 40th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 天武天皇 (40) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 53. Tenmu's rei ...

). His father was Prince Takechi and his mother Princess Minabe (a daughter of Emperor Tenji and Empress Genmei's sister). He married Princess Kibi (his cousin, a daughter of Empress Genmei and Empress Genshō'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 was the Capital of Japan during most of the Nara period, from 710 to 740 and again from 745 to 784. The imperial palace is a listed UNESCO World Heritage together with other places in the city of Nara (cf. Historic Monuments of Ancient ...

. 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 th ...

were the most powerful competitors of Nagaya. Fujiwara no Fuhito, the leader of the house, had been the most powerful courtier in the court in the days when Japan was under the reign of Empress Genshō, 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: Prince Takechi (高市皇子, Takechi no ōji, c. 654 – 13 August 696),

'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'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 Fujiwara no Fuhito (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 Abe no Hironiwa (安倍広庭, also written 阿倍広庭) was a Japanese ''waka'' and '' kanshi'' poet during the Nara period. Biography Abe no Hironiwa was born in 659. He was the son of . In the first year of Jinki (724) he oversaw the funera ...

(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