was the 49th

emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

, Emperor Kōnin, Tahara no Higashi Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional

order of succession An order, line 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.770 to 781.

Traditional narrative

The personal name of Emperor Kōnin (''

imina in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name. Japanese names are usually written in kanji, where the pronunciation follows a special set of rules. Because parents when naming children, and foreigners when adoptin ...

'') was . As a son of Imperial Prince Shiki and a grandson of

Emperor Tenji , known first as and later as until his accession, was the 38th emperor of Japan who reigned from 668 to 671. He was the son of Emperor Jomei and Empress Kōgyoku (Empress Saimei), and his children included Empress Jitō, Empress Genmei, an ...

, his formal style was Prince Shirakabe. Initially, he was not in line for succession, as

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. He ascended ...

and his branch held the throne. He married Imperial Princess Inoe, a daughter of

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

, producing a daughter and a son. After his sister-in-law Empress Shōtoku died, he was named her heir. The high courtiers claimed the empress had left her will in a letter in which she had appointed him as her successor. Prior to this, he had been considered a gentle man without political ambition. Kōnin had five wives and seven Imperial sons and daughters. Brown and Ishida, p. 277. Emperor Kōnin is traditionally venerated at his tomb; the

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...

designates , in

Nara, Nara is the capital city of Nara Prefecture, Japan. , Nara has an estimated population of 367,353 according to World Population Review, making it the largest city in Nara Prefecture and sixth-largest in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara is a core ...

, as the location of Kōnin's

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

Events of Kōnin's life

* September 8, 769 (): In the 5th year of Empress Shōtoku's reign, she died; she is said to have written a letter designating Senior Counselor Prince Shirakabe as her heir and crown prince. * August 28, 770 (): Exactly one (Japanese era-based) year later, the succession (''senso'') was received by Kōnin, who was the 62-year-old grandson of

. * October 23, 770 (): Emperor Kōnin was said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui'') in a formal ceremony, following the plans of the nobles and ministers to have him placed on the throne. The era name was also changed on this date, to Hōki. * 781 (): The emperor abdicated in favor of his son Yamabe, who became Emperor Kanmu. Emperor Kōnin's reign had lasted for 11 years. * 781 (): Kōnin died at the age of 73.

Eras of Kōnin's reign

The years of Kammu's reign are more specifically identified by more than one

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of rule, a t ...

(''nengō'').Titsingh, p. 81; Brown and Ishida, p. 277. * '' Hōki'' (770–781) * ''

Ten'ō was a after ''Hōki'' and before ''Enryaku.'' This period lasted from January 781 through August 782. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 24 October 781 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The previous ...

'' (781–782)

Legacy

Kōnin attempted to reconstruct the state finance and administrative organizations, which had been corrupted under the reign of Empress Kōken.

Political conflict around his successors

Soon after his enthronement in 770 ( Hōki 1), he promoted his wife Imperial Princess Inoe (or Inoue or Ikami, the exact pronunciation of her name is unknown) to the empress and appointed her son Imperial Prince Osabe to the crown prince in the next year. As a grandson of

by his mother, Osabe was one of few descendants of

, the line of Tenmu however didn't succeed to the throne finally. In 772 Osabe was deprived of his crown prince rank and Imperial Prince Yamabe, an issue by another woman, later Emperor Kanmu was named heir. According to the , the replacement happened as follows: in the third month of Hōki 3 (772), Inoe was accused of cursing her husband and Emperor Kōnin stripped her of the rank of Empress. In the fifth month of this year his son Osabe was deprived his crown prince status. In Hōki 4 (773), both were alleged to have murdered Imperial Princess Naniwa, a sister of Kōnin by cursing. This allegation made those two stripped of the rank of royals. Those two were together enclosed in a house in

Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, th ...

and died two years later in the same day, on the 27th day of the fourth month of Hōki 6 (on the Julian Calendar, on May 29, 775). In 772, soon after Osabe's deprivation of heir right, Prince Yamabe was named heir. His mother Takano no Niigasa, née Yamato no Niigasa, was a descendant of King Muryeong of Baekje. Since her clan had then no political power, his appointment had not been likely to happen without the deprivation of Osabe, the noblest male issue of Konin as the son of an Imperial Princess and Empress. Today it is pointed out the accusations to Inoe and Osabe were likely to be plotted for depriving her son of the throne, and they were likely to be assassinated, by Fujiwara no Momokawa. The late years of Kōnin's reign and the early years of Kanmu's reign suffered disasters. The people took those disasters as vengeance of noble victims of political conflicts, including late Inoe and Osabe. In 800 during the reign of Kanmu, Princess Inoe who had deceased in 775 was restored to the rank of Empress of Kōnin. Several shrines and temples were also founded for redemption, including Kamigoryō Shrine ( :ja:上御霊神社). He favored Kim Am a man from the Kingdom of Silla.

Kugyō

is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

in pre- Meiji eras. In general, this elite group included only three to four men at a time. These were hereditary courtiers whose experience and background would have brought them to the pinnacle of a life's career. During Kōnin's reign, this apex of the ''

Daijō-kan The , also known as the Great Council of State, was (i) (''Daijō-kan'') the highest organ of Japan's premodern Imperial government under the Ritsuryō legal system during and after the Nara period or (ii) (''Dajō-kan'') the highest organ of Jap ...

'' included: * ''

Sadaijin The ''Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary'', Kenkyusha Limited, was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Sadaijin'' in the context of a cent ...

'', Fujiwara no Nagate (藤原永手) (714–771),　766–771. * ''Sadaijin'', Fujiwara no Uona (藤原魚名) (721–783),　781–782. * ''

Udaijin was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 701. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''Udaijin'' in the context of a central administrat ...

'', Ōnakatomi Kiyomaro (大中臣清麿) (702–788), 771–781. * ''Naidaijin'',

Fujiwara no Yoshitsugu was a Japanese statesman, courtier, and politician of the Nara period. He was the second son of the founder of the Shikike branch of the Fujiwara, Fujiwara no Umakai. His original name was . He was the maternal grandfather of the emperors Emperor ...

(藤原良継) (716–777), 771–777. * ''Naidaijin'', Fujiwara no Uona (藤原魚名) (721–783), 778–781 * ''

Dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

'', Fun'ya no Ōchi (文室大市) (704–780), 771–777 * ''Dainagon'', Fujiwara no Uona (藤原魚名) (721–783), 771–778 * ''Sangi'', Fujiwara no Momokawa (藤原百川), 732–779.

Consorts and children

Empress (deposed in 772): Imperial Princess Inoe/Ikami (井上内親王),

’s daughter *Imperial Prince Osabe (他戸親王, 761–775), the Crown Prince (deposed in 772) *Imperial Princess Sakahito (酒人内親王), Saiō in

Ise Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shi ...

772–775, and married to Emperor Kanmu ''Hi'': Princess Owari (尾張女王, d. 804), Prince Yuhara’s daughter (son of Prince Shiki) *Third Son: Imperial Prince Hieda (稗田親王, 751–781) ''Bunin'': Takano no Niigasa (高野新笠), Yamato no Ototsugu’s daughter *First Daughter: Imperial Princess Noto (能登内親王, 733–781), married to Prince Ichihara *First Son: Imperial Prince Yamabe (山部親王) later Emperor Kanmu *Second Son: Imperial

Prince Sawara (circa 750 – November 8, 785) was the fifth son of Prince Shirakabe (later Emperor Kōnin), by Takano no Niigasa. Biography In 781 he was named heir-presumptive after his elder brother succeeded the abdicated Emperor Kōnin as the Emperor ...

(早良親王), the Crown Prince (deposed in 785) ''Bunin'': Fujiwara no Sōshi (藤原曹子), Fujiwara no Nagate’s daughter ''Bunin'': Ki no Miyako (紀宮子), Ki no Ineko’s daughter ''Bunin'': Fujiwara no Nariko (藤原産子), Fujiwara no Momokawa’s daughter Court lady: Agatanushi no Shimahime (県主嶋姫), Agatanushi no Emishi’s daughter *Imperial Princess Minuma (弥努摩内親王, d. 810), married to Prince Miwa (神王) Court lady (''Nyoju''): Agatainukai no Isamimi (Omimi) (県犬養勇耳/男耳) *Hirone no Morokatsu (広根諸勝), removed from the Imperial Family by receiving the family name from Emperor (''Shisei Kōka''賜姓降下) in 787 Unknown Woman: * Prince Kaisei (開成皇子, 724–781)

Ancestry

Notes

References

* * * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

Nihon Ōdai Ichiran , ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings. According to the 1871 edition of the ''American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ...

''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''.
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
* Varley, H. Paul. (1980)
''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns''.
New York: Columbia University Press.
OCLC 59145842