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Empress Gemmei
Empress of Japan
Reign The 17th Day of 7th Month of Keiun 4 (August 18, 707) - The 2nd Day of 9th Month of Reiki 1 (October 3, 715)
Titles Empress Dowager Gemmei (715 - 721)
Empress of Japan(707 - 715)
Princess Abe
Born The 7th year of Saimei's reign (661)
Died The 7th Day of the 12th Month of Yoro 5 (December 29, 721)
Place of death Nara, Japan
Buried Nahoyama-no-higashi no Misasagi
Predecessor Empress Jitō
Successor Empress Genshō
Consort Prince Kusakabe
Issue Prince Karu (Emperor Mommu), Princess Hidaka (Empress Genshō), Princess Kibi
Father Emperor Temmu
Mother Soga no Mei-no-iratsume

Empress Gemmei (元明天皇 Gemmei-tennō?) (661 – December 29, 721) was the 43rd imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. also known as Kyōun, is a Japanese era name following Taihō and preceding Wadō. Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Events By Place Asia Empress Gemmei succeeds to the Japanese throne is a Spiritual practice developed in 1922 by Mikao Usui. After three weeks of Fasting and Meditating on Mount Kurama, in Japan Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Events By Place Europe September 26 — Battle of Compiègne: Ragenfrid defeats Theudoald, becoming mayor Events By Place Europe September 26 — Battle of Compiègne: Ragenfrid defeats Theudoald, becoming mayor Events By Place Byzantine Empire Former Byzantine emperor Anastasius II leads a revolt against emperor Leo III. Events By Place Asia Empress Gemmei succeeds to the Japanese throne Events By Place Europe September 26 — Battle of Compiègne: Ragenfrid defeats Theudoald, becoming mayor Events By Place Europe Perctarit and Godepert become co-rulers of the Lombards, following the death of their Yoro is the capital city of the Yoro department of Honduras. Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Events By Place Byzantine Empire Former Byzantine emperor Anastasius II leads a revolt against emperor Leo III. is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. (645 &ndash December 22 702 was the 41st imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession Empress Genshō (元正天皇 Genshō-tennō) (680 &ndash May 22, 748) was the 44th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional Prince Kusakabe (草壁皇子 Kusakabe no miko 662 - May 10, 689) was a Japanese imperial Crown prince from 681 until his death Emperor Mommu (文武天皇 Monmu-tennō) (683-707 was the 42nd imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession Empress Genshō (元正天皇 Genshō-tennō) (680 &ndash May 22, 748) was the 44th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional (c 631 - October 1 686) was the 40th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession Events By Place Europe Perctarit and Godepert become co-rulers of the Lombards, following the death of their Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Events By Place Byzantine Empire Former Byzantine emperor Anastasius II leads a revolt against emperor Leo III. The of Japan is the country's Monarch. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. This sovereign is sometimes identified as Empress Genmyō. She was the fifth woman to ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne. [1] Her reign spanned the years from 707 through 715. [2]

Contents

Genealogy

Before her ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, her personal name (her imina)[3] was Abe-hime. [4]

Empress Gemmei was the fourth daughter of Emperor Tenji;[4] and she was a younger sister of Empress Jitō by a different mother. Emperor Tenji (天智天皇 Tenji-tennō) also known as Emperor Tenchi ( Tenchi-tennō) ( 626 - January 7, 672 (the 3rd Day of (645 &ndash December 22 702 was the 41st imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession 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). Udaijin (右大臣 most commonly translated as the "Minister of the Right" was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and [4]

Empress Gemmei's personal name before her accession was Abe. [4]

Events of Gemmei's life

Gemmei became the consort (nyōgo) of Crown Prince Kusakabe no Miko, who was the son of Emperor Temmu and Empress Jitō. Prince Kusakabe (草壁皇子 Kusakabe no miko 662 - May 10, 689) was a Japanese imperial Crown prince from 681 until his death (c 631 - October 1 686) was the 40th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession (645 &ndash December 22 702 was the 41st imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession [4] After the death of their son Emperor Mommu in 707, she acceded to the throne. Emperor Mommu (文武天皇 Monmu-tennō) (683-707 was the 42nd imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession Events By Place Asia Empress Gemmei succeeds to the Japanese throne At least one account suggests that she accepted the role of empress because Emperor Mommu felt his young son, her grandson, was still too young to withstand the pressures which attend becoming emperor. [5]

After Empress Gemmei transferred the seat of her government to Nara, this mountain location remained the capital throughout the succeeding seven reigns. [8] In a sense, the years of the Nara period developed into one of the more significant consequences of her comparatively short reign. The of the History of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794.

Gemmei had initially planned to remain on the throne until her grandson might reach maturity. However, in 715, Gemmei did abdicate in favor of Mommu's older sister who then became known as Empress Genshō. Events By Place Europe September 26 — Battle of Compiègne: Ragenfrid defeats Theudoald, becoming mayor Empress Genshō (元正天皇 Genshō-tennō) (680 &ndash May 22, 748) was the 44th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional Genshō was eventually succeeded by her younger brother, who then became known as Emperor Shōmu. Emperor Shōmu (聖武天皇 Shōmu Tennō) (701 – June 4, 756) was the 45th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional

The Empress reigned for eight years. Although there were seven other reigning empresses, their successors were most often selected from amongst the males of the paternal Imperial bloodline, which is why some conservative scholars argue that the women's reigns were temporary and that male-only succession tradition must be maintained in the 21st century. [10] Empress Gemmei, who was followed on the throne by her daughter, remains the sole exception to this conventional argument.

After abdicating, she was known as Daijō-tennō; and she was only the second woman after Empress Jitō to claim this title. Gemmei lived in retirement until her death at the age of 61. [8] Gemmei's Imperial misasagi or tomb can be visited today in Narazaka-cho, Nara City. is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. [11][12]

Poetry

The Man'yōshū includes a poem written said to be composed by Empress Gemmei in the first year of Wadō (708) -- and this anthology also includes a reply created by one of the ladies of her court::

Listen to the sounds of the warriors' elbow-guards;[13]
Our captain must be ranging the shields to drill the troops. is the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry, compiled sometime in the Nara or early Heian periods The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's [14]
-- Gemmei-tennō[15]
Reply:
Be not concerned, O my Sovereign;
Am I not here,
I, whom the ancestral gods endowed with life,
Next of kin to yourself?
-- Minabé-hime[15]

Kugyō

Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of Japan in pre-Meiji eras. The of Japan is the country's Monarch. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. The, or Meiji era, denotes the 45-year reign of the Meiji Emperor, running in the Gregorian calendar, from 23 October 1868 to 30 July

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 Gemmei's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:

Eras of Gemmei's reign

The years of Genmei's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō. The, usually translated as Inner Minister -- also known as the -- was a significant post in the Imperial court as re-organized under the ''Taihō'' Code. often translated as "Great Councillor" was a government post of the Japanese Ritsuryo governmental system which was in place for much of the classical and The Japanese era calendar scheme is a common Calendar scheme used in Japan, which identifies a year by the combination of the and the year number within the era The Japanese era calendar scheme is a common Calendar scheme used in Japan, which identifies a year by the combination of the and the year number within the era [5]

References

  1. ^ The empresses who reigned before Gemmei were: (1) Suiko, (2) Kōgyoku/Saimei, and (3) Jitō; and the women sovereigns reigning after Gemmei were (a) Genshō, (b) Kōken/Shōtoku, (c) Meishō, and (d) Go-Sakuramachi. also known as Kyōun, is a Japanese era name following Taihō and preceding Wadō. was a after Keiun and before Reiki. This period spanned the years from 708 through 715. was a after Wadō and before Yōrō. This period spanned the years from 715 through 717.
  2. ^ Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du Japon, pp. 63-65; Brown, Delmer et al. (1979). Gukanshō, p. 271; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki. p. 140.
  3. ^ Brown, pp. 264. [Up until the time of Emperor Jomei, the personal names of the emperors (their imina) were very long and people did not generally use them. The number of characters in each name diminished after Jomei's reign. ]
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Brown, p. 271.
  5. ^ a b c d e Titsingh, p. 63.
  6. ^ Brown, p. 271; Varley, p. 44. [A distinct act of senso is unrecognized prior to Emperor Tenji; and all sovereigns except Jitō, Yōzei, Go-Toba, and Fushimi have senso and sokui in the same year until the reign of Go-Murakami. ]
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Titsingh, p. 64.
  8. ^ a b c Varley, p. 140.
  9. ^ Titsingh, pp. 64-65.
  10. ^ "Life in the Cloudy Imperial Fishbowl," Japan Times. March 27, 2007.
  11. ^ Gemmei's misasagi -- image
  12. ^ Gemmei's misasagi -- map
  13. ^ Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkokai. (1969). The Manyōshu, p. 81 n1. [Elbow guards were made of leather and were worn on the left arm to prevent the bow-string from springing back and hurting the elbow. The string struck the elbow-guard with a loud sound. ]
  14. ^ Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkokai, p. 81 n2. [This poem probably alludes to the expeditionary force that was sent against the Emishi in northern Japan in Wadō 2 (709). ]
  15. ^ a b Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkokai, p. 81.


See also


Preceded by
Emperor Mommu		 Empress of Japan:
Gemmei
707-715		 Succeeded by
Empress Genshō
In Japan, Empress may refer to either or. Ruling Empresses There were eight female imperial reigns (six female emperors including two who reigned twice in Emperor Mommu (文武天皇 Monmu-tennō) (683-707 was the 42nd imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession Empress Genshō (元正天皇 Genshō-tennō) (680 &ndash May 22, 748) was the 44th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional
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