Reign 707–715 Name Empress Genmei Predecessor Monmu Role Monarch | Successor Gensho Father Tenji Grandchildren Emperor Shomu | |
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Burial Nahoyama no higashi no misasagi (Nara) Issue Prince Karu (Mommu)Princess Hidaka (Gensho) Died December 29, 721 AD, Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan Children Emperor Monmu, Empress Gensho Parents Emperor Tenmu, Emperor Tenji Similar People | ||
奈良 奈良市 元明天皇 奈保山東陵
Empress Genmei (元明天皇, Genmei-tennō, 660 – December 29, 721), also known as Empress Genmyō, was the 43rd monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.
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Genmei's reign spanned the years 707 through 715 CE.
In the history of Japan, Genmei was the fourth of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant. The three female monarchs before Genmei were Suiko, Kōgyoku/Saimei, and Jitō. The four women sovereigns reigning after Genmei were Genshō, Kōken/Shōtoku, Meishō, and Go-Sakuramachi.
Traditional narrative
Before her ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, her personal name (imina) was Abe-hime.
Empress Genmei was the fourth daughter of Emperor Tenji; and she was a younger sister of Empress Jitō by a different mother. 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).
Events of Genmei's life
Genmei became the consort (nyōgo) of Crown Prince Kusakabe no Miko, who was the son of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō. After the death of their son Emperor Monmu in 707, she acceded to the 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.
After Empress Genmei transferred the seat of her government to Nara, this mountain location remained the capital throughout the succeeding seven reigns. In a sense, the years of the Nara period developed into one of the more significant consequences of her comparatively short reign.
Genmei had initially planned to remain on the throne until her grandson might reach maturity. However, in 715, Genmei did abdicate in favor of Mommu's older sister who then became known as Empress Genshō. Genshō was eventually succeeded by her younger brother, who then became known as Emperor Shōmu.
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. Empress Genmei, 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. Genmei lived in retirement for seven years until her death at the age of 61.
The actual site of Genmei's grave is known. This empress is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine (misasagi) at Nara.
The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Genmei's mausoleum. Genmei's Imperial misasagi or mausoleum can be visited today in Narazaka-cho, Nara City. The "mountain shape" misasagi was named Nahoyama-no-higashi no misasagi.
Poetry
The Man'yōshū includes a poem written said to be composed by Empress Genmei in 708 (Wadō 1) – and this anthology also includes a reply created by one of the ladies of her court::
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.
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 Genmei's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
Eras of Genmei's reign
The years of Genmei's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.