Emperor Kotoku
Encyclopedia
was the 36th emperor
of Japan
, according to the traditional order of succession.
The years of his reign lasted from 645 through 654.
, his personal name (imina) was or . As empress, her name would have been Ame-Yorodzu Toyohi no mikoto.
He enacted the Taika Reform Edicts.
He was a descendant of Emperor Bidatsu
. He was a son of Chinu no ōkimi (Prince Chinu, 茅渟王) by Kibitsuhime no ōkimi (Princess Kibitsuhime, 吉備姫王). Empress Kōgyoku
was his elder sister from same parents. Chinu was a son of Prince Oshisaka hikohito no ōe whose father was the Emperor Bidatsu. He had at least three consorts including his Empress, Hashihito no Himemiko (Princess Hashihito), the daughter of Emperor Jomei
and his sister Empress Kōgyoku.
He ruled from July 12, 645 until his death in 654.
In 645 he ascended to the throne two days after Prince Naka no Ōe
(Emperor Tenji) assassinated Soga no Iruka
in the court of Kōgyoku. Kōgyoku abdicated in favor of her son and crown prince, Naka no Ōe, but Naka no Ōe insisted Kōtoku should ascend to the throne instead.
Kōtoku's contemporary title would not have been tennō, as most historians believe this title was not introduced until the reigns of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō
. Rather, it was presumably Sumeramikoto or Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Ōkimi (治天下大王), meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven." Alternatively, Kōtoku might have been referred to as (ヤマト大王/大君) or the "Great King of Yamato."
According to Nihonshoki he was of gentle personality and was favor in Buddhism
.
In 645 he created a new city in the area called Naniwa
, and moved the capital from Yamato province
to this new city (see Nara
). The new capital had a sea port and was good for foreign trade and diplomatic activities.
In 653 Kōtoku sent an embassy to Tang Dynasty
, but not all ships could reach China because of wrecking.
Naka no Ōe held the rank of crown prince and was the de facto leader of the government. In 653 Naka no Ōe proposed to move the capital again to Yamato province. Kōtoku denied. Naka no Ōe ignored the emperor's policy and moved to the former province. Many courtiers and loyals in the court including Empress Hashihito followed him. Kōtoku was left in the palace. In the next year he died because of illness. After his death, Naka no Ōe wouldn't ascend to the throne. Instead, his mother and the sister of Kōtoku, the former Empress Kogyoku ascended to the throne under another name, Empress Saimei.
The system of hasshō kyakkan (eight ministries and a hundred offices) was first established during the reign of Emperor Kōtoku.
The actual site of Kōtoku's grave
is known. This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial
Shinto
shrine
(misasagi) at Osaka.
The Imperial Household Agency
designates this location as Kōtoku's mausoleum
. It is formally named Ōsaka-no-shinaga no misasagi.
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 Kōtoko's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
Hi: Abe no Otarashi-hime (阿部小足媛), daughter of Abe no Kurahashi-maro
Hi: Saga no Chi-no-iratsume (蘇我乳娘), daughter of Soga no Kura-no-Yamada no Ishikawa-no-maro
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, according to the traditional order of succession.
The years of his reign lasted from 645 through 654.
Traditional narrative
Before Kōtoku ascension to the Chrysanthemum ThroneChrysanthemum Throne
The is the English term used to identify the throne of the Emperor of Japan. The term can refer to very specific seating, such as the takamikura throne in the Shishin-den at Kyoto Imperial Palace....
, his personal name (imina) was or . As empress, her name would have been Ame-Yorodzu Toyohi no mikoto.
He enacted the Taika Reform Edicts.
He was a descendant of Emperor Bidatsu
Emperor Bidatsu
was the 30th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Bidastsu's reign spanned the years from 572 through 585.-Traditional narrative:Bidatsu was called in the Nihonshoki....
. He was a son of Chinu no ōkimi (Prince Chinu, 茅渟王) by Kibitsuhime no ōkimi (Princess Kibitsuhime, 吉備姫王). Empress Kōgyoku
Empress Kogyoku
, also known as , was the 35th and 37th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Kōgyoku's reign spanned the years from 642-645. Her reign as Saimei encompassed 655-661...
was his elder sister from same parents. Chinu was a son of Prince Oshisaka hikohito no ōe whose father was the Emperor Bidatsu. He had at least three consorts including his Empress, Hashihito no Himemiko (Princess Hashihito), the daughter of Emperor Jomei
Emperor Jomei
was the 34th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Jomei's reign spanned the years from 629 through 641.-Traditional narrative:Before Jomei's ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was or...
and his sister Empress Kōgyoku.
He ruled from July 12, 645 until his death in 654.
In 645 he ascended to the throne two days after Prince Naka no Ōe
Emperor Tenji
, also known as Emperor Tenchi, was the 38th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Tenji's reign spanned the years from 661 through 671.-Traditional narrative:...
(Emperor Tenji) assassinated Soga no Iruka
Soga no Iruka
was a statesman in the Asuka Period of Japan.He was a son of Soga no Emishi. He was assassinated by Prince Naka-no-Ōe though he tried to murder Prince Yamashiro, and to rule the emperor family. Emishi also committed suicide soon after his son's death, and the main branch of the Soga clan went...
in the court of Kōgyoku. Kōgyoku abdicated in favor of her son and crown prince, Naka no Ōe, but Naka no Ōe insisted Kōtoku should ascend to the throne instead.
- 645: In the 3rd year of Kōgyoku-tennō 's reign (皇極天皇3年), the empress abdicated; and the succession (senso) was received by her younger brother. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Kōtoku is said to have acceded to the throne (sokui).
Kōtoku's contemporary title would not have been tennō, as most historians believe this title was not introduced until the reigns of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō
Empress Jito
was the 41st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Jitō's reign spanned the years from 686 through 697.In the history of Japan, Jitō was the third of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant. The two female monarchs before Jitō were Suiko and Kōgyoku/Saimei...
. Rather, it was presumably Sumeramikoto or Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Ōkimi (治天下大王), meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven." Alternatively, Kōtoku might have been referred to as (ヤマト大王/大君) or the "Great King of Yamato."
According to Nihonshoki he was of gentle personality and was favor in Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
.
In 645 he created a new city in the area called Naniwa
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, and moved the capital from Yamato province
Yamato Province
was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. It was also called . At first, the name was written with one different character , and for about ten years after 737, this was revised to use more desirable characters . The final revision was made in...
to this new city (see Nara
Nara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
). The new capital had a sea port and was good for foreign trade and diplomatic activities.
In 653 Kōtoku sent an embassy to Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, but not all ships could reach China because of wrecking.
Naka no Ōe held the rank of crown prince and was the de facto leader of the government. In 653 Naka no Ōe proposed to move the capital again to Yamato province. Kōtoku denied. Naka no Ōe ignored the emperor's policy and moved to the former province. Many courtiers and loyals in the court including Empress Hashihito followed him. Kōtoku was left in the palace. In the next year he died because of illness. After his death, Naka no Ōe wouldn't ascend to the throne. Instead, his mother and the sister of Kōtoku, the former Empress Kogyoku ascended to the throne under another name, Empress Saimei.
The system of hasshō kyakkan (eight ministries and a hundred offices) was first established during the reign of Emperor Kōtoku.
The actual site of Kōtoku's grave
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
is known. This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
(misasagi) at Osaka.
The Imperial Household Agency
Imperial Household Agency
The is a government agency of Japan in charge of the state matters concerning Japan's imperial family and also keeping the Privy Seal and the State Seal...
designates this location as Kōtoku's mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
. It is formally named Ōsaka-no-shinaga no misasagi.
Kugyō
Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor of JapanEmperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
in pre-Meiji
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
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 Kōtoko's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:
- SadaijinSadaijin, most commonly translated as "Minister of the Left", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Sadaijin in the context of a central...
, Abe no Kurahashi-maro (阿部倉梯麻呂) (?–649), 645–649. - Sadaijin, Kose no Tokoda (巨勢徳太) (593–658), 649–658.
- UdaijinUdaijinUdaijin , most commonly translated as the "Minister of the Right", was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Udaijin in the context of a central...
, Soga no Kura-no-Yamada no Ishikawa-no-maro (蘇我倉山田石川麻呂) (?–649), 645–649. - Udaijin, Ōtomo no Nagatoko (大伴長徳) (?–651), 649–651.
- Naidaijin(内臣), Nakatomi Kamako (中臣鎌子) (Fujiwara no KamatariFujiwara no KamatariFujiwara no Kamatari was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician during the Asuka period.Kamatari was the founder of the Fujiwara clan in Japan. His birth clan was the Nakatomi. He was the son of Nakatomi no Mikeko, and his birth name was Nakatomi no Kamatari...
, 藤原鎌足) (614–669), 645–669.
Eras of Kōtoku's reign
The years of Kōtoku's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name or nengō.- TaikaTaika (era)was a during the reign of Kōtoku. The Taika era immediately preceded the Hakuchi era. This period spanned the years from August 645 through February 650.-Change of era:...
(645-650) - HakuchiHakuchi (era)was a after the Taika era and before Shuchō. This period spanned the years from February 650 through December 654. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
(650-655)
Consorts and Children
Empress: Princess Hashihito (間人皇女) (?–665), daughter of Emperor JomeiEmperor Jomei
was the 34th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Jomei's reign spanned the years from 629 through 641.-Traditional narrative:Before Jomei's ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was or...
Hi: Abe no Otarashi-hime (阿部小足媛), daughter of Abe no Kurahashi-maro
- Prince Arima (有間皇子) (640–658)
Hi: Saga no Chi-no-iratsume (蘇我乳娘), daughter of Soga no Kura-no-Yamada no Ishikawa-no-maro