Shōmu

The emperor Shōmu (聖武天皇, Shōmu Tennō , 701 - May 2nd 756) was the forty-fifth emperor Japan, according to the traditional order of the succession, reigned of 724 with 749.

Genealogy

Sho¯mu was the son of the emperor Mommu and Fujiwara No Miyako, a girl of Fujiwara No Fuhito.

Wives and descent:

  • Fujiwara No Asukabe Hime, its half aunt, girl of Fujiwara No Fujito and Agatainukai-No-Tachibana No Michiyo; married into 716; titrated empress (kogo) under the name of Ko¯myo¯ in 729; empress dowager in 749 + 760; including 2 children:

    • Princess Abe (future empress Ko¯ken????), born in 718
    • Crown prince Motoi (????), born and died in 727

  • Agata Inukai No Hirotoji (??????), girl of Agatainukai No Morokoshi, died into 762; including 3 children:

    • Inoue/Higami Princess (?????), born in 717 and died into 775; married prince Shirakabe, future emperor Ko¯nin)
    • Fuwa Princess (?????), died after 795, married prince Shioyaki, wire of the prince Niitabe
    • Prince Asuka ((????), born in 728 and died in 744

  • a girl of Fujiwara No Muchimaro, died in 748

  • a girl of Fujiwara No Fusasaki, died in 760

  • Tachibana No Hirooka No Konakachi, girl of Tachibana No Sai, died in 759

Biography

Shōmu succeeds his/her aunt the empress Genshō, who leaves him the throne by abdicating in 724.

Shōmu is especially known to have ordered the statue of the Bouddha Vairocana of the Tōdai-ji of Nara. At the time, the company is so important (the Daibutsu of Nara is 16 meters high) that the later chroniclers show it to have completely exhausted the reserves of the country in Bronze and noble metals. The former emperor paints itself the eyes of the statue at the time of the opening ceremony in 752 and declares servant of the Three jewels: the Buddha, the lesson and the Buddhist community, raising almost the Buddhism with the row of official religion. It in the same way established the system of the provincial temples.

Shōmu is also known like the first emperor from which the empress in title had not been born in the imperial House: Kōmyō was a Fujiwara, and like his/her mother a girl of Fujiwara No Fuhito. Their very young son having died, it is in favor of his daughter the empress Kōken that he abdicates in 749, but continuous in fact to control the government.

References

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