Suiko

The empress Suiko (推古天皇, Suiko Tennō , 554 - April 15th 628) was the thirty-third imperial leader Japan, according to the traditional order of the succession, and the first woman to occupy this position.

Titrate

The first mention of the title of tennō (“emperor”) to indicate it is in the diplomatic letter that it sends to the Empereur of China Yangdi of the Dynastie Sui, which contains the sentence “the tennō of the East greets the kōtei West” - the same one which is translated into Chinese by “the tianzi of the Country of the Rising sun greets the tianzi Country of the setting Sun. ”

Tianzi (“Wire of the Skies”), is a title carried by the emperors of China. The use of this term is an illustration of the Japanese tendency of the time to integrate Chinese cultural characteristics - a tendency which the emperors of Japan then try to use to affirm equal emperors of China.

Biography

Before its reign

Suiko had several names, including that of Nukatabe princess and that, perhaps posthumous, of Toyomike Kashikiya. She was the third girl of the emperor Kimmei, and his/her mother was Soga No Kitashi - hime, girl of Soga No Iname. She is the consort of her half-brother the emperor Bidatsu, but after the death of the first wife of this one, she marries it and obtains the title of Ōkisaki (official wife of the emperor). She puts at the world two wire and three girls.

After the death of Bidatsu, the brother of Suiko, the emperor Yōmei, goes up on the throne for one short period, but dies quickly of disease. With died of Yōmei, a fight for the capacity bursts between the clans Soga and Mononobe, the first supporting prince Hatsusebe and Mononobe supporting prince Anahobe. Soga carry it, and Hatsusebe assembles on the throne under the name of emperor Sushun in 587. However, Soga No Umako quickly starts to fear the resentment growing of Sushun towards the power of the Soga clan and the fact of assassinating in 592.

Reign

When it goes up on the throne to fill the vacuum which thus developed, Suiko becomes the first example in the Histoire of Japan of a woman going up on the throne to avoid a war of succession. The prince Shōtoku is named regent the following year, and although one generally considers that the political power during the reign of Suiko lies largely in the hands of prince Shōtoku and Soga No Umako, Suiko is far from being without capacity. For example, its refusal to approve at the request of Umako to receive the known imperial territory under the name of Kazuraki No Agata in 624 is often quoted like proof of its independence with respect to the influence of Umako. Among the achievements of the reign of Suiko the official recognition of the Bouddhisme with an edict of appears 594, the opening of the relationships to the court of Sui in 600, the adoption of the system of Kan' I Jūnikai in 603, and the adoption of the Constitution in 17 articles of Shōtoku in 604. Suiko is also one of the first Buddhist sovereigns of Japan, and pronounces its wishes of nun to be become shortly after Impératrice.

Succession

At one time when the imperial succession is generally determined by the chiefs of clans rather than by the emperor, Suiko leaves on its bed of death only of vague indications of successions to two candidates. One of them, prince Tamura, is a grandson of the emperor Bidatsu and is supported by the principal line of Soga, including Soga No Emishi. The other, prince Yamashiro, is a son of prince Shōtoku and has the support of certain minor members of the Soga clan. After a short fight within the clan, in whom one of the principal partisans of prince Yamashiro is killed, prince Tamura is chosen and becomes the emperor Jomei in 629.

References

Zh-classical: 推古天皇

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