Tenji (emperor)

Genealogy

Tenji was wire of the emperor Jomei and the empress Kōgyoku. It had many wives and children.

Empress and consorts

Princess Yamato Hime, girl of the prince Furuhito No Ohoye; raised with the row of empress in 668.

Soga Ochi No Iratsume, girl of Soga No Ishikawamaro; imperial wife; + towards 651; it had 3 children:

Ohota Princess (Ota), born in 643, died in 667, married with the emperor Temmu, his uncle.
Unosarara Princess, born in 645, married with the Temmu emperor, his uncle; raised with the row of empress in 672; reach the throne in 686 under the name of empress Jito¯, died in 702.
Prince Takeru, born in 651 died in 658

Soga Mei No Iratsume, girl of Soga Ishikawamaro; imperial wife; it had 2 children:

Minabe Princess, born towards 658; married to his/her cousin prince Takechi, oldest son of the Temmu emperor and Munakata No Amako No Iratsume (654 + 696)
Abe Princess, born in 661, married with prince Kusakabe, his cousin and nephew, wire of the Temmu emperor and the Unosarara empress; reach the throne in 707 under the name of Gemmei; abdicate in 715; died in 721.

Abe Tachibana No Iratsume, girl of Abe No Kurahashi Maro; imperial wife; dead 681; it had 2 children:

Asuka Princess; died into 700; married to his/her cousin prince Osakabe (+ 705), wire of the Temmu emperor and Shishihito No Kajihime No Iratsume
Niitabe Princess, died into 699; married with the Temmu emperor, his uncle.

Soga Hitachi No Iratsume, girl of Soga No Akae; imperial wife; it had a child:

Yamabe Princess, died into 686; married to its cousin-nephew prince Ohotsu (663 + 686), wire of the Temmu emperor and the princess Ohota

Yakako Iga No Uneme, imperial concubine; it had a child:

Prince O¯tomo, born in 648 (future emperor Ko¯bun)

Oshinumi No Shikobuko No Iratsume, girl of Wotatsu Oshinumi No Miyakko, imperial concubine, of which it had 3 children:

Ohoye Princess (Oe), died into 699; married to his/her uncle the emperor Temmu
Prince Kahajima, born into 659 + into 691; married to his/her cousin the Hatsusebe princess, girl of the Temmu emperor and Shishihito No Kajihime No Hiratsume
Idzumi Princess, + into 706; princess vestal of Ise 701-706

Kurikuma No Kurohime No Iratsume, girl of Tokoma Kurikuma No Obito; imperial concubine; it had a child:

Minushi Princess, dead 737

Koshi No Mishi No Iratsume, imperial concubine; it had a child:

Prince Shiki, died into 716; married (A) with the Taki princess (+ 751), girl of the Temmu emperor and Shishihito No Kajihime No Iratsume; married (B) with Ki No Tochihime, girl of Ki No Morohito; of which it have the emperor Ko¯nin.

Biography

Youth

With died of his father the emperor Jomei, in 642, his mother becomes empress under the name of Kōgyoku. During this first reign, the clan Soga acquires a capacity quasi-total on the court. In 644, that which is not yet that the prince Naka No Ōe plans a Coup d'etat with Nakatomi No Kamatari and Soga No Kurayamada No Ishikawa No Maro. The following year, he assassinates Soga No Iruka at the court, opposite the throne of Kōgyoku (see the article Itsushi No hen) . Although the assassination did not proceed as envisaged, Iruka is killed, and his/her father and predecessor Soga No Emishi commit suicide shortly after. Following the incident, the partisans of Iruka disperse without fighting, and Naka No Ōe is named crown prince. He also marries the girl of his ally Soga No Kurayamada, thus making sure the support of an important part of the capacity of the Soga clan.

Refusal of the throne

Shocked, Kōgyoku abdicates in favor of his/her son, but this one refuses and makes put on the throne the brother of Kōgyoku, which becomes the emperor Kōtoku the July 12th 645. During its reign, it is in fact Naka No Ōe which directs de facto Japan. With the emperor and Nakatomi No Kamatari, they set up the Réforme of Taika in 646.

After the death of Kōtoku in 655, he again refuses to go up on the throne and his/her mother becomes again empress under the name of Saimei. However, as under the reign of Kōtoku, it is the crown prince who reigns in the facts.

In 660, the Korean kingdom of Paekche is attacked and almost destroyed by the kingdom close to Silla, and Japan comes to assistance of the Paekche loyal supporters to try to recover their territory. Saimei leaves with an army on the west coast Japan, but dies in 661 whereas it is about to embark for Korea.

Reign

Naka No Ōe succeeds his/her mother under the name of Tenji emperor. During its reign, it compiles the first code of the laws of Japan which is known modern historians in 662. It sends the army of support in Korea in 663 with at its head Abe No Hirafu, but she is overcome by the united armies of Silla and the China of the Tang during the Bataille of Hakusukinoe. In 667, it moves its capital of Naniwa to Ōtsu on the Lac Biwa.

Succession

After its death in 672, an argument of succession bursts between his/her fourteen children (several different mothers). To finish, it is his/her son prince Otomo who succeeds to him, becoming the emperor Kōbun. Among his/her children, two of his/her daughters will become also empresses, Jitō and Gemmei.

Literature

One of its poems of 31 syllables will be chosen by Fujiwara No Teika as a first in the very popular anthology Hyakunin Isshu.

References

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