| Empress Jitō 持統天皇 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Portrait of Empress Jitō byKatsukawa Shunshō, 18th century | |||||
| Empress of Japan | |||||
| Reign | 686–697 | ||||
| Predecessor | Tenmu | ||||
| Successor | Monmu | ||||
| Empress consort of Japan | |||||
| Tenure | 673–686 | ||||
| Born | Uno-no-sarara (鸕野讚良) 645 Japan | ||||
| Died | January 13, 703 (aged 57–58) Fujiwara-kyō,Japan | ||||
| Burial | Hinokuma-no-Ōuchi no misasagi (檜隈大内陵) (Nara) | ||||
| Spouse | Emperor Tenmu | ||||
| Issue | Prince Kusakabe | ||||
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| House | Imperial House of Japan | ||||
| Father | Emperor Tenji | ||||
| Mother | Soga no Ochi-no-iratsume | ||||
Empress Jitō (持統天皇,Jitō-tennō; 645 – January 13, 703)[1] was the 41stmonarch of Japan,[2] according to the traditionalorder of succession.[3]
Jitō's reign spanned the years from686 through 697.[4]
In thehistory of Japan, Jitō was the third of eight women to take on the role ofempress regnant. The two female monarchs before Jitō wereSuiko andKōgyoku/Saimei. The five women sovereigns reigning after Jitō wereGenmei,Genshō,Kōken/Shōtoku,Meishō, andGo-Sakuramachi.
Empress Jitō was the daughter ofEmperor Tenji. Her mother was Ochi-no-Iratsume, the daughter of Minister Ō-omi Soga no Yamada-no Ishikawa Maro. She was the wife of Tenji's full brotherEmperor Tenmu, whom she succeeded on the throne.[5]
Empress Jitō's given name was Unonosarara or Unonosasara (鸕野讚良), or alternatively Uno.[6]
Jitō took responsibility for court administration after the death of her husband, Emperor Tenmu, who was also her uncle. She acceded to the throne in 687 in order to ensure the eventual succession of her son, Kusakabe-shinnō. Throughout this period, Empress Jitō ruled from theFujiwara Palace in Yamato.[5] In 689, Jitō prohibitedSugoroku,[7] in 690 atenthronement she performed specialritual then gavepardon and in 692 she travelled toIse against the counsel of minister Miwa-no-Asono-Takechimaro.[8]
Prince Kusakabe was named as crown prince to succeed Jitō, but he died at a young age. Kusakabe's son, Karu-no-o, was then named as Jitō's successor. He eventually would become known asEmperor Monmu.[5]
Empress Jitō reigned for eleven 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.[9]Empress Genmei, who was followed on the throne by her daughter,Empress Genshō, remains the sole exception to this conventional argument.
In 697, Jitōabdicated in Monmu's favor; and as a retired sovereign, she took the post-reign titledaijō-tennō. After this, her imperial successors who retired took the same title after abdication.[5]
Jitō continued to hold power as acloistered ruler, which became a persistent trend in Japanese politics.
The actual site of Jitō'sgrave is known.[2] This empress is traditionally venerated at amemorialShintoshrine (misasagi) at Nara.
TheImperial Household Agency designates this location as Jitō'smausoleum. It is formally namedOchi-no-Okanoe no misasagi.[10]
Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of theEmperor 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 Jitō's reign, this apex of theDaijō-kan included:
Jitō's reign is not linked by scholars to any era or nengō.[4] The Taika era innovation of naming time periods –nengō – languished until Mommu reasserted an imperial right by proclaiming the commencement of Taihō in 701.
However, Brown and Ishida's translation ofGukanshō offers an explanation which muddies a sense of easy clarity:
Empress Jitō, known as Princess Uno-no-sarara (鸕野讃良皇女) in her early days, was born toEmperor Tenji and his concubine, who held of Beauty (Hin).She had two full siblings:Princess Ōta and Prince Takeru. Empress Jitō and her younger sister, Princess Ōta, shared the same husband,Emperor Tenmu, with whom both had children.
TheMan'yōshū includes poems said to have been composed by Jitō. This one was composed after the death of theEmperor Tenmu:[11]
| Japanese | Rōmaji | English |
やすみしし 我が大君の | Yasumishishi waga ōkimi no | Oh, the autumn foliage |
One of the poems attributed to Empress Jitō was selected byFujiwara no Teika for inclusion in the very popular anthologyHyakunin Isshu:
| Japanese[13] | Rōmaji[13] | English[13] |
春過ぎて | Haru sugite | The spring has passed |
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Empress of Japan: Jitō 686–697 | Succeeded by |
| Royal titles | ||
| Preceded by | Empress consort of Japan 673–686 | Succeeded by |
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| Yamato |
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| Nara |
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| Kamakura |
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| Muromachi |
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| Azuchi–Momoyama |
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| Edo |
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| Empire of Japan |
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| Japan |
Unless otherwise noted (as BC), years are inCE / AD *Imperial Consort andRegentEmpress Jingū is not traditionally listed. | ||||||||
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