Empress Genmei (元明天皇,Genmei-tennō; April 20, 660 – December 29, 721), also known asEmpress Genmyō, was the 43rdmonarch of Japan,[1] according to the traditionalorder of succession.[2] Genmei's reign spanned the years 707 through 715.[3] She established the capital atHeijō-kyō in 710, marking the beginning of theNara period.
Empress Genmei was the fourth daughter ofEmperor Tenji;[5] and she was a younger sister ofEmpress Jitō by a different mother. Her mother, Mei-no-Iratsume (also known as Soga-hime), was a daughter ofUdaijin Soga-no-Kura-no-Yamada-no-Ishikawa-no-Maro (also known as Soga Yamada-no Ō-omi).[5]
Genmei became the consort (nyōgo) of Crown PrinceKusakabe no Miko, who was the son ofEmperor Tenmu andEmpress Jitō.[5] After the death of their sonEmperor Monmu in 707, she acceded to the throne.[6] At least one account suggests that she accepted the role of empress because Emperor Monmu felt his young son, her grandson, was still too young to withstand the pressures which attend becoming emperor.[7]
July 18, 707 (Keiun 4, 15th day of the 6th month): In the 11th year of Monmu-tennō's reign (文武天皇十一年), the emperor died; and the succession (senso) was received by the emperor's mother, who held the throne in trust for her young grandson. Shortly thereafter, Empress Genmei is said to have acceded to the throne (sokui).[8]
707 (Keiun 4): Deposits of copper were reported to have been found inChichibu[9] inMusashi Province in the region which includes modern day Tokyo;[7]
708 (Keiun 5):, The era name was about to be changed to mark the accession of Empress Genmei; but the choice ofWadō as the newnengō for this new reign became a way to mark the welcome discovery of copper.[7] The Japanese word for copper isdō (銅); and since this was indigenous copper, the"wa" (the ancient Chinese term for Japan) could be combined with the"dō" (copper) to create a new composite term –"wadō" – meaning "Japanese copper."
May 5, 708 (Wadō 1, 11th day of the 4th month): A sample of the newly discovered Musashi copper from was presented in Genmei's Court where it was formally acknowledged as "Japanese" copper;[10] and amint was established inŌmi Province.[6]
708 (Wadō 1, 3rd month): Fuijwara no Fuhito was named Minister of the Right (Udaijin) . Isonokami no Maro was Minister of the Left (Sadaijin).[11]
709 (Wadō 2, 3rd month): There was an uprising against governmental authority inMutsu Province and inEchigo Province. Troops were promptly dispatched to subdue the revolt.[11]
709 (Wadō 2, 5th month): Ambassadors arrived fromSilla, bringing an offer of tribute. He visitedFujiwara no Fuhito to prepare the way for further visits.[12]
Daigokuden of Heijō-kyō at the time of capital move (reconstructed in 2010)
710 (Wadō 3, 3rd month): Empress Genmei established her official residence inNara.[6] In the last years of the Mommu's reign, the extensive preparations for this projected move had begun; but the work could not be completed before the late-emperor's death.[11] Shortly after thenengō was changed toWadō, an Imperial Rescript was issued concerning the establishment of a new capital at theHeijō-kyō at Nara inYamato Province. It had been customary since ancient times for the capital to be moved with the beginning of each new reign. However, Emperor Mommu decided not to move the capital, preferring instead to stay at the Fujiwara Palace which had been established by Empress Jitō.[13] Empress Genmei's palace was named Nara-no-miya.[5]
711 (Wadō 4, 3rd month): TheKojiki was published in three volumes. This work presented a history of Japan from a mythological period of god-rulers up through the 28th day of the 1st month of the fifth year ofEmpress Suiko's reign (597).[11]Emperor Tenmu failed to bring the work to completion before his death in 686. Empress Genmei, along with other court officials, deserve credit for continuing to patronize and encourage the mammoth project.
713 (Wadō 6): The compilation ofFudoki was begun with the imprimatur of an Imperial decree; and copies of the census of the provinces ofIzumo,Harima,Hitachi and two other provinces still exist.[6] This work was intended to describe all provinces, cities, mountains, rivers, valleys and plains. It is intended to become a catalog of the plants, trees, birds, and mammals of Japan. It also intended to contain information about all of the remarkable events which, from ancient times to the present, have happened in the country.[11]
After Empress Genmei transferred the seat of her government to Nara, this mountain location remained the capital throughout the succeeding seven reigns.[13] In a sense, the years of theNara period developed into one of the more significant consequences of her comparatively short reign.
Genmei had initially planned to remain on the throne until her grandson might reach maturity. However, in 715, Genmei did abdicate in favor of Mommu's older sister who then became known asEmpress Genshō. Genshō was eventually succeeded by her nephew, who then became known asEmperor Shōmu.
715 (Wadō 8): Genmei abdicates in favor of her daughter, Empress Genshō.[14]
The Empress reigned for eight years.[6] 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.[15] Empress Genmei, who was followed on the throne by her daughter, remains the sole exception to this conventional argument.
After abdicating, she was known asDaijō-tennō; and she was only the second woman after Empress Jitō to claim this title. Genmei lived in retirement for seven years until her death at the age of 61 in December 721.[13]
TheMan'yōshū includes a poem written said to be composed by Empress Genmei in 708 (Wadō 1) – and this anthology also includes a reply created by one of the ladies of her court::
Listen to the sounds of the warriors' elbow-guards;[18]
Our captain must be ranging the shields to drill the troops.[19]
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 Genmei's reign, this apex of theDaijō-kan included:
Empress Genmei was born toEmperor Tenji and his concubine, Soga no Mei-no-iratsume, who held the rank ofHin (Beauty). She initially was named Princess Abe (阿閇皇女). She had an elder sister by the same mother:Princess Minabe.
Princess Abe marriedPrince Kusakabe, her eldest half-sister's son, and had issues: two daughters among which the eldest would becomeEmpress Gensho and one son who would ascend the throne asEmperor Monmu.
^Brown, pp. 264; prior toEmperor Jomei, the personal names of the emperors (imina) were very long and people did not generally use them. The number of characters in each name diminished after Jomei's reign.
^Brown, p. 271; Varley, p. 44; a distinct act ofsenso is unrecognized prior toEmperor Tenji; and all sovereigns exceptJitō,Yōzei,Go-Toba, andFushimi havesenso andsokui in the same year until the reign ofGo-Murakami.
^Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959).The Imperial House of Japan, p. 420.
^Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkokai. (1969).The Manyōshu, p. 81 n1; elbow guards were made of leather and were worn on the left arm to prevent the bow-string from springing back and hurting the elbow. The string struck the elbow-guard with a loud sound.
^Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkokai, p. 81 n2; this poem probably alludes to the expeditionary force that was sent against theEmishi in northern Japan in 709 (Wadō 2).
