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Empress Kōken

March 14, 2024

Not to be confused with Prince Shōtoku.

Empress Kōken (孝謙天皇, Kōken-tennō, 718 – August 28, 770), known as Empress Shōtoku (称徳天皇, Shōtoku-tennō) after her second accession to the throne, was the 46th (with the name Empress Kōken) and the 48th monarch of Japan (with the name Empress Shōtoku),[1] according to the traditional order of succession.[2]

Empress Kōken / Empress Shōtoku
孝謙天皇 / 称徳天皇
Empress of Japan
(Kōken, first reign)
Reign19 August 749 – 7 September 758
EnthronementAugust 19, 749
PredecessorShōmu
SuccessorJunnin
(Shōtoku, second reign)
Reign6 November 764 – 28 August 770
EnthronementJanuary 26, 765
PredecessorJunnin
SuccessorKōnin
BornAbe (阿倍)
c. 718
Died28 August 770(770-08-28) (aged 51–52)
Burial
Takano no misasagi (高野陵) (Nara)
Posthumous name
Chinese-style shigō:
Empress Kōken (孝謙天皇)
Empress Shōtoku (称徳天皇)

Japanese-style shigō:
Takano-no-hime no Sumeramikoto (高野姫天皇)
HouseYamato
FatherEmperor Shōmu
MotherFujiwara no Asukabe-hime
ReligionBuddhism

The daughter of Emperor Shōmu, Empress Kōken succeeded to the throne at the age of 31, following her father's renunciation. She first reigned from 749 to 758. During this period, the government was heavily influenced by her mother, the former empress consort Kōmyō, and the latter's nephew, Fujiwara no Nakamaro. She was eventually replaced on the throne by her relative, Emperor Junnin, whose rule was a continuation of Nakamaro's regime. During the intermediate period of her reigns, the retired empress Kōken is said to have become close to a monk without a noble background, named Dōkyō, by 762. Their precise relationship remains a mystery, although there is a common version that it was romantic. The retired empress had taken Buddhist oaths and became a nun, but retained a decisive role in politics. After Kōmyō's death in July 760, the growing power struggle between Kōken's and Nakamaro's opposing factions became increasingly inevitable. Following the suppression of the Fujiwara no Nakamaro Rebellion and his murder, Kōken reascended the throne as Empress Shōtoku in 764 and ruled until her death in 770, concentrating the government into her own hands. Dōkyō was appointed Grand Minister within a year. In 766, he was promoted to Hōō (priestly emperor) and in around 769 tried to ascend the throne himself, which led to a scandal; this was one of few recorded instances when there was an attempt to end the Yamato dynasty. The death of the empress, presumably from smallpox, and resistance from the aristocracy destroyed his plans. This incident was a reason for the later move of the Japanese capital from Nara (Heijō). Empress Kōken was one of the most politically powerful women in Japanese history: subsequent empresses were only ritual rulers, while the government was dominated by the shoguns (military dictators).

In the history of Japan, Kōken/Shōtoku was the sixth of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant. The five female monarchs before her were Suiko, Kōgyoku/Saimei, Jitō, Genmei and Genshō, and the two women sovereigns reigning after Kōken/Shōtoku were Meishō and Go-Sakuramachi.

Traditional narrative edit

Empress Kōken's personal name (imina) was Abe (阿倍).[3] Her father was Emperor Shōmu, and her mother was Empress Kōmyō.[4]

Kōken is traditionally venerated at her tomb; the Imperial Household Agency designates Takano no Misasagi (高野陵, Takano Imperial Mausoleum), in Nara, Nara, as the location of Kōken's mausoleum.[1] The site is publicly accessible.[5][6]

Events of Kōken's life edit

  • August 19, 749[7] (Tenpyō-kanpō 1, 2nd day of the 7th month[8]): In the 25th year of Shōmu-tennō's reign (聖武天皇二十五年), the emperor renounced his throne and the succession (senso) was received by his daughter. Shortly thereafter, Kōken is said to have acceded to the throne.[9]
  • 757: Conspiracy to overthrow Empress Kōken was not successful.[10]
  • 758: Kōken abdicated in favor of a cousin who would become known as Emperor Junnin. The Empress had reigned for about ten years.
  • 764: In the sixth year of Junnin-tennō's reign, the emperor was deposed by his adoptive mother, and the succession was received by former-Empress Kōken.
  • January 26, 765 (Tenpyō-hōji 9, 1st day of the 1st month[11]): Kōken formally reascended the throne (sokui) as Empress Shōtoku.[12]
  • August 28, 770 (Jingo-keiun 4, 4th day of the 8th month[13][14]: Empress Shōtoku died at age 57,[15] leaving the throne vacant.[16] She was succeeded by her first cousin twice removed, Emperor Kōnin. Empress Shōtoku had reigned for five years.[15]

Eras of her reigns edit

The years of Kōken's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name.[17]

The years of Shōtoku's reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name.[18]

Legacy edit

Koken's reign was turbulent, and she survived coup attempts by both Tachibana no Naramaro and Fujiwara no Nakamaro.[19] Today, she is remembered chiefly for her alleged affair with a Buddhist monk named Dōkyō (道鏡), a man she honored with titles and power. An oracle from Usa Shrine, the shrine of the kami Hachiman (八幡) in Usa, is said to have proclaimed that the monk should be made emperor; but when the empress sent Wake no Kiyomaro (和気清麻呂) to verify the pronouncement, Hachiman decreed that only one of imperial blood should ascend to the throne.[20]

As with the seven other reigning empresses whose successors were most often selected from amongst the males of the paternal imperial bloodline, she was followed on the throne by a male cousin, 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.[21] Empress Genmei, who was followed on the throne by her daughter, Empress Genshō, remains the sole exception to this conventional argument.

She is also known for sponsoring the Hyakumantō Darani, one of the largest productions of printed works in early Japan.

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, a Buddhist temple in the Arashiyama neighborhood of Kyoto, was founded by Shōtoku in the middle of the eighth century.

Kugyō edit

Kugyō (公卿) is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor 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 Kōken's reign, this apex of the Daijō-kan included:

The kugyō during Shōtoku's reign included:

  • Daijō-daiji, Dōkyō.[15]
  • Sadaijin
  • Udaijin, Kibi Makibi.[15]
  • Nadaijin
  • Dainagon, Fujiwara Matate.[15]

Genealogy edit

Empress Kōken, known as Imperial Princess Abe (阿倍内親王), was the second daughter of Emperor Shōmu born by his empress consort, Fujiwara Asukabehime. She had a younger brother, but he didn't survive to adulthood.

Empress Kōken never married or had children.

Ancestry edit

[22]

See also edit

Notes edit

 
Japanese Imperial kamon — a stylized chrysanthemum blossom
  1. ^ a b Emperor Kōnin, Takano Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency
  2. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, pp. 58, 59.
  3. ^ Brown and Ishida, p. 274; Varley p. 149.
  4. ^ a b c d e Brown and Ishida, p. 274
  5. ^ . Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
  6. ^ Shōtoku's misasagi – map (top left) February 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Julian dates derived from NengoCalc
  8. ^ 天平感宝一年七月二日
  9. ^ Brown and Ishida, pp. 274; Varley, p. 44; a distinct act of senso is unrecognized prior to Emperor Tenji; and all sovereigns except Jitō, Yōzei, Go-Toba, and Fushimi have senso and sokui in the same year until the reign of Emperor Go-Murakami.
  10. ^ Bender, Ross. (2009). "The Suppression of the Tachibana Naramaro Conspiracy," Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 37/2:223–245; compare mirrored full-text February 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-10-23.
  11. ^ 天平宝字九年一月一日
  12. ^ Brown and Ishida, pp. 276; Varley, p. 44, 145.
  13. ^ Brown and Ishida, p. 276 has the year as 769, 4th day of the 8th month, instead of 770. Believe this to be a typo, because Brown-Ishida's own timeline gives 770, and the Japanese Wikipedia article on Empress Kōken is using the 4th day of the 8th month of 770.
  14. ^ 神護景雲四年八月四日
  15. ^ a b c d e Brown and Ishida, p. 276.
  16. ^ Bender, Ross. "The Hachiman Cult and the Dōkyō Incident," Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 34, No. 2 (1979). pp. 125–153.
  17. ^ Titsingh, p. 73.
  18. ^ Titsingh, p. 78.
  19. ^ Bender, Ross. (2009). "The Suppression of the Tachibana Naramaro Conspiracy", Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 37/2:223–245; compare mirrored full-text February 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-10-22.
  20. ^ Titsingh, pp. 78–81.
  21. ^ "Life in the Cloudy Imperial Fishbowl", Japan Times. March 27, 2007.
  22. ^ "Genealogy". Reichsarchiv (in Japanese). April 30, 2010. Retrieved January 27, 2018.

References edit

  • Brown, Delmer M.; Ishida, Ichirō (1979). The Future and the Past (a translation and study of the Gukanshō, an interpretive history of Japan written in 1219). Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-03460-0. OCLC 251325323.
  • Imperial Household Agency (2004). 称徳天皇 高野陵 [Empress Shōtoku, Takano Imperial Mausoleum] (in Japanese). Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  • Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. OCLC 194887
  • Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Ōdai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691
  • Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-04940-5; OCLC 59145842
Regnal titles
Preceded by Empress of Japan:
Kōken
749–758 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Empress of Japan:
Shōtoku
764–770 		Succeeded by

March 14, 2024
empress, kōken, confused, with, prince, shōtoku, 孝謙天皇, kōken, tennō, august, known, empress, shōtoku, 称徳天皇, shōtoku, tennō, after, second, accession, throne, 46th, with, name, 48th, monarch, japan, with, name, empress, shōtoku, according, traditional, order, s. Not to be confused with Prince Shōtoku Empress Kōken 孝謙天皇 Kōken tennō 718 August 28 770 known as Empress Shōtoku 称徳天皇 Shōtoku tennō after her second accession to the throne was the 46th with the name Empress Kōken and the 48th monarch of Japan with the name Empress Shōtoku 1 according to the traditional order of succession 2 Empress Kōken Empress Shōtoku孝謙天皇 称徳天皇Empress of Japan Kōken first reign Reign19 August 749 7 September 758EnthronementAugust 19 749PredecessorShōmuSuccessorJunnin Shōtoku second reign Reign6 November 764 28 August 770EnthronementJanuary 26 765PredecessorJunninSuccessorKōninBornAbe 阿倍 c 718Died28 August 770 770 08 28 aged 51 52 BurialTakano no misasagi 高野陵 Nara Posthumous nameChinese style shigō Empress Kōken 孝謙天皇 Empress Shōtoku 称徳天皇 Japanese style shigō Takano no hime no Sumeramikoto 高野姫天皇 HouseYamatoFatherEmperor ShōmuMotherFujiwara no Asukabe himeReligionBuddhismThe daughter of Emperor Shōmu Empress Kōken succeeded to the throne at the age of 31 following her father s renunciation She first reigned from 749 to 758 During this period the government was heavily influenced by her mother the former empress consort Kōmyō and the latter s nephew Fujiwara no Nakamaro She was eventually replaced on the throne by her relative Emperor Junnin whose rule was a continuation of Nakamaro s regime During the intermediate period of her reigns the retired empress Kōken is said to have become close to a monk without a noble background named Dōkyō by 762 Their precise relationship remains a mystery although there is a common version that it was romantic The retired empress had taken Buddhist oaths and became a nun but retained a decisive role in politics After Kōmyō s death in July 760 the growing power struggle between Kōken s and Nakamaro s opposing factions became increasingly inevitable Following the suppression of the Fujiwara no Nakamaro Rebellion and his murder Kōken reascended the throne as Empress Shōtoku in 764 and ruled until her death in 770 concentrating the government into her own hands Dōkyō was appointed Grand Minister within a year In 766 he was promoted to Hōō priestly emperor and in around 769 tried to ascend the throne himself which led to a scandal this was one of few recorded instances when there was an attempt to end the Yamato dynasty The death of the empress presumably from smallpox and resistance from the aristocracy destroyed his plans This incident was a reason for the later move of the Japanese capital from Nara Heijō Empress Kōken was one of the most politically powerful women in Japanese history subsequent empresses were only ritual rulers while the government was dominated by the shoguns military dictators In the history of Japan Kōken Shōtoku was the sixth of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant The five female monarchs before her were Suiko Kōgyoku Saimei Jitō Genmei and Genshō and the two women sovereigns reigning after Kōken Shōtoku were Meishō and Go Sakuramachi Contents 1 Traditional narrative 1 1 Events of Kōken s life 1 2 Eras of her reigns 2 Legacy 3 Kugyō 4 Genealogy 5 Ancestry 6 See also 7 Notes 8 ReferencesTraditional narrative editEmpress Kōken s personal name imina was Abe 阿倍 3 Her father was Emperor Shōmu and her mother was Empress Kōmyō 4 Kōken is traditionally venerated at her tomb the Imperial Household Agency designates Takano no Misasagi 高野陵 Takano Imperial Mausoleum in Nara Nara as the location of Kōken s mausoleum 1 The site is publicly accessible 5 6 Events of Kōken s life edit August 19 749 7 Tenpyō kanpō 1 2nd day of the 7th month 8 In the 25th year of Shōmu tennō s reign 聖武天皇二十五年 the emperor renounced his throne and the succession senso was received by his daughter Shortly thereafter Kōken is said to have acceded to the throne 9 757 Conspiracy to overthrow Empress Kōken was not successful 10 758 Kōken abdicated in favor of a cousin who would become known as Emperor Junnin The Empress had reigned for about ten years 764 In the sixth year of Junnin tennō s reign the emperor was deposed by his adoptive mother and the succession was received by former Empress Kōken January 26 765 Tenpyō hōji 9 1st day of the 1st month 11 Kōken formally reascended the throne sokui as Empress Shōtoku 12 August 28 770 Jingo keiun 4 4th day of the 8th month 13 14 Empress Shōtoku died at age 57 15 leaving the throne vacant 16 She was succeeded by her first cousin twice removed Emperor Kōnin Empress Shōtoku had reigned for five years 15 Eras of her reigns edit The years of Kōken s reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name 17 Tenpyō kanpō 749 Tenpyō shōhō 749 757 Tenpyō hōji 757 765 The years of Shōtoku s reign are more specifically identified by more than one era name 18 Tenpyō hōji 757 765 Tenpyō jingo 765 767 Jingo keiun 767 770 Legacy editKoken s reign was turbulent and she survived coup attempts by both Tachibana no Naramaro and Fujiwara no Nakamaro 19 Today she is remembered chiefly for her alleged affair with a Buddhist monk named Dōkyō 道鏡 a man she honored with titles and power An oracle from Usa Shrine the shrine of the kami Hachiman 八幡 in Usa is said to have proclaimed that the monk should be made emperor but when the empress sent Wake no Kiyomaro 和気清麻呂 to verify the pronouncement Hachiman decreed that only one of imperial blood should ascend to the throne 20 As with the seven other reigning empresses whose successors were most often selected from amongst the males of the paternal imperial bloodline she was followed on the throne by a male cousin 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 21 Empress Genmei who was followed on the throne by her daughter Empress Genshō remains the sole exception to this conventional argument She is also known for sponsoring the Hyakumantō Darani one of the largest productions of printed works in early Japan Otagi Nenbutsu ji a Buddhist temple in the Arashiyama neighborhood of Kyoto was founded by Shōtoku in the middle of the eighth century Kugyō editKugyō 公卿 is a collective term for the very few most powerful men attached to the court of the Emperor 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 Kōken s reign this apex of the Daijō kan included Taihō Emi no Oshikatsu formerly Fujiwara no Nakamaro 4 Daijō daijin Sadaijin Tachibana no Moroe formerly Katsuragi ō Prince Katsuragi half brother of Empress Kōmyō 4 Udaijin Fujiwara no Toyonari first son of Fujiwara no Muchimaro 4 Udaijin Fujiwara no Nakamaro second son of Fujiwara no Muchimaro 4 Naidaijin DainagonThe kugyō during Shōtoku s reign included Daijō daiji Dōkyō 15 Sadaijin Udaijin Kibi Makibi 15 Nadaijin Dainagon Fujiwara Matate 15 Genealogy editEmpress Kōken known as Imperial Princess Abe 阿倍内親王 was the second daughter of Emperor Shōmu born by his empress consort Fujiwara Asukabehime She had a younger brother but he didn t survive to adulthood Empress Kōken never married or had children Ancestry edit 22 Ancestors of Empress Kōken16 Emperor Tenmu c 631 686 8 Crown Prince Kusakabe 662 689 17 Empress Jitō 645 703 4 Emperor Monmu 683 707 18 Emperor Tenji 626 672 9 Empress Genmei 660 721 19 Mei no Iratsume2 Emperor Shōmu 701 756 10 Fujiwara no Fuhito 659 720 5 Fujiwara no Miyako c 683 754 11 Kamo no Hime1 Empress Kōken Empress Shōtoku24 Nakatomi no Mikeko12 Fujiwara no Kamatari 614 669 25 Ōmotomi6 Fujiwara no Fuhito 659 720 26 Kyomotomo13 Yoshiko3 Empress Kōmyō 701 760 28 Kurohiko14 Agata Inukai no Michiyo Haruto7 Agata no Inukai no Michiyo c 665 733 See also editEmpress of Japan Emperor of Japan List of emperors of Japan Hyakumantō Darani Virus Kingdom ShotokuviraeNotes edit nbsp Japanese Imperial kamon a stylized chrysanthemum blossom a b Emperor Kōnin Takano Imperial Mausoleum Imperial Household Agency Ponsonby Fane Richard 1959 The Imperial House of Japan pp 58 59 Brown and Ishida p 274 Varley p 149 a b c d e Brown and Ishida p 274 Shōtoku s misasagi image Archived from the original on December 26 2007 Retrieved January 7 2008 Shōtoku s misasagi map top left Archived February 7 2012 at the Wayback Machine Julian dates derived from NengoCalc 天平感宝一年七月二日 Brown and Ishida pp 274 Varley p 44 a distinct act of senso is unrecognized prior to Emperor Tenji and all sovereigns except Jitō Yōzei Go Toba and Fushimi have senso and sokui in the same year until the reign of Emperor Go Murakami Bender Ross 2009 The Suppression of the Tachibana Naramaro Conspiracy Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 37 2 223 245 compare mirrored full text Archived February 12 2012 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 2012 10 23 天平宝字九年一月一日 Brown and Ishida pp 276 Varley p 44 145 Brown and Ishida p 276 has the year as 769 4th day of the 8th month instead of 770 Believe this to be a typo because Brown Ishida s own timeline gives 770 and the Japanese Wikipedia article on Empress Kōken is using the 4th day of the 8th month of 770 神護景雲四年八月四日 a b c d e Brown and Ishida p 276 Bender Ross The Hachiman Cult and the Dōkyō Incident Monumenta Nipponica Vol 34 No 2 1979 pp 125 153 Titsingh p 73 Titsingh p 78 Bender Ross 2009 The Suppression of the Tachibana Naramaro Conspiracy Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 37 2 223 245 compare mirrored full text Archived February 12 2012 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 2012 10 22 Titsingh pp 78 81 Life in the Cloudy Imperial Fishbowl Japan Times March 27 2007 Genealogy Reichsarchiv in Japanese April 30 2010 Retrieved January 27 2018 References editBrown Delmer M Ishida Ichirō 1979 The Future and the Past a translation and study of the Gukanshō an interpretive history of Japan written in 1219 Berkeley University of California Press ISBN 978 0 520 03460 0 OCLC 251325323 Imperial Household Agency 2004 称徳天皇 高野陵 Empress Shōtoku Takano Imperial Mausoleum in Japanese Retrieved February 4 2011 Ponsonby Fane Richard Arthur Brabazon 1959 The Imperial House of Japan Kyoto Ponsonby Memorial Society OCLC 194887 Titsingh Isaac 1834 Nihon Ōdai Ichiran ou Annales des empereurs du Japon Paris Royal Asiatic Society Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland OCLC 5850691 Varley H Paul 1980 Jinnō Shōtōki A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns New York Columbia University Press ISBN 978 0 231 04940 5 OCLC 59145842Regnal titlesPreceded byEmperor Shōmu Empress of Japan Kōken749 758 Succeeded byEmperor JunninPreceded byEmperor Junnin Empress of Japan Shōtoku764 770 Succeeded byEmperor Kōnin Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Empress Kōken amp oldid 1212520631, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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