Empress Kōgyoku
35th and 37th monarch of Japan (642-645, 655-661) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Empress Kōgyoku (皇極天皇, Kōgyoku-tennō, 594–661), also known as Empress Saimei (斉明天皇, Saimei-tennō), was the 35th[1] and 37th monarch of Japan,[2] according to the traditional order of succession.[3]
Empress Kōgyoku / Empress Saimei 皇極天皇 / 斉明天皇 | |||||
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Great Queen of Yamato | |||||
Empress of Japan (Kōgyoku, first reign) | |||||
Reign | 19 February 642 – 12 July 645 | ||||
Predecessor | Jomei | ||||
Successor | Kōtoku | ||||
(Saimei, second reign) | |||||
Reign | 14 February 655 – 24 August 661 | ||||
Predecessor | Kōtoku | ||||
Successor | Tenji | ||||
Empress consort of Japan | |||||
Tenure | 630 – 641 | ||||
Born | Takara (宝) 7 August 594 Japan | ||||
Died | 24 August 661 (aged 66–67) Asakura no Miya | ||||
Burial | Ochi-no-Okanoe no misasagi (越智崗上陵) (Nara) | ||||
Spouses |
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Issue |
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Father | Prince Chinu | ||||
Mother | Princess Kibitsu-hime |
Kōgyoku's reign spanned the years from 642 to 645. Her reign as Saimei encompassed 655 to 661. In other words,
- 642: She ascended the throne as Kōgyoku-tennō, and she stepped down in response to the assassination of Soga no Iruka (see: Isshi incident).
- 645: She abdicated in favor of her brother, who would become known as Emperor Kōtoku.
- 654: Kōtoku died and the throne was vacant.
- 655: She re-ascended, beginning a new reign as Saimei-tennō.
- 661: Saimei ruled until her death caused the throne to be vacant again.
The two reigns of this one woman spanned the years from 642 through 661.[4]
In the history of Japan, Kōgyoku/Saimei was the second of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant. The sole female monarch before Kōgyoku/Saimei was Suiko-tennō. The six female sovereigns reigning after Kōgyoku/Saimei were Jitō, Genmei, Genshō, Kōken/Shōtoku, Meishō, and Go-Sakuramachi.