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(died 10 March 531) was the 26th
emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...
,
Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...
(''Kunaichō'')
継体天皇 (26)
/ref> according to the traditional
order of succession An order, line or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated, such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.Kojiki The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
'' and the ''
Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...
''. The ''Kojiki'' puts this emperor's birth year at 485; and his date of death is said to have been April 9, 527.Japanese dates correspond to the traditional
lunisolar calendar A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, that combines monthly lunar cycles with the solar year. As with all calendars which divide the year into months, there is an additional requirement that the year have a whole number of mont ...
used in Japan until 1873.
In the extant account, he is called . The ''Nihon Shoki'' gives his birth year at 450; and he is said to have died on February 7, 531 or 534. In this historical record, he is said to have been called and . In other historical records, he is said to have originally been King of Koshi, a smaller tribal entity, apparently in northern parts of central Japan, perhaps as far as the coast of
Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...
. Some modern reference works of history call Keitai simply ''King Ohodo of Koshi''.Aston, William. (1998). ''Nihongi'', Vol. 2, pp. 1–25. Keitai's contemporary title would not have been ''tennō'', as most historians believe this title was not introduced until the reigns of
Emperor Tenmu was the 40th Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 天武天皇 (40) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 53. He ascended ...
and Empress Jitō. Rather, it was presumably , meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven". Alternatively, Keitai might have been referred to as or the "Great King of Yamato".


Genealogy

Keitai was not the son of the immediate previous monarch. According to the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon Shoki'', Buretsu died without a successor, at which time a fifth generation grandson of Emperor Ōjin, Keitai, came and ascended the throne. If Emperor Keitai began a new dynasty as some historians believe, then Emperor Buretsu would have been the last monarch of the first recorded dynasty of Japan. According to the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon Shoki'', his father was and his mother was . When Buretsu died, Kanamura recommended Keitai (at the age of 58) as a possible heir to the
Chrysanthemum throne The is the throne of the Emperor of Japan. The term also can refer to very specific seating, such as the throne in the Shishin-den at Kyoto Imperial Palace. Various other thrones or seats that are used by the Emperor during official functions ...
. His mother, Furihime, was a seventh generation descendant of Emperor Suinin by his son, Prince Iwatsukuwake. His father was a fourth generation descendant of Emperor Ōjin by his son, Prince Wakanuke no Futamata. Genealogy information is supplemented in '' Shaku Nihongi'' which quotes from the now lost text '' Jōgūki'' (7th century). It says he was a son of Ushi no Ōkimi (believed to be equivalent to Hikoushi no Ōkimi), a grandson of Ohi no Ōkimi, a great-grandson of Ohohoto no Ōkimi (brother to Emperor Ingyō's consort), a great-great-grandson of Prince Wakanuke no Futamata, and a great-great-great-grandson of Emperor Ōjin. The genealogical trees of the ''Nihon Shoki'' have been lost, and the accuracy of its account of events remains unknown. This uncertainty raises arguable doubts about this emperor's genealogy. Although genealogical information in the '' Shaku Nihongi'' leaves room for discussion, many scholars acknowledge the blood relationship with the Okinaga clan, a powerful local ruling family or the collateral line of the Imperial family-governed Ōmi region (a part of present-day Shiga Prefecture). This family produced many empresses and consorts throughout history. According to the ''Nihon Shoki'', Ohohoto no Ōkimi, the great-grandfather of Emperor Keitai, married into the Okinaga clan. Keitai's mother, Furihime, was from a local ruling family in Koshi (
Echizen Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Echizen bordered on Kaga Province, Kaga, Wakasa Province, Wakasa, Hida Province, Hida, and Ōmi Provin ...
), so his mother brought him to her home after his father's death. Abundant traditions relating to the family have been passed down by shrines and old-established families in both regions. Regardless of speculation about Keitai's genealogy, it is well settled that there was an extended period of disputes over the succession which developed after Keitai's death. A confrontation arose between adherents of two branches of the Yamato, pitting the supporters of sons who would become known as Emperor Ankan and
Emperor Senka (466 — 15 March 539) was the 28th legendary emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 宣化天皇 (28)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this e ...
against those who were backers of the son who would become known as Emperor Kinmei.


Keitai's reign

Keitai declared his ascension in Kuzuha, in the northern part of
Kawachi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the eastern part of modern Osaka Prefecture. It originally held the southwestern area that was split off into Izumi Province. It was also known as . Geography The area was radically different in th ...
(present day Hirakata, Osaka), and married a younger sister of Emperor Buretsu, Princess Tashiraka. It is supposed that his succession was not welcomed by everyone, and it took about 20 years for Keitai to enter
Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, th ...
, near Kawachi and the political center of Japan at the time. In Keitai's later years, 527 or 528, the Iwai Rebellion broke out in Tsukushi province,
Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...
. Keitai assigned Mononobe no Arakabi as Shōgun and sent him to Kyūshū to put down the rebellion. Among his sons, Emperor Ankan,
Emperor Senka (466 — 15 March 539) was the 28th legendary emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 宣化天皇 (28)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this e ...
and Emperor Kinmei ascended to the throne. The actual site of Keitai's
grave A grave is a location where a cadaver, dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is burial, buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of buria ...
is not known. He is traditionally venerated at a
memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...
Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...
(''misasagi'') at the Ooda Chausuyama
kofun are megalithic tombs or tumulus, tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century AD.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞 ...
in
Ibaraki, Osaka is a Cities of Japan, city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 285,224 in 132,300 households and a population density of 3,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a suburban city of Osaka Cit ...
. The
Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...
designates this location as Keitai's
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...
. It is formally named ''Mishima no Aikinu no misasagi''.Ponsonby-Fane, p. 419.


Consorts and children

Empress: , Emperor Ninken's daughter *, later Emperor Kinmei Consort: , Owari no Muraji Kusaka's daughter *First Son: , later Emperor Ankan *Second son: , later
Emperor Senka (466 — 15 March 539) was the 28th legendary emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 宣化天皇 (28)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this e ...
Consort: , Mio no Tsunoori no Kimi's younger sister * * Consort: , Prince Sakata no Ōmata's daughter * * * Consort: , daughter of *, Saiō Consort: , daughter of * * * Consort: , daughter of * * * * Consort: , daughter of * * * Consort: , daughter of * *


See also

* The civil war of the Keitai and Kinmei dynasties *
Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...
* List of Emperors of Japan *
Imperial cult An imperial cult is a form of state religion in which an emperor or a dynasty of emperors (or rulers of another title) are worshipped as demigods or deities. "Cult (religious practice), Cult" here is used to mean "worship", not in the modern pejor ...


Notes


References

* Aston, William George. (1896)
''Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697.''
London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner. * Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979)
''Gukanshō: The Future and the Past.''
Berkeley: University of California Press. ; *
Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and the Early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gre ...
, John Whitney. (1993)
''The Cambridge history of Japan: Ancient Japan,''
Vol. I. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...
. * Kim Yong Woon (2009). ''History and the Future are One'' (천황은 백제어로 말한다). Seoul. * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. * Seeley, Christopher. (1991)
''A History of Writing in Japan.''
Leiden:
Brill Publishers Brill Academic Publishers () is a Dutch international academic publisher of books, academic journals, and Bibliographic database, databases founded in 1683, making it one of the oldest publishing houses in the Netherlands. Founded in the South ...
. —reprinted by
University of Hawaii Press A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
(2000). * Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). '' Nihon Ōdai Ichiran''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. * Varley, H. Paul. (1980)
''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns.''
New York: Columbia University Press. ; {{DEFAULTSORT:Keitai Emperors of Japan People from Fukui Prefecture People of the Kofun period 6th-century Japanese monarchs Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown