Empress Kōmyō

nihongo|Empress Kōmyō|光明皇后|kōmyō kōgō (701-760) was the Nara period consort of Japanese Emperor Shōmu (701-756). A member of the Fujiwara clan, her father was Fujiwara no Fuhito [Brown, Delmer. (1979). "Gukanshō," p. 274.] and her mother was Agata Inukai no Michiyo (県犬養三千代). During her life she was also known as Asukabehime 安宿媛, Kōmyōshi 光明子, and Tōsanjō 藤三娘. She is buried in Nara Prefecture's Horenji-cho in the mausoleum "Sahoyama no Higashi no Misasagi" 佐保山東陵 near Emperor Shōmu in the southern mausoleum.

She married Emperor Shōmu at the age of 16. And, she gave birth to the princess Abe at the age of 18. She gave birth to the first prince of her at the age of 27. However, he died at once. The Fujiwara clan insisted that Nagaya had killed the prince by the curse. She became an empress at the age of 29 and was an ardent philanthropist.

* "Tenpyō 20" (749): After a 25-year reign, Emperor Shōmu abdicated in favor of his daughter, Princess Takano-hime, who would become Empress Kōken;Varley, p. 143.] and some time later, Shōmu took the tonsure, thus becoming the first retired emperor to become a Buddhist priest. [see above] ] Empress Kōmyō, following her husband’s example, also took holy vows in becoming a Buddhist nun. [see above] ]

Artifacts connected with Kōmyō and Shōmu are among the treasures housed at the Shōsōin. Four of her poems are included in the Man'yōshū imperial anthology. As a devout adherent of Buddhism, Kōmyō encouraged the construction and enrichment of various temples, including Shin'yakushi-ji (Nara), Hokke-ji (Nara), Kōfuku-ji (Nara), and Tōdai-ji (Nara).

Komyoike Station in southern Osaka Prefecture takes its name from a nearby artificial lake named after Empress Kōmyō. This toponym comes from a supposed association with the empress's birthplace in the province of Izumi.

Emperor Shōmu's officially designated Imperial "misasagi" or tomb can be visited today in Horenji-cho, Tenri City near Nara City. [ [http://narashikanko.jp/english/aria_map/map_pdf/103.pdf Shōmu's "misasagi" -- map] ] The Imperial tomb of Shōmu's consort, Empress Komyo, is located nearby. [ [http://narashikanko.jp/english/aria_map/map_pdf/103.pdf Komyo's "misasagi" -- map] ]

References

* Brown, Delmer and Ichiro Ishida, eds. (1979). [ Jien, c. 1220] , "Gukanshō; "The Future and the Past: a translation and study of the 'Gukanshō,' an interpretive history of Japan written in 1219" translated from the Japanese and edited by Delmer M. Brown & Ichirō Ishida." Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03460-0
* Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652] , "Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, tr. par M. Isaac Titsingh avec l'aide de plusieurs interprètes attachés au comptoir hollandais de Nangasaki; ouvrage re., complété et cor. sur l'original japonais-chinois, accompagné de notes et précédé d'un Aperçu d'histoire mythologique du Japon, par M. J. Klaproth." Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran ... Click link for digitized, full-text copy of this book (in French)]
* Varley, H. Paul , ed. (1980). [ Kitabatake Chikafusa, 1359] , "Jinnō Shōtōki ("A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa" translated by H. Paul Varley)." New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-04940-4

ee also

* Japanese empresses

External links

* [http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/kasutera26/6000 Photographs of the mausolea of Empress Kōmyō and Emperor Shōmu]
* [http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~sg2h-ymst/yamatouta/sennin/koumyou2.html Empress Kōmyō's poetry] in Japanese