Editing Emperor Kōtoku (section)

==Traditional narrative==
Before Kōtoku's ascension to the [[Chrysanthemum Throne]], his personal name (''[[imina]]'')<ref>Brown, pp. 264; prior to [[Emperor Jomei]], the personal names of the emperors (their ''imina'') were very long and people did not generally use them; however, the number of characters in each name diminished after Jomei's reign.</ref> was {{nihongo|Karu|軽}} or {{nihongo|Prince Karu|軽皇子|Karu-no-Ōji}}.<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, p. 8.</ref>

He was a descendant of [[Emperor Bidatsu]]. He was a son of Chinu no ōkimi (Prince Chinu, 茅渟王) by Kibitsuhime no ōkimi (Princess Kibitsuhime, 吉備姫王). [[Empress Kōgyoku]] was his elder sister from the same parents. Chinu was a son of Prince Oshisaka hikohito no ōe, whose father was the Emperor Bidatsu. He had at least three consorts including his Empress, Hashihito no Himemiko (Princess Hashihito), the daughter of [[Emperor Jomei]] and his sister Empress Kōgyoku.  In the 3rd year of Kōgyoku''-tennō''{{'}}s reign (皇極天皇三年), the empress abdicated; and the succession (''senso'') was received by her younger brother.  Shortly thereafter, Emperor Kōtoku is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui'').<ref>Titsingh, pp. 47–48; Brown, p. 266; Varley, p. 44; a distinct act of ''senso'' is unrecognized prior to [[Emperor Tenji]]; and all sovereigns except [[Empress Jitō|Jitō]], [[Emperor Yōzei|Yōzei]], [[Emperor Go-Toba|Go-Toba]], and [[Emperor Fushimi|Fushimi]] have ''senso'' and ''sokui'' in the same year until the reign of [[Emperor Go-Murakami]].</ref>

Kōtoku ruled from July 12, 645 (AD),<ref name=Japanese_dates2>July 12 645 corresponds to the Fourteenth Day of the Sixth Month of 645 ([[Sexagenary cycle|isshi]]).</ref> until his death in 654.  In 645, he ascended to the throne two days after Prince [[Emperor Tenji|Naka no Ōe]] (Emperor Tenji) assassinated [[Soga no Iruka]] in the court of Kōgyoku. Kōgyoku abdicated in favor of her son and crown prince, Naka no Ōe, but Naka no Ōe insisted Kōtoku should ascend to the throne instead. Kōtoku's contemporary title would not have been ''tennō'', as most historians {{according to whom|date=November 2018}} believe this title was not introduced until the reigns of [[Emperor Tenmu]] and [[Empress Jitō]]. Rather, it was presumably ''Sumeramikoto'' or ''Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Ōkimi'' (治天下大王), meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven".  Alternatively, Kōtoku might have been referred to as (ヤマト大王/大君) or the "Great King of Yamato".  According to the ''[[Nihonshoki]]'', he was of gentle personality and was in favor of [[Buddhism]].

In 645, he created a new city in the area called [[Osaka|Naniwa]], and moved the capital from [[Yamato Province]] to this new city (see [[Nara, Nara|Nara]]). The new capital had a seaport and was good for foreign trade and diplomatic activities.  In 653, Kōtoku sent an envoy to the court of the [[Tang dynasty]] in [[China]], but some of the ships were lost ''en route''.

Naka no Ōe held the rank of crown prince and was the ''de facto'' leader of the government. In 653 Naka no Ōe proposed to move the capital again to Yamato province. Kōtoku denied. Naka no Ōe ignored the emperor's policy and moved to the former province. Many courtiers of the court, including Empress Hashihito, followed him. Kōtoku was left in the palace. In the next year he died of an illness. After his death, Naka would not ascend to the throne. Instead, his mother and the sister of Kōtoku, the former Empress Kogyoku, ascended to the throne under another name, Empress Saimei.

He enacted the [[Taika Reform]] edicts.  The system of ''hasshō kyakkan'' (eight ministries and a hundred offices) was first established during the reign of Emperor Kōtoku.<ref>Varley, p. 133.</ref>

[[File:Osakano shinagano misasagi.jpg|thumb|right|Memorial Shinto shrine and mausoleum honoring Emperor Kōtoku]]
The actual site of Kōtoku's [[grave (burial)|grave]] is known.<ref name="kunaicho"/>  This emperor is traditionally venerated at a [[memorial]] [[Shinto]] [[shrine]] (''misasagi'') at Osaka. The [[Imperial Household Agency]] designates this location as Kōtoku's [[mausoleum]].  It is formally named ''Ōsaka-no-shinaga no misasagi''.<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, p. 420.</ref>

Traditionally the monk [[Hōdō]], was born in today India, and traveled to Japan via Tang China and the [[Baekje]] kingdom in Korea. Hōdō cured an illness of the Emperor Kōtoku (596 – 654 AD), who then sent the monk to establish numerous Buddhist temples. According to legend Hōdō founded [[Tenjō-ji]] in 646 (AD).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=2012 |title=法道 |encyclopedia=Nihon Jinmei Daijiten (日本人名大辞典) |publisher=Shogakukan |location=Tokyo |url=http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ |language=Japanese |trans-title=Hōdō |accessdate=2012-10-03 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825113418/http://rekishi.jkn21.com/ |archivedate=2007-08-25}}</ref> The monk is worshipped in the [[Gion faith]].

===''Kugyō''===
''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 period|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 Kōtoko's reign, this apex of the  ''[[Daijō-kan]]'' included: 
* ''[[Sadaijin]]'', Abe no Kurahashi-maro (阿部倉梯麻呂) (d. 649), 645–649.<ref name="b266">Brown, p. 266.</ref>
* ''Sadaijin'', Kose no Tokoda (巨勢徳太) (593–658), 649–658.<ref name="b266"/>
* ''[[Udaijin]]'', Soga no Kura-no-Yamada no Ishikawa-no-maro (蘇我倉山田石川麻呂) (d. 649), 645–649.<ref name="b266"/>
* ''Udaijin'', Ōtomo no Nagatoko (大伴長徳) (d. 651), 649–651.<ref name="b266"/>
* ''[[Naidaijin]]''(内臣), Nakatomi Kamako (中臣鎌子) ([[Fujiwara no Kamatari]], 藤原鎌足) (614–669), 645–669.<ref name="b266"/>