Editing Emperor Keitai (section)

==Legendary narrative==
Keitai is considered to have ruled the country during the early 6th century, but there is a paucity of information about him. There is insufficient material available for further verification and study. Significant differences exist in the records of the ''[[Kojiki]]'' and the ''[[Nihon Shoki]]''.

The ''Kojiki'' puts this emperor's birth year at 485; and his date of death is said to have been April 9, 527.<ref name=Japanese_dates>Japanese dates correspond to the traditional [[lunisolar calendar]] used in Japan until 1873.</ref> In the extant account, he is called {{Nihongo|Ohodo|袁本杼}}.

The ''Nihon Shoki'' gives his birth year at 450; and he is said to have died on February 7, 531 or 534.<ref name=Japanese_dates/> In this historical record, he is said to have been called {{Nihongo|Ohodo|男大迹}} and {{Nihongo|Hikofuto|彦太}}.

In other historical records, he is said to have originally been King of [[Koshi Province (Japan)|Koshi]], a smaller tribal entity, apparently in northern parts of central Japan, perhaps as far as the coast of [[Sea of Japan]]. Some modern reference works of history call Keitai simply ''King Ohodo of Koshi''.<ref name="a1-25">Aston, William. (1998). ''Nihongi'', Vol. 2, pp. 1–25.</ref>

Keitai's contemporary title would not have been ''tennō'', as most historians believe this title was not introduced until the reigns of [[Emperor Tenmu]] and [[Empress Jitō]]. Rather, it was presumably {{Nihongo|''Sumeramikoto'' or ''Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Ōkimi''|治天下大王}}, meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven". Alternatively, Keitai might have been referred to as {{Nihongo2|ヤマト大王/大君}} 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.<ref>Aston, William. (1998). ''Nihongi'', Vol. 1, pp. 393–407.</ref>

According to the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon Shoki'', his father was {{Nihongo|Hikoushi no Ō/Hikoushi no Ōkimi|彦主人王}} and his mother was {{Nihongo|Furihime|振媛}}. When Buretsu died, [[Ōtomo no Kanamura|Kanamura]] recommended Keitai (at the age of 58) as a possible heir to the [[Chrysanthemum throne]]. 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]]), 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]] against those who were backers of the son who would become known as [[Emperor Kinmei]].<ref>Hall, John Whitney. (1993). {{Google books|OudvOfBHsvwC|''The Cambridge history of Japan: Ancient Japan'', Vol. I., p. 154.|page=154}}</ref>