Editing Empress Suiko (section)

==Traditional narrative==
Before her ascension to the [[Chrysanthemum Throne]], her personal name (her ''imina'')<ref>Brown, pp. 264; prior to [[Emperor Jomei]], the personal names of the emperors (their ''iminia'') were very long and people did not generally use them. The number of characters in each name diminished after Jomei's reign.</ref> was Mikekashiya-hime-no-mikoto,<ref>Varley, p. 126.</ref> also Toyomike Kashikiya hime no Mikoto.<ref>Ashton, William. (2005). ''Nihongi'', p. 95 n.2.</ref>

Empress Suiko had several names including Princess Nukatabe and (possibly posthumously) Toyomike Kashikiya. She was a daughter of [[Emperor Kinmei]]. Her mother was [[Soga no Iname]]'s daughter, [[Soga no Kitashihime]]. Suiko was the younger sister of Emperor Yōmei.
===Biography===
[[File:Empress_Suiko_painting.png|thumb|A painting of Empress Suiko in the [[Asuka period]]]]
Empress Suiko was a consort to her half-brother, [[Emperor Bidatsu]], but after Bidatsu's first wife died she became his official consort and was given the title Ōkisaki (official consort of the emperor). She bore eight children.

After Bidatsu's death, Suiko's brother, [[Emperor Yōmei]], came to power for about two years before dying of illness. Upon Yōmei's death, another power struggle arose between the [[Soga clan]] and the [[Mononobe clan]], with the Sogas supporting [[Emperor Sushun|Prince Hatsusebe]] and the Mononobes supporting {{ill|Prince Anahobe|ja|穴穂部皇子|vertical-align=sup}}. The Sogas prevailed once again and Prince Hatsusebe acceded to the throne as [[Emperor Sushun]] in 587. However, Sushun began to resent the power of [[Soga no Umako]], the head of the Soga clan, and Umako, perhaps out of fear that Sushun might strike first, had him assassinated by {{nihongo|Yamatoaya no Ataikoma|東漢直駒}} in 592. When asked to accede to the throne to fill the power vacuum that subsequently developed, Suiko became the first of what would be several examples in Japanese history where a woman was chosen to accede to the throne to avert a power struggle.

* '''593''': In the 2nd year of Sushun''-tennō''{{'}}s reign (崇峻天皇二年), he died; and contemporary scholars then construed that the succession (''senso'')<ref>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> was received by the consort of former Emperor Bidatsu. Shortly thereafter, Empress Suiko is said to have ascended to the throne (''sokui'').<ref>Titsingh, p. 39; Brown, pp. 263–264; Varley, pp. 126–127.</ref>

Suiko'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 ''Sumeramikoto'' or ''Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Ōkimi'' (治天下大王), meaning "the great Queen who rules all under heaven". Alternatively, Suiko might have been referred to as (ヤマト大王/大君) or the "Great Queen of Yamato".

[[Prince Shōtoku]] was appointed regent the following year. Although political power during Suiko's reign is widely viewed as having been wielded by Prince Shōtoku and Soga no Umako, Suiko was far from powerless. The mere fact that she survived and her reign endured suggests she had significant political skills.

In 599, an [[earthquake]] destroyed buildings throughout [[Yamato Province]] in what is now [[Nara Prefecture]].<ref>Hammer, Joshua. (2006). ''Yokohama Burning: The Deadly 1923 Earthquake and Fire that Helped Forge the Path to World War II'', pp. 62–63.</ref>

Suiko's refusal to grant Soga no Umako's request that he be granted the imperial territory known as Kazuraki no Agata in 624 is cited as evidence of her independence from his influence. Some of the many achievements under Empress Suiko's reign include the official recognition of Buddhism by the issuance of the Flourishing Three Treasures Edict in 594. Suiko was also one of the first [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] monarchs in Japan, and had taken the vows of a [[Buddhist nun|nun]] shortly before becoming empress.

The reign of this empress was marked by the opening of relations with the [[Sui dynasty|Sui]] court in 600, the adoption of the [[Twelve Level Cap and Rank System]] in 603 and the adoption of the [[Seventeen-article constitution]] in 604.

The adoption of the [[Sexagenary cycle]] calendar (''Jikkan Jūnishi'') in Japan is attributed to Empress Suiko in 604.<ref>Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Jikkan Jūnishi''" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 420|page=420}}; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'' [https://archive.today/20120524174828/http://dispatch.opac.ddb.de/DB=4.1/PPN?PPN=128842709 Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File]</ref>

At a time when imperial succession was generally determined by clan leaders rather than the emperor, Suiko left only vague indications of succession to two candidates while on her deathbed. One, [[Emperor Jomei|Prince Tamura]], was a grandson of Emperor Bidatsu and was supported by the main line of Sogas, including [[Soga no Emishi]]. The other, [[Prince Yamashiro]], was a son of Prince Shōtoku and had the support of some lesser members of the Soga clan. After a brief struggle within the Soga clan in which one of Prince Yamashiro's main supporters was killed, Prince Tamura was chosen and he acceded to the throne as [[Emperor Jomei]] in 629.

Empress Suiko ruled for 35 years. Although there were seven other reigning empresses, their successors were most often selected from amongst the males of the paternal Imperial bloodline, which is why some conservative scholars argue that the women's reigns were temporary and that male-only succession tradition must be maintained in the 21st century.<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070327i1.html "Life in the Cloudy Imperial Fishbowl"], ''The Japan Times''. 27 March 2007.</ref> [[Empress Genmei]], who was followed on the throne by her daughter, [[Empress Gensho|Empress Genshō]], remains the sole exception to this conventional argument.

[[File:Suiko tenno-Shinagano Yamadano misasagi.jpg|thumb|right|Memorial Shinto shrine and mausoleum honoring Empress Suiko]]
The actual site of Suiko's [[grave (burial)|grave]] is known.<ref name="kunaicho"/> This empress is traditionally venerated at a [[memorial]] [[Shinto]] [[shrine]] (''misasagi'') at Osaka.

The [[Imperial Household Agency]] designates this location as Suiko's [[mausoleum]]. It's formally named ''Shinaga no Yamada no misasagi''.<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, p. 420.</ref>