Editing Empress Genshō

{{Short description|Empress of Japan from 715 to 724}}
{{Redirect|Gensho|the Boris with Merzbow album|Gensho (album)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2012}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Empress Genshō<br>{{nobold|{{lang|ja|元正天皇}}}}
| image        = File:Empress Genshō Tsubosaka-dera.jpg
| caption      = Portrait of Empress Genshō
| succession   = [[Emperor of Japan|Empress of Japan]]
| reign        = October 3, 715 – March 3, 724
| predecessor  = [[Empress Genmei|Genmei]]
| successor    = [[Emperor Shōmu|Shōmu]]
| posthumous name = [[Posthumous name#Chinese-style (Han-style) shigō|Chinese-style ''shigō'']]:<br/>Empress Genshō ({{lang|ja|元正天皇}})<br/><br/>[[Posthumous name#Japanese-style shigō|Japanese-style ''shigō'']]:<br/>Yamato-neko-takamizukiyotarashihime no Sumeramikoto ({{lang|ja|日本根子高瑞浄足姫天皇}})
| royal house  = [[Imperial House of Japan]]
| father       = [[Prince Kusakabe]]
| mother       = [[Empress Genmei]]
| birth_name   = Hidaka ({{lang|ja|氷高}} or {{lang|ja|日高}}),<br>Niinomi ({{lang|ja|新家}})
| birth_date   = 680
| birth_place  = [[Asuka, Yamato|Asuka]], Japan
| death_date   = {{death date and age|748|5|22|680}}
| death_place  = [[Nara, Nara|Nara]], Japan
| burial_place = ''Nahoyama no nishi no misasagi'' (奈保山西陵) (Nara)|
}}

{{nihongo|'''Empress Genshō'''|元正天皇|Genshō-[[tennō]]|680 – May 22, 748}} was the 44th [[emperor of Japan|monarch of Japan]],<ref name="kunaicho">[[Imperial Household Agency]] (''Kunaichō''): [http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/ryobo/guide/044/index.html 元正天皇 (44)]</ref> according to the traditional [[List of Emperors of Japan|order of succession]].<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 56.</ref> Her reign spanned the years [[Nara period|715 through 724]].<ref>Brown, Delmer ''et al.'' (1979). ''Gukanshō'', pp. 271–272; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). ''Jinnō Shōtōki''. pp. 140–141; Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). {{Google books|18oNAAAAIAAJ|''Annales des empereurs du Japon'', pp. 65–67.|page=65}}</ref>

Genshō was the fifth of eight women to take on the role of [[Josei Tennō|empress regnant]], and the only one in the [[history of Japan]] to have inherited her title from another empress regnant rather than from a [[Emperor of Japan|male predecessor]]. The four female monarchs before Genshō were [[Empress Suiko|Suiko]], [[Empress Kōgyoku|Kōgyoku]], [[Empress Jitō|Jitō]] and [[Empress Genmei|Genmei]]; the three reigning after her were [[Empress Kōken|Kōken]], [[Empress Meishō|Meishō]], and [[Empress Go-Sakuramachi|Go-Sakuramachi]].

==Traditional narrative==
Before her ascension to the [[Chrysanthemum Throne]], her personal name (''[[imina]]'')<ref>Brown, pp. 264; prior to [[Emperor Jomei]], the personal names of the emperors were very long and people did not generally use them. The number of characters in each name diminished after Jomei's reign.</ref> was Hidaka''-hime''.<ref>Brown, p. 271.</ref>

Genshō was an elder sister of [[Emperor Monmu]] and daughter of [[Prince Kusakabe]] and his wife who later became [[Empress Genmei]]. Therefore, she was a granddaughter of [[Emperor Tenmu]] and [[Empress Jitō]] by her father and a granddaughter of [[Emperor Tenji]] through her mother.<ref>Brown, pp. 271–272.</ref>

===Events of Genshō's life===

Empress Genshō's succession to the throne was intended as a regency until Prince Obito, the son of her deceased younger brother Monmu, was mature enough to ascend the throne. Obito would later become the [[Emperor Shōmu]].

Obito was appointed Crown Prince in 714 by [[Empress Genmei]]. In the next year, 715, Empress Genmei, then in her fifties, abdicated in favor of her daughter Genshō. Obito was then 14 years old.

* '''715''' (''[[Reiki (era)|Reiki]] 1, 9th month'')<!-- [http://web.me.com/meyer.eva/www.yukikurete.de/nengo_calc.htm  NengoCalc] 霊亀一年九月 -->: In the 7th year of Genmei''-tennō''{{'}}s reign (元明天皇七年), the empress abdicated; and the succession (''senso'') was received by her daughter, who held the throne in trust for her younger brother.  Shortly thereafter, Empress Genshō acceded to the throne (''sokui'') as [[Empress Regnant]].<ref>Brown, pp. 271–272; Varley, pp. 44, 141; 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>

Obito remained the crown prince, heir to the new empress. [[Fujiwara no Fuhito]], the most powerful courtier in Genmei's court, remained at his post until his death in 720. After his death, Prince [[Nagaya]], a grandson of Tenmu and the Empress Genshō's cousin, seized power. This power shift was a background for later conflicts between Nagaya and Fuhito's four sons during the reign of Emperor Shōmu (formerly Prince Obito).

Under Genshō's reign, the ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'' was finished in 720. Organization of the law system known as the ''[[ritsuryō]]'' was continued under the initiatives of Fuhito until his death. These laws and codes were edited and enacted by [[Fujiwara no Nakamaro]], a grandson of Fuhito, and published as ''[[Yōrō Code|Yōrō ritsuryō]]'' under the name of Fuhito. The taxation system which had been introduced by [[Empress Jitō]] in the late 7th century began to malfunction. To compensate for the decreased tax revenue, the "Act of possession in three generations", an initiative of Prince Nagaya, was enacted in 723. Under this act, people were allowed to possess a newly cultivated field once every three generations. In the fourth generation, the right of possession would revert to the national government. This act was intended to motivate new cultivation, but it only remained in effect for about 20 years.

Empress Genshō reigned for nine 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"], ''Japan Times''. March 27, 2007.</ref> Empress Genmei, who was succeeded by her daughter, remains the sole exception to this conventional argument.

In 724, Genshō abdicated in favor of her nephew, who would be known as Emperor Shōmu. Genshō lived for 25 years after she stepped down from the throne. She never married and had no children. She died at age 65.<ref>Varley, H. Paul. ''Jinnō Shōtōki'', p. 141.</ref>

Empress Genshō's [[grave (burial)|grave]] is located in Nara.<ref name="kunaicho"/>  This empress is traditionally venerated at a [[memorial]] [[Shinto]] [[shrine]] (''misasagi''), also in Nara.  The [[Imperial Household Agency]] has designated this location as Monmu's [[mausoleum]], and has been formally named ''Nahoyama no nishi no misasagi''.<ref>Ponsonby-Fane, p. 420.</ref>  The Imperial tomb can be visited today in Narazaka-chō, [[Nara City]].<ref>[http://narashikanko.jp/english/kan_spot_data/e_si73.html Genshō's ''misasagi'' – image] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226045212/http://narashikanko.jp/english/kan_spot_data/e_si73.html |date=December 26, 2007 }}</ref><ref>[http://narashikanko.jp/english/aria_map/map_pdf/5.pdf Genshō's ''misasagi'' – map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227162302/http://narashikanko.jp/english/aria_map/map_pdf/5.pdf |date=February 27, 2008 }}</ref>

===Kugyō===
{{nihongo|''[[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 Genshō's reign, this apex of the  ''[[Daijō-kan]]'' included:
* ''[[Daijō-daijin]]'' (''Chi-daijō-kanji'' 知太政官事), Toneri''-shinnō'' (Prince Toneri) (舎人親王). (9th son of [[Emperor Tenmu]])<ref name="b272">Brown, p. 272.</ref>   720–735
* ''[[Sadaijin]]'', [[Isonokami no Maro]] (石上麻呂).<ref name="b272"/>  708–717
* ''[[Udaijin]]'', [[Fujiwara no Fuhito]] (藤原不比等).<ref name="b272"/>  708–720
* ''[[Udaijin]]'', Prince Nagaya (長屋王). 721–724
* ''[[Dainagon]]'', Abe no Sukunamaro (阿倍宿奈麻呂). 718–720
* ''[[Dainagon]]'', Prince Nagaya (長屋王). 718–721
* ''[[Dainagon]]'', Tajihi no Ikemori (多治比池守). 721–730

==Eras of Genshō's reign==
The years of Genshō's reign are more specifically identified by more than one [[Japanese era names|era name]] or ''[[nengō]]''.<ref>Titsingh, p. 65.</ref>
* ''[[Reiki (era)|Reiki]]'' (715–717)
* ''[[Yōrō]]'' (717–724)
* ''[[Jinki (era)|Jinki]]'' (724–729)

== Genealogy ==
Empress Genshō, born Princess Hidaka (氷高皇女), was the eldest child of [[Empress Genmei]] (元明天皇) and her husband, [[Prince Kusakabe|Crown Prince Kusakabe]] (草壁皇子). She had one younger brother, Prince Karu (珂瑠皇子), later known as [[Emperor Monmu]] (文武天皇), and one younger sister, Imperial Princess Kibi (吉備内親王).

Empress Genshō never got married or had children. The throne was inherited by her younger brother's son, [[Emperor Shōmu]].

==Ancestry==
<ref name=descent>{{cite web|url=https://reichsarchiv.jp/%e5%ae%b6%e7%b3%bb%e3%83%aa%e3%82%b9%e3%83%88/%e5%a4%a9%e7%9a%87%e5%ae%b6#emp044|title=Genealogy|website=Reichsarchiv|date=April 30, 2010 |access-date=27 January 2018|language=ja}}</ref>
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Empress Genshō'''
|2= 2. [[Crown Prince Kusakabe]] (662–689)
|3= 3. [[Empress Genmei]] (660–721)
|4= 4. [[Emperor Tenmu]] (c. 631–686)
|5= 5. [[Empress Jitō]] (645–703)
|6= 6. [[Emperor Tenji]] (626–672)
|7= 7. [[:ja:姪娘|Mei no Iratsume]] 
|8= 8. [[Emperor Jomei]] (593–641)
|9= 9. [[Empress Kōgyoku|Empress Kōgyoku/Empress Saimei]] (594–661)
|10=10. [[Emperor Tenji]] (626–672)
|11=11. [[:ja:遠智娘|Soga no Ochi-no-iratsume]] (d. c. 651)
|12= 
|13=  
|14=14. [[Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa no Maro]] (d. c. 649)
|15= 

}}

==See also==
* [[Empress of Japan]]
* [[Emperor of Japan]]
** [[List of emperors of Japan]]
* [[Imperial cult]]

==Notes==
[[File:Imperial Seal of Japan.svg|thumb|right|120px|[[Imperial Seal of Japan|Japanese Imperial kamon]] — a stylized [[chrysanthemum]] blossom]]
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). [https://books.google.com/books?id=w4f5FrmIJKIC&q=Gukansho  ''Gukanshō: The Future and the Past''.] Berkeley: University of California Press. {{ISBN|978-0-520-03460-0}}; {{OCLC|251325323}}
* [[Richard Ponsonby-Fane|Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon]]. (1959). [https://books.google.com/books?id=SLAeAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Imperial+House+of+Japan  ''The Imperial House of Japan''.] Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. {{OCLC|194887}}
* [[Isaac Titsingh|Titsingh, Isaac]]. (1834). ''[[Nihon Ōdai Ichiran]]''; ou, [https://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&q=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran  ''Annales des empereurs du Japon''.]  Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. {{OCLC|5850691}}
* [[H. Paul Varley|Varley, H. Paul]]. (1980). [https://books.google.com/books?id=tVv6OAAACAAJ ''Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns''.] New York: Columbia University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-231-04940-5}}; {{OCLC|59145842}}

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{{Emperors of Japan}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gensho}}
[[Category:680s births]]
[[Category:748 deaths]]
[[Category:Japanese empresses regnant]]
[[Category:People of Nara-period Japan]]
[[Category:7th-century Japanese women]]
[[Category:8th-century empresses regnant]]
[[Category:7th-century Japanese people]]
[[Category:8th-century Japanese monarchs]]
[[Category:8th-century Japanese people]]
[[Category:8th-century Japanese women]]
[[Category:Daughters of empresses regnant]]
[[Category:Japanese emperors who abdicated]]