Empress Suiko and Emperor Jomei

Empress Suiko

¶Empress Suiko was at first called Princess Nukatabe. She was a daughter of Emperor Kinmei, and the younger full sister of Emperor Yōmei. She was of graceful bearing and elegant appearance, and conducted herself with great propriety.

¶In the fifth year of Emperor Bidatsu's reign, she was installed as empress.

¶In the eleventh month of the fifth year of Emperor Sushun's reign, Emperor Sushun died. The assembled ministers urged the empress to ascend the throne, but she declined. The hundred officials memorialized the throne urging her accession, and only after this had been pressed three times did she at last consent. On the eighth day of the twelfth month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, she ascended the throne at the Toyura Palace. She was called Toyomike-Kashikiya-hime-no-sumeramikoto (Note: according to this work, the empress was installed as empress at the age of eighteen, Emperor Bidatsu died when she was thirty-four, and Emperor Sushun died when she was thirty-nine; but a note appended to the entry of her own death gives her age at death as seventy-five. Reckoning now by the sexagenary cycle, these successive ages do not agree with one another, and some error must lie somewhere among them; for this reason her age at accession is not given here. The Kōdai Ryakki states that she was born in the year Hinoe-ne, the seventeenth year of Emperor Kinmei's reign, and became empress in the fifth year of Emperor Bidatsu's reign at the age of nineteen. The Kōnendai Ryakki states that she was born in the year Hinoe-ne, became empress at twenty-one, and ascended the throne at thirty-seven. The Mizukagami, the Gukanshō, and the Teiō Hennenki all give her age at accession as thirty-eight, but this too is not adopted). The Ō-omi, Soga-no-Umako, remained in office as before (Note: the statement from "the Ō-omi" onward follows the Kugyō Bunin).

¶In the first year, the year Mizunoto-ushi, in summer, on the tenth day of the fourth month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, Prince Umayado — Shōtoku Taishi — was installed as crown prince, and was entrusted with overseeing the general business of government in her stead. In autumn, in the ninth month, Emperor Yōmei was reburied. In this year, Shitennōji, the Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings, was founded at Arahaka in Naniwa.

¶In the second year, the year Kinoe-tora, in spring, on the first day of the second month, the day Hinoe-tora, she issued a decree to the crown prince and the Ō-omi, Soga-no-Umako, to promote the flourishing of Buddhism. The assembled ministers thereupon vied with one another in building Buddhist temples.

¶In the third year, the year Kinoto-u, in summer, on the tenth day of the fifth month, the day Hinoto-u, the Koma monk Eji came to court, and shortly afterward the Kudara monk Esō came to court as well; together they spread the Buddhist Law widely. In autumn, in the seventh month, the general Ki-no-Omaro and his men returned from Tsukushi.

¶In the fourth year, the year Hinoe-tatsu, in winter, in the eleventh month, Hōkōji was completed. Soga-no-Zentoko was made overseer of the temple, tera-no-tsukasa.

¶In the fifth year, the year Hinoto-mi, in summer, on the first day of the fourth month, the day Hinoto-ushi, the king of Kudara sent his son, Prince Asa, to pay tribute at court. In winter, on the day Kinoe-ne (Note: calculating now by the sexagenary cycle, this month began on the day Mizunoto-tori, and there is no day Kinoe-ne in it; this is probably an error for Kinoe-uma, which falls on the twenty-second day), Naniwa-no-Iwakane was sent to Silla.

¶In the sixth year, the year Tsuchinoe-uma, in summer, in the fourth month, Iwakane returned from Silla and presented two magpies. In autumn, on the first day of the eighth month, the day Tsuchinoto-i, Silla presented a peacock. In winter, on the tenth day of the tenth month, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, the land of Koshi presented a white deer.

¶In the seventh year, the year Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, in summer, on the twenty-seventh day of the fourth month, the day Kanoto-tori, there was an earthquake, and every house collapsed. She commanded that the earth deities be worshipped in every quarter. In autumn, on the first day of the ninth month, the day Mizunoto-i, Kudara presented as tribute a camel, a donkey, a sheep, and a white pheasant.

¶In the eighth year, the year Kanoe-saru, in spring, in the second month, Silla went to war with Mimana. By decree, Sakaibe-no-Omi was made generalissimo and Hozumi-no-Omi his lieutenant general (Note: the given names of both Sakaibe-no-Omi and Hozumi-no-Omi are missing), and they were sent leading more than ten thousand troops to relieve Mimana. They inflicted a great defeat on the forces of Silla and took five of its fortresses. Silla ceded territory and begged to submit. The empress further sent envoys to Silla and Mimana to examine the state of affairs there. The two countries thereupon presented tribute, and both swore to withdraw their troops and to pay tribute without fail every year. The generals were accordingly recalled. But by the time they had returned, Silla had once again invaded Mimana.

¶In the ninth year, the year Kanoto-tori, in spring, on the fifth day of the third month, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, Ōtomo-no-Kui was sent to Koma and Sakamoto-no-Nukate to Kudara, to relieve Mimana. In summer, in the fifth month, the empress stayed at the temporary palace of Minashi. At this time heavy rains fell and the rivers flooded. In autumn, in the ninth month, a spy from Silla reached Tsushima; he was captured and banished to the land of Kōzuke. In winter, on the fifth day of the eleventh month, the day Kinoe-saru, the chastisement of Silla was debated.

¶In the tenth year, the year Mizunoe-inu, in spring, on the first day of the second month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, Prince Kume was made general for the chastisement of Silla, and was to lead twenty-five thousand troops against it. In summer, on the third day of the sixth month, the day Tsuchinoto-tori, Ōtomo-no-Kui and Sakamoto-no-Nukate returned from Kudara. Prince Kume fell ill and was unable to carry out the expedition. In winter, in the tenth month, the Kudara monk Kanroku came to court and presented calendrical texts, together with works on astronomy, geography, divination by concealment, and the magical arts. By imperial order, students were chosen to study them. On the fifteenth day of the intercalary month, the day Tsuchinoto-ushi, the Koma monks Sōryū and Unsō submitted as naturalized subjects.

¶In the eleventh year, the year Mizunoto-i, in spring, on the fourth day of the second month, the day Hinoe-ne, Prince Kume died at Tsukushi. In summer, on the first day of the fourth month, the day Mizunoe-saru, Prince Tagima was made general for the chastisement of Silla, but, meeting with the mourning for his wife just then, he was unable to carry out the expedition. In winter, on the fourth day of the tenth month, the day Mizunoe-saru, the empress moved her residence to the Oharida Palace. On the fifth day of the twelfth month, the day Mizunoe-saru, the Twelve Cap-Ranks, a system of twelve court ranks distinguished by the color of one's cap, were established for the first time.

¶In the twelfth year, the year Kinoe-ne, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, cap ranks were bestowed upon the assembled ministers, each according to his standing. In summer, on the third day of the fourth month, the day Tsuchinoe-tatsu, the crown prince, Shōtoku Taishi, composed the Seventeen-Article Constitution. In autumn, in the ninth month, the ceremonial protocol of the court was reformed.

¶In the thirteenth year, the year Kinoto-ushi, in summer, on the first day of the fourth month, the day Kanoto-tori, she decreed that the crown prince and the assembled ministers together take a sacred vow, and for the first time had a bronze image and an embroidered image of the Buddha, each sixteen feet in height, jōroku, made; Kuratsukuri-no-Tori was appointed master of the Buddhist images. On hearing of this, King Taikō of Koma presented three hundred ryō of gold. In autumn, on the first day of the intercalary seventh month, the day Tsuchinoto-hitsuji, the crown prince ordered the princes and ministers to wear the hirami, a kind of ceremonial garment.

¶In the fourteenth year, the year Hinoe-tora, in summer, on the eighth day of the fourth month, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, the sixteen-foot bronze Buddha was installed at Gangōji, and a religious feast, saie, was held. From this time, the eighth day of the fourth month and the fifteenth day of the seventh month were observed every year as days for such feasts at the various temples. In autumn, in the seventh month, she had the crown prince lecture on the Shōmangyō, the Śrīmālā Sūtra.

¶In the fifteenth year, the year Hinoto-u, in spring, on the first day of the second month, the day Kanoe-tatsu, the Mibube guild was established. On the ninth day, the day Tsuchinoe-ne, she issued a decree, saying: "I have heard that when the sovereigns of our imperial ancestry governed the realm of old, they humbled themselves beneath Heaven and walked softly upon the earth, so deep was their reverence; they honored the gods devoutly and worshipped the mountains and rivers everywhere, and thereby held mysterious communion with Heaven and earth. For this reason yin and yang were in harmony, and the generation of all things proceeded in good order. How, then, in my own time, could the worship of the gods of Heaven and earth be allowed to fall into neglect? Let the assembled ministers together devote their hearts fully to reverencing the gods." On the fifteenth day, the day Kinoe-uma, the crown prince and the Ō-omi, Umako, led the hundred officials in worshipping the gods of Heaven and earth. In autumn, on the third day of the seventh month, the day Kanoe-inu, Ono-no-Imoko, of the rank of Dairei, was sent to Sui, with Kuratsukuri-no-Fukuri as his interpreter (Note: from this point on, this work writes "Tang" wherever it means "Sui." The Sendai Kuji Hongi, following this error, takes this to be the beginning of missions to Tang; but this year corresponds to the third year of the Daigo era of Sui, and the Book of Sui likewise records an embassy from our country, while the following year Haiseisei was sent and came to our court — all of which agrees with the account given here. The entry for the twenty-sixth year, which correctly writes "Sui," confirms this, and since the Jinnō Shōtōki likewise speaks of "the great envoy sent to Sui," the text is now uniformly corrected to read "Sui" throughout). In this winter (Note: the Shōtoku Taishi Denryaku adds the two characters for "tenth month"), the ponds of Takechi, Fujiwara, Kataoka, and Sugawara were dug in Yamato (Note: the Taishi Denryaku additionally lists the three ponds of Mitachi, Yamada, and Tsurugi, making seven in all); the Kurikuma Canal was dug in Yamashiro; and the ponds of Tokari and Yosami were dug in Kawachi (Note: the Taishi Denryaku additionally lists the two ponds of Ōtsu and Asukabe, making four in all); and granaries, miyake, were established in the various provinces.

¶In the sixteenth year, the year Tsuchinoe-tatsu, in summer, in the fourth month, Ono-no-Imoko returned from Sui. The Sui envoy Haiseisei came to court, accompanying Imoko. When he reached Tsukushi, Naniwa-no-Onari was sent to welcome him, and a new guesthouse was built at Naniwa. On the fifteenth day of the sixth month, the day Hinoe-tatsu, Haiseisei arrived at the harbor of Naniwa. He was welcomed with thirty gaily decorated ships and lodged in the new guesthouse. Nakatomi-no-Miyadokoro-no-Karasumaro, Ōshikōchi-no-Nukate, and Funa-no-Ōkimi-Hira were made officers of reception. In autumn, on the third day of the eighth month, the day Mizunoto-u, Haiseisei entered the capital. Nukatabe-no-Hirabu was sent leading a troop of cavalry on decorated horses to welcome him at Tsubaichi. On the twelfth day, the day Mizunoe-ne, Haiseisei came before the court and presented his country's state letter and its gifts. On the sixteenth day, the day Hinoe-tatsu, Haiseisei and his party were entertained at court. On the fifth day of the ninth month, the day Kinoto-i, they were again entertained at Naniwa. On the eleventh day, the day Kanoto-mi, Haiseisei and his party returned home. Imoko was once again sent to Sui as chief envoy, with Naniwa-no-Onari as his deputy, accompanied by eight students and monks sent to study there. In this year, great numbers of people of Silla submitted as naturalized subjects (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi states that in this year Mononobe-no-Kamatarihime-no-Ōtoji was made a councillor of government, sanjō).

¶In the seventeenth year, the year Tsuchinoto-mi, in summer, on the fourth day of the fourth month, the day Kanoe-ne, eighty-five people of Kudara drifted ashore at Ashikita Harbor in Higo. Naniwa-no-Tokomaro and Funa-no-Tatsu were ordered to send them home. In autumn, in the ninth month, Ono-no-Imoko and his party returned from Sui.

¶In the eighteenth year, the year Kanoe-uma, in spring, in the third month, Koma sent as tribute the monks Donchō and Hōjō. In winter, on the ninth day of the tenth month, the day Hinoto-tori, Silla and Mimana paid tribute, and gifts were bestowed on their envoys, each according to his rank.

¶In the nineteenth year, the year Kanoto-hitsuji, in summer, on the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Tsuchinoto-ushi, the ritual hunt for medicinal herbs, kusurigari, was held on the plain of Uda. In autumn, in the eighth month, Silla and Mimana paid tribute.

¶In the twentieth year, the year Mizunoe-saru, in spring, on the seventh day of the first month, the day Hinoto-i, a wine feast was held to entertain the assembled ministers. On the twentieth day of the second month, the day Kanoe-uma, the Empress Dowager Katashihime was reburied. In summer, on the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Mizunoto-hitsuji, the medicinal hunt was held at Hata.

¶In the twenty-first year, the year Mizunoto-tori, in winter, in the eleventh month, the three ponds of Wakigami, Unebi, and Wani were dug. A great highway was also opened, running from Naniwa to the capital.

¶In the twenty-second year, the year Kinoe-inu, in summer, on the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Mizunoe-tora, the medicinal hunt was held. On the thirteenth day of the sixth month, the day Tsuchinoto-u, Inukami-no-Mitasuki and Yatabe-no-Miyatsuko (whose given name is missing) were sent to Sui (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi states that Yatabe-no-Mitsuma, of the rank of Dainin, was made chief envoy, and Inukami-no-Mitasuki, of the rank of Dairei, his deputy; it also states that on this day Mononobe-no-Shisako was made Ō-muraji).

¶In the twenty-third year, the year Kinoto-i, in autumn, in the ninth month, Mitasuki and his party returned from Sui. An envoy of Kudara came to court accompanying them.

¶In the twenty-fourth year, the year Hinoe-ne, in spring, in the first month, the peach and plum trees bore fruit. In autumn, in the seventh month, Silla presented a Buddha image as tribute. In this year, people of Yaku, Yakushima Island, came to court.

¶In the twenty-fifth year, the year Hinoto-ushi, in summer, in the sixth month, the land of Izumo reported that in the district of Kanbe a melon had grown to the size of an earthenware jar, hotogi. In this year, the five grains ripened abundantly.

¶In the twenty-sixth year, the year Tsuchinoe-tora, in autumn, on the first day of the eighth month, the day Mizunoto-tori, Koma presented tribute, together with prisoners taken from Sui, a camel, and various implements.

¶In the twenty-seventh year, the year Tsuchinoto-u, in summer, on the fourth day of the fourth month, the day Mizunoe-tora, the land of Ōmi reported that an object resembling a human being had appeared in the Gamō River. In autumn, in the seventh month, the land of Settsu reported that a fisherman, casting his net in the Horie canal, had drawn up an object resembling an infant.

¶In the twenty-eighth year, the year Kanoe-tatsu, in autumn, in the eighth month, people of Yaku drifted ashore at Izu Island. In winter, in the tenth month, the Hinokuma Misasagi was repaired. On the first day of the twelfth month, the day Kanoe-tora, a red vapor appeared in the sky, more than ten feet in length and shaped like a cock's tail (Note: this work writes the character for "cock" as a character meaning "pestle"; the reading here follows the Shōtoku Taishi Denryaku). In this year, the crown prince, taking counsel with the Ō-omi, Soga-no-Umako, compiled the Tennōki, the Record of the Emperors, and the Kokki, the Record of the Realm, together with the foundational records of the Omi, the Muraji, the Tomo-no-Miyatsuko, and the Kuni-no-Miyatsuko — one hundred and eighty bodies in all — and of the common people (Note: the Sendai Kuji Hongi states that on the day Kinoe-tatsu of the second month, the crown prince and Soga-no-Umako, acting on an imperial command, compiled the Sendai Kuji Tennōki, and otherwise agrees word for word with the text of this work. The version of the Sendai Kuji Hongi current in the world today is thought to be a later forgery attributed to an earlier age, and not the original text of that time).

¶In the twenty-ninth year, the year Kanoto-mi, in spring, on the fifth day of the second month, the day Mizunoto-mi, the crown prince, Shōtoku Taishi, died (Note: the Mizukagami, the Kōin Shōunroku, the Ichidai Yōki, and the Teiō Hennenki all give the date as the twenty-second day. At Tennōji, Shitennōji, today, the twenty-second day is observed as his death-day, and the Shōryōe memorial service is held on it. The inscription on the Śākyamuni Buddha in the Golden Hall of Hōryūji, the Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Teisetsu, and the Shōtoku Taishi Den Hoketsuki all likewise state that he died on the twenty-second day of the second month of the year Mizunoe-uma, a year later than this work records. The Shōtoku Taishi Denryaku agrees with this work as to the year and month but does not record the day; a note to it states that the claim that it was the year Mizunoe-uma is, by one account, mistaken. Yet since the inscription was carved at the time itself, it cannot simply be dismissed. For the present, the old text of this work is followed here). In winter, on the twenty-first day of the twelfth month, the day Mizunoto-tori, Empress Anahobe-no-Hashihito died (Note: the account from "in winter, in the twelfth month" follows the inscription on the Śākyamuni Buddha in the Golden Hall of Hōryūji; the date "the twenty-first day, the day Mizunoto-tori" follows the Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Teisetsu). In this year, Silla presented tribute and, for the first time, submitted a formal memorial.

¶In the thirty-first year, the year Mizunoto-hitsuji, in autumn, in the seventh month, Silla and Mimana presented tribute, offering Buddha images, a gold pagoda, relics of the Buddha, and banners both great and small. The Buddha images were placed at Kadono Hata-dera, and the rest were deposited at Shitennōji. At this time the Sui monks Esai and Ekō, and the physicians Enichi and Fukuin, came to court accompanying the Silla envoy. Silla then attacked Mimana once more and seized it. The empress summoned the assembled ministers and debated the chastisement of Silla, and sent Naniwa-no-Iwakane to Silla and Kishi-no-Kurashita to Mimana, to inquire into the state of affairs there. She further made Sakaibe-no-Omaro, of the rank of Daitoku, and Nakatomi-no-Kuni, of the rank of Shōtoku, generalissimos, with Kawabe-no-Mitsu, Mononobe-no-Yosami-no-Otora, Hata-no-Hironiwa, Ōmi-no-Ashimi-no-Iifuta, Heguri-no-Ushi, a Muraji of the Ōtomo clan (his given name is missing), and Ōyake-no-Ikusa, all of the rank of Shōtoku, as lieutenant generals, and sent them leading several tens of thousands of troops to chastise Silla. Silla, in great fear, begged for its offense to be pardoned, and this was granted. In winter, in the eleventh month, Iwakane and his party returned from Silla. In this year, long rains continued from spring to autumn and caused great flooding, and the five grains did not ripen.

¶In the thirty-second year, the year Kinoe-saru, in summer, on the day Tsuchinoe-saru of the fourth month (Note: calculating now the sexagenary date of this year and month, it ought properly to belong to the thirty-first year; but since this work and other sources all alike place it separately in the thirty-second year, it is not altered here, and the old text is for the present retained), a certain monk took up an axe and struck his grandfather. The empress summoned the Ō-omi and debated the matter, intending to impose a severe punishment. She summoned the monks and nuns of the various temples for questioning, intending to hold them jointly liable. The Kudara monk Kanroku submitted a memorial asking that only the one who had committed this outrage be punished, and that the rest be pardoned, and this was granted. On the day Tsuchinoe-uma, she issued a decree, saying: "If monks themselves transgress the Law, how can they guide the laity? From now on, the offices of Sōjō and Sōzu shall be established, to oversee the monks and nuns." On the day Mizunoe-inu, Kanroku was made Sōjō, Kuratsukuribe-no-Tokushaku was made Sōzu, and a Muraji of the Agata clan (his given name is missing) was made Hōzu (Note: an office charged with the supervision of monks and nuns). In autumn, on the day Hinoe-ne of the ninth month, she had the monks and nuns of the Buddhist temples investigated, and had detailed records made of the circumstances under which each temple had been built and each person had taken the tonsure, together with the date of each one's ordination, tokudo. In winter, on the first day of the tenth month, the day Mizunoto-u, Soga-no-Umako petitioned to be granted the district of Katsuragi as a fief, fuko, but this was not granted.

¶In the thirty-third year, the year Kinoto-tori, in spring, on the day Tsuchinoe-tora of the first month (Note: this work gives the date as "in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Mizunoe-saru, on the day Tsuchinoe-tora," but calculating this now, the sexagenary dates do not agree; this is probably an error that misplaced the thirty-second year as the thirty-third, but for the present the old text is followed), Koma sent as tribute the monk Ekan (Note: the Genkō Shakusho states that there was a drought in the summer of this year).

¶In the thirty-fourth year, the year Hinoe-inu, in spring, in the first month, the peach and plum trees came into blossom. In the third month, frost fell. In summer, on the twentieth day of the fifth month, the day Hinoto-hitsuji, the Ō-omi, Soga-no-Umako, died. In the sixth month, snow fell. Long rains continued from the third month to the seventh month. A great famine spread throughout the realm, and bandits rose up in every region. In this year, Soga-no-Emishi was made Ō-omi (Note: the account from "in this year" onward follows the Kugyō Bunin, the Gukanshō, and the Ichidai Yōki).

¶In the thirty-fifth year, the year Hinoto-i, in spring, in the second month, the land of Mutsu reported that a badger had taken human form and was singing. In summer, in the fifth month, flies swarmed together in a mass some ten jō across, their wingbeat as loud as thunder; they crossed the Shinano Pass and dispersed on reaching the land of Kōzuke to the east.

¶In the thirty-sixth year, the year Tsuchinoe-ne, in spring, on the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the day Kinoe-tatsu, the empress took to her sickbed. On the second day of the third month, the day Tsuchinoe-saru, there was a solar eclipse, total in its extent. On the sixth day, the day Mizunoe-ne, her illness grew grave. She summoned Prince Tamura and said to him: "To ascend to the heavenly seat, to govern the great enterprise of the state, and to attend to the ten thousand affairs of government in nurturing the people — the burden of this is truly heavy, and not a thing to be spoken of lightly. You must consider this carefully and with caution, and must never speak of it rashly." She likewise summoned Prince Yamashiro-no-Ōe and said to him: "You are still young in years, and though you may have your own aspirations, you must not speak of them. You must without fail wait upon the deliberation of the assembled ministers, and abide by it." On the seventh day, the day Mizunoto-ushi, the empress died (Note: a note in this work gives her age at this time as seventy-five. The Mizukagami, the Kōin Shōunroku, the Kōdai Ryakki, the Kōnendai Ryakki, the Gukanshō, and the Ichidai Yōki all give it as seventy-three. Reckoning now from her birth in the year Hinoe-ne, as stated in the Kōdai Ryakki, she would indeed have been seventy-three. But following this work's own statement that she was installed as empress at eighteen, she would have been seventy-six. Which is correct cannot be determined). In her final testament she decreed: "In recent years the five grains have not ripened, and the common people have suffered great hunger. Do not raise a great mausoleum and bury me with elaborate ceremony. Let me instead be laid to rest together with Prince Takeda, in his own burial place." A mourning hall, mogari, was accordingly built in the southern garden. On the day Kanoto-u of the fourth month (Note: this work gives the date as "in summer, on the first day of the fourth month, the day Mizunoe-uma," but calculating this now, the fourth month began on the day Hinoto-ushi, and there must be some error here), hail fell, each stone the size of a peach. On the day Mizunoe-tatsu, hail fell once more, and drought continued from spring into summer. On the day Tsuchinoe-ne of the ninth month, the assembled ministers for the first time performed the mourning rites for the empress, each pronouncing a eulogy, shinobigoto, at the mourning hall. On the day Mizunoe-tatsu, she was buried at the Takeda Misasagi (Note: this work gives the date as "in autumn, on the first day of the ninth month, the day Tsuchinoto-mi," but calculating this now, the ninth month began on the day Kinoto-mi, and there is no day Tsuchinoe-ne or Mizunoe-tatsu in it; there must certainly be some error here. As a rule, when the place of burial is recorded, no date is given, the date being instead recorded in the chronicle of the following emperor. But in this case, since the succession had not yet been settled and there was no chronicle to which the matter could properly be assigned, it is recorded here. According to the Kojiki, her tomb was at first atop Ōno Hill, and was later moved to the great Shinaga Misasagi. The Engishiki calls it the Shinaga-Yamada Misasagi). She was posthumously given the title Empress Suiko.

Emperor Jomei

¶Emperor Jomei was at first called Prince Tamura. He was the son of Prince Oshisaka-no-Hikohito-no-Ōe, and the legitimate grandson of Emperor Bidatsu. His mother was Princess Nukatehime.

¶In the third month of the thirty-sixth year of Empress Suiko's reign, Empress Suiko died. The emperor already stood as the leading candidate to succeed her, and had moreover received her final testament; but Prince Yamashiro likewise believed that he had received her dying wish, and was himself determined to ascend the throne. For this reason the succession remained unsettled. The Ō-omi, Soga-no-Emishi, summoned the assembled ministers in great number and debated whom to install. All of them said that, in accordance with the empress's final testament, Prince Tamura ought to be installed. Only Sakaibe-no-Marise and his faction continued to press for Prince Yamashiro, and the debate dragged on for long without resolution; Emishi at last put Marise to death, and, together with the assembled ministers, settled on a plan and raised the emperor to the throne.

¶In the first year, the year Tsuchinoto-ushi, in spring, on the fourth day of the first month, the day Hinoe-uma, Emishi led the assembled ministers and presented the imperial seal. The emperor declined it, saying: "The affairs of the ancestral shrines are a matter of the greatest weight. I am a man of no wisdom; how could I presume to take this upon myself?" The assembled ministers pressed their request firmly, saying: "Your Highness was deeply loved by the late court, and the hearts of all, seen and unseen alike, have turned toward you. We beg that you continue the imperial line, and illuminate and govern the whole of the people." On this day he at last ascended the throne (Note: the Kōnendai Ryakki, the Kōin Shōunroku, the Ichidai Yōki, and other such works all give his age as thirty-seven. The Mizukagami gives it as forty-seven. Since this work does not record his age at death, it is not possible now to decide between the two, and so it is not given here). He was called Okinagatarashihi-Hironuka-no-sumeramikoto (Note: one account in this work calls the Hironuka emperor also the Takechi emperor; since the emperor at first resided at the Okamoto Palace in the district of Takechi, he was probably called this for that reason). The Ō-omi, Soga-no-Emishi, remained in office as before. In summer, on the first day of the fourth month, the day Kanoto-hitsuji, Tabe-no-Muraji (his given name is missing) was sent to Yaku.

¶In the second year, the year Kanoe-tora, in spring, on the twelfth day of the first month, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, Princess Takara — later Empress Kōgyoku and Empress Saimei — was installed as empress, and Soga-no-Hōteno-Iratsume was made a consort. On the first day of the third month, the day Hinoe-tora, Koma and Kudara paid tribute. In autumn, on the fifth day of the eighth month, the day Hinoto-tori, Inukami-no-Mitasuki, of the rank of Dainin, and the physician Enichi were sent to Tang. In the ninth month, Tabe-no-Muraji returned from Yaku. In winter, on the twelfth day of the tenth month, the day Mizunoto-u, the palace was moved to Asuka Hill; this was called the Okamoto Palace. In this year, the Great Quarter at Naniwa and the Guesthouse of the Three Han were repaired.

¶In the third year, the year Kanoto-u, in spring, on the tenth day of the second month, the day Kanoe-ne, people of Yaku submitted as naturalized subjects. On the first day of the third month, the day Kanoe-saru, Giji, king of Kudara, sent his son Prince Hōshō as a hostage (Note: according to the Samguk Sagi and the Dongguk Tonggam, Giji had not yet ascended the throne at this time; the matter is discussed in detail in the chronicle of foreign lands). In autumn, on the nineteenth day of the ninth month, the day Kinoto-i, the emperor made a progress to the hot spring of Arima in Settsu. In winter, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the day Tsuchinoe-inu, he returned to the palace.

¶In the fourth year, the year Mizunoe-tatsu, in autumn, in the eighth month, the Tang envoy Kōhyōjin escorted Inukami-no-Mitasuki and his party as far as Tsushima. Students who had studied in Tang, together with an escort sent by Silla, accompanied them. In winter, on the fourth day of the tenth month, the day Kinoe-tora, Ōtomo-no-Umakai was sent to welcome Kōhyōjin with more than thirty gaily decorated ships, and lodged him at the Naniwa guesthouse.

¶In the fifth year, the year Mizunoto-mi, in spring, on the twenty-sixth day of the first month, the day Kinoe-tatsu, Kōhyōjin and his party returned home, and Kishi-no-Omaro and Kuromaro (whose clan name is missing) were ordered to escort them as far as Tsushima.

¶In the sixth year, the year Kinoe-uma, in autumn, in the eighth month, a comet appeared in the south.

¶In the seventh year, the year Kinoto-hitsuji, in spring, in the first month, a comet appeared in the east. In summer, on the tenth day of the sixth month, the day Kinoe-inu, Kudara paid tribute. In autumn, in the seventh month, an auspicious lotus grew in Tsurugi Pond.

¶In the eighth year, the year Hinoe-saru, in spring, on the first day of the first month, the day Mizunoe-tatsu, there was a solar eclipse. In the third month, those who had violated palace attendants, uneme, were investigated, and all were punished for their crime. In summer, in the fifth month, long rains continued and caused great flooding. In the sixth month, the Okamoto Palace burned down, and the court moved to the Tanaka Palace. In this year there was a great drought, and the whole realm suffered famine.

¶In the ninth year, the year Hinoto-tori, in spring, on the twenty-third day of the second month, the day Tsuchinoe-tora, a great star streamed across the western sky, with a sound like thunder. On the second day of the third month, the day Hinoe-inu, there was a solar eclipse. In this year, the Emishi rebelled. Kamitsukeno-no-Katana, of the rank of Dainin, was made general and sent to subdue them.

¶In the tenth year, the year Tsuchinoe-inu, in autumn, on the nineteenth day of the seventh month, the day Kinoto-ushi, a great wind blew, snapping trees and tearing off roofs. In the ninth month, long rains continued, and the peach and plum trees came into blossom. In winter, in the tenth month, the emperor made a progress to the hot spring of Arima. In this year, Kudara, Silla, and Mimana all paid tribute.

¶In the eleventh year, the year Tsuchinoto-i, in spring, on the eighth day of the first month, the day Mizunoe-ne, the emperor's procession returned from Arima. On the eleventh day, the day Kinoto-u, the harvest rite, niiname, was performed, delayed to this date because of his stay at Arima (Note: the chronicle of Emperor Kenzō in this work states that in the eleventh month of the second year of Emperor Seinei's reign, the governor of Harima province prepared the offerings for the niiname rite, and the Ruijū Kokushi records this as the first instance of the niiname festival. The characters for "niiname" next appear in this work in the fourth month of the second year of Emperor Yōmei's reign, and the Kuji Kongen takes this as its origin, but the term does not appear again after that. Coming now to this entry, where it is said that the rite was delayed to this date because of the progress to the hot spring in the tenth month of the previous year, it can be seen that holding the niiname rite in the eleventh month had already become the fixed custom; for this reason it is not separately recorded hereafter). On the twelfth day, the day Hinoe-tatsu, thunder sounded though there were no clouds. On the twenty-second day, the day Hinoe-tora, there was a great windstorm with rain. On the twenty-fifth day, the day Tsuchinoto-mi, a long-tailed star, a comet, appeared in the northwest. In autumn, in the seventh month, he decreed that a great palace and a great temple be built on the bank of the Kudara River. In the ninth month, Silla sent an envoy to escort home the monks Eon and Eun, who had studied in Tang, bringing them to the capital. In winter, on the first day of the eleventh month, the day Kanoe-ne, the Silla envoy was entertained at court and granted an advance of one cap rank. On the fourteenth day of the twelfth month, the day Mizunoe-uma, the emperor made a progress to the hot spring of Iyo. In this month, a nine-story pagoda was built on the bank of the Kudara River.

¶In the twelfth year, the year Kanoe-ne, in spring, on the seventh day of the second month, the day Kinoe-inu, a star entered the moon. In summer, on the sixteenth day of the fourth month, the day Mizunoe-uma, the emperor's procession returned from Iyo, and he took up residence at the Umayasaka Palace. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the day Kanoto-ushi, a great religious feast was held, and the monk Eon was made to expound the Muryōjukyō, the Sutra of Immeasurable Life. In winter, on the eleventh day of the tenth month, the day Kinoto-i, Silla and Kudara paid tribute. Takamuko-no-Kuromaro, a student who had studied in Tang, and the monk Shōan returned home accompanying the Silla envoy. The envoys of the two countries were each granted an advance of one cap rank. In this month, the emperor moved to the Kudara Palace (Note: the Ichidai Yōki states that measures of volume and weight — the to, the shō, the kin, and the ryō — were first established in this year, but it is not clear on what this statement is based; it is appended here for reference only).

¶In the thirteenth year, the year Kanoto-ushi, in winter, on the ninth day of the tenth month, the day Hinoto-tori, the emperor died at the Kudara Palace (Note: this work does not record his age at death. The Kōin Shōunroku, the Gukanshō, the Jinnō Shōtōki, the Kōdai Ryakki, and the Ichidai Yōki all state that he was thirty-seven at his accession and forty-nine when he died. The Mizukagami gives his age at accession as forty-seven. Which is correct cannot be determined). On the eighteenth day, the day Hinoe-uma, a mourning hall was built north of the palace, and he was buried at Namehazama Hill, and was later reburied at the Oshisaka Misasagi (Note: the Engishiki adds the character "uchi" after the character "saka" in the name). He was posthumously given the title Emperor Jomei.