Emperor Keikō

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Emperor Keikō (景行天皇, Keikō-tennō?) was the twelfth emperor of Japan to appear on the traditional list of emperors.[1] No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign. Keikō is regarded by historians as a "legendary emperor" because of the paucity of information about him, which does not necessarily imply that no such person ever existed. Rather, scholars can only lament that, at this time, there is insufficient material available for further verification and study.

His legend was recorded in Kojiki and Nihonshoki, but the accounts of him are different in these two sources. In Kojiki he sent his son Yamatotakeru to Kyūshū to conquer local tribes. In Nihonshoki Keikō himself went there and won battles against local tribes. According to both sources, he sent Yamatotakeru to Izumo province and eastern provinces to conquer the area and spread his territory.[2]

Although the final resting place of this legendary sovereign remains unknown, Keikō's officially designated Imperial misasagi or tomb can be visited today in Shibutani-cho, Tenri City near Nara City.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, pp. 11-14; Varley, Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, pp. 96-99.
  2. ^ Aston, William. (1998). Nihongi, Vol. 1, pp. 188-214.
  3. ^ Keikō's misasagi -- map


[edit] See also


Preceded by
Emperor Suinin
Legendary Emperor of Japan
71 AD-130 AD
(traditional dates)
Succeeded by
Emperor Seimu