| Keikō | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of Japan | |
| Reign | legendary |
| Born | legendary |
| Died | legendary |
| Buried | Yamanobe no michi no e no misasagi (Nara) |
| Predecessor | Suinin |
| Successor | Seimu |
Emperor Keikō (景行天皇, Keikō-tennō); also known as Ootarashihikooshirowake no Sumeramikoto, was the 12th emperor of Japan,[1] according to the traditional order of succession.[2]
No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 71–130.[3]
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Keikō is regarded by historians as a "legendary emperor" and there is a paucity of information about him. There is insufficient material available for further verification and study.[4] The reign of Emperor Kimmei (509–571), the 29th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, is the first for which contemporary historiography are able to assign verifiable dates;[5] however, the conventionally accepted names and dates of the early emperors were not to be confirmed as "traditional" until the reign of Emperor Kammu (737–806), the 50th sovereign of the Yamato dynasty.[6] The name Keikō-tennō was assigned to him posthumously by later generations.[7]
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.[8]
According to traditional sources, Yamato Takeru died in the 43rd year of Emperor Keiko's reign (景行天皇43年).[9] The possessions of the dead prince were gathered together along with the sword Kusanagi; and his widow venerated his memory in a shrine at her home. Sometime later, these relics and the sacred sword were moved to the current location of the Atsuta Shrine.[10] Nihonshoki explains that this move occurred in the 51st year of Keiko's reign, but shrine tradition also dates this event in the 1st year of Emperor Chūai's reign.[11]
The actual site of Keikō's grave is not known.[1] This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine (misasagi) at Nara.
The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Keikō's mausoleum. It is formally named Yamanobe no michi no e no misasagi.[12]
Empress(first): Harima no Inabi no Ooiratsume (播磨稲日大郎姫), daughter of Wakatakehiko (若建吉備津日子)
Empress(second): Yasakairihime (八坂入媛命), daughter of Yasakairihiko (八坂入彦命)
Mizuhanoiratume (水歯郎媛), daughter of iwatsukuwake (磐衝別命), younger sister of Iwakiwake (石城別王)
Ikawahime (五十河媛)
Abe no Takadahime (阿倍高田媛), daughter of Abe no Kogoto (阿倍木事)
Himuka no Kaminagaootane (日向髪長大田根)
Sonotakehime (襲武媛)
Himuka no Mihakashihime (日向御刀媛)
Inabinowakairatsume (伊那毘若郎女), daughter of Wakatakehiko, younger sister of Harima no Inabi no Ooiratsume
Igotohime (五十琴姫命), daughter of Mononobe no Igui (物部胆咋宿禰)
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Emperor Suinin |
Legendary Emperor of Japan 71–130 (traditional dates) |
Succeeded by Emperor Seimu |
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