| Sujin | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of Japan | |
| Reign | legendary |
| Born | around the 1st century |
| Died | legendary |
| Buried | Yamanobe no michi no Magari no oka no e no misasagi (Nara) |
| Predecessor | Kaika |
| Successor | Suinin |
Emperor Sujin (崇神天皇 Sujin-tennō); also known as Mimakiiribikoinie no Sumeramikoto or Hatsukunishirasu Sumeramikoto; was the tenth 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 97 BC–30 BC,[3] but he may have lived in the early 1st century,[4] or the third or fourth century.[5]
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Modern scholars have come to question the existence of at least the first nine emperors; and Sujin is the first many agree might have actually existed, in third or fourth century.[5] The name Sujin-tennō was assigned to him posthumously by later generations.[6]
Sujin 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.[7] 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;[8] 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.[9]
According to Kojiki and Nihonshoki, Sujin was the second son of Emperor Kaika.[4] Sujin's mother was Ikagashikome no Mikoto, a stepmother of his father. He founded some important shrines in Yamato province, sent generals to subdue local provinces and defeated a prince who rebelled against him. He was credited with having subdued Queen Himiko or her successor; and another theory suggests that Himiko was a paternal great-aunt of the Emperor Sujin.[10]
Jien records that Kōan ruled from the palace of Mizogaki-no-miya at Shiki in what will come to be known as Yamato province.[11] He is said to have been interested in agriculture and irrigation. His reign encompassed a period of relative prosperity; and he may have been the first to establish and regularize a system of taxation.[12]
Sujin is a posthumous name. It is undisputed that this identification is Chinese in form and Buddhist in implication, which suggests that the name must have been regularized centuries after the lifetime ascribed to Sujin, possibly during the time in which legends about the origins of the Yamato dynasty were compiled as the chronicles known today as the Kojiki.[10]
The actual site of Sujin'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 Sujin's mausoleum. It is formally named Yamanobe no michi no Magari no oka no e no misasagi.[13] This site can be visited today in Yanagimoto-cho, Tenri City.[14]
Empress: Mimakihime (御間城姫), daughter of Oohiko (大彦命)
Tootsuayumemaguwashihime (遠津年魚眼眼妙媛), daughter of Kii no Arakahatobe (荒河戸畔)
Owari no Ooamahime (尾張大海媛)
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Emperor Kaika |
Legendary Emperor of Japan 97 BC–30 BC (traditional dates) |
Succeeded by Emperor Suinin |
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