Emperor Ankō

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Emperor Ankō
安康天皇
Emperor Ankō.jpg
Picture of Ankō
Emperor of Japan
Reign28 February 454 – 24 September 456 (traditional)[1]
PredecessorIngyō
SuccessorYūryaku
BornAnaho (穴穂)
401
Japan
Died24 September 456 (aged 54–55)
Japan
Burial
Sugawara no Fushimi no nishi misasagi (菅原伏見西陵) (Nara)
SpouseEmpress Nakashi
IssueSee below
Posthumous name
Chinese-style shigō:
Emperor Ankō (安康天皇)

Japanese-style shigō:
Anaho no Sumeramikoto (穴穂天皇)
HouseImperial House of Japan
FatherEmperor Ingyō
MotherEmpress Oshisaka no Ōnakatsuhime
ReligionShinto

Emperor Ankō (安康天皇, Ankō-tennō) (401 — 24 September 456) was the 20th legendary Emperor of Japan,[2] according to the traditional order of succession.[3] Emperor Ankō is the earliest generally agreed upon historical ruler of all or a part of Japan.[4]

No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life or reign, but he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 28 February 454 to 24 September 456.[5]

Legendary narrative

Ankō was a 5th-century monarch and the first generally agreed upon historical ruler of Japan.[4] The reign of Emperor Kinmei (c. 509 – 571 AD), the 29th Emperor,[6] is the first for which contemporary historiography is able to assign verifiable dates;[7] however, the conventionally accepted names and dates of the early Emperors were not to be confirmed as "traditional" until the reign of Emperor Kanmu (737–806), the 50th sovereign of the Yamato dynasty.[8]

According to Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, Ankō was the second son of Emperor Ingyō, his birth name was Anaho (穴穂皇子). After his father’s death, Anaho battled with Prince Kinashi no Karu. Anaho was the new ruler after his father's passing and declared that Princess Karu no Ōiratsume be hung for her actions and Kinashi no Karu be exiled. The crown prince was unhappy with this and attempted to prevent the hanging from taking place. He rallied a few of his most loyal followers who also did not agree with the princess's death to help save her. He successfully saved her and slaughtered the small garrison of men attending her hanging. But unfortunately, Anaho grabbed the princess and pressed his blade to her throat. Kinashi no Karu offered himself instead. Kinashi no Karu let Anaho defeat him in exchange for the life of Princess Karu no Ōiratsume. He then became Emperor Ankō.

Ankō's contemporary title would not have been tennō, as most historians believe this title was not introduced until the reign of Emperor Tenmu. Rather, it was presumably Sumeramikoto or Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Ōkimi (治天下大王), meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven". Alternatively, Ankō might have been referred to as ヤマト大王/大君 or the "Great King of Yamato".

Ankō was assassinated in his third year of reign by Mayowa no Ōkimi (Prince Mayowa), in retaliation for the execution of Mayowa's father.[9]

The actual site of Ankō's grave is not known.[2] The Emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine at Nara Prefecture.

The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Ankō's mausoleum. It is formally named Sugawara no Fushimi no nishi misasagi.[10]

His Empress was Princess Nakashi (中磯皇女), Emperor Richu’s daughter. He did not have other consorts and any children.

Consorts and children

Empress (Kōgō) : Princess Nakashi (中磯皇女), Emperor Richu's daughter

Gallery

  • Memorial Shinto shrine and mausoleum honoring Emperor Ankō

    Memorial Shinto shrine and mausoleum honoring Emperor Ankō

Ancestry

[11]

See also

Notes

Japanese Imperial kamon — a stylized chrysanthemum blossom
  1. ^ "Genealogy of the Emperors of Japan" at Kunaicho.go.jp; retrieved 2013-8-28.
  2. ^ a b Imperial Household Agency (Kunaichō): 安康天皇 (20); retrieved 2013-8-28.
  3. ^ Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, pp. 26–27; Brown, Delmer M. (1979). Gukanshō, p. 258; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, p. 113.
  4. ^ a b Kelly, Charles F. (27 April 2009). "Kofun Culture". Japanese Archaeology. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  5. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, p. 40.
  6. ^ Titsingh, pp. 34–36; Brown, pp. 261–262; Varley, pp. 123–124.
  7. ^ Hoye, Timothy. (1999). Japanese Politics: Fixed and Floating Worlds, p. 78; excerpt, "According to legend, the first Japanese Emperor was Jinmu. Along with the next 13 Emperors, Jinmu is not considered an actual, historical figure. Historically verifiable Emperors of Japan date from the early sixth century with Kinmei.
  8. ^ Aston, William. (1896). Nihongi, pp. 109.
  9. ^ Aston, William. (1998). Nihongi, Vol. 1, pp. 328–333.
  10. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, p. 419.
  11. ^ "Genealogy". Reichsarchiv (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 January 2021.

References

Regnal titles
Preceded by Emperor of Japan:
Ankō
28 February 454 – 24 September 456
(traditional dates) 		Succeeded by
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