Emperor Yōmei (用明天皇
Yōmei-tennnō) (died 587) was the
31st emperor of
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, according to the traditional order of succession. He ruled from 585 until his death in 587.
He was called Tachibana no Toyohi no Mikoto (橘豊日尊) in the
Nihonshoki. He was also referred to as and after the palace in which he lived. He acceded to the throne after the death of his half brother,
Emperor BidatsuEmperor Bidatsu was the 30th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession...
.
Genealogy
Emperor Yōmei was the fourth son of
Emperor KimmeiEmperor Kimmei was the 29th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign is said to have spanned the years from 539 through 571...
and his mother was
Soga no KitashihimeSoga no Kitashihime was a daughter of Soga no Iname, a high-ranking official and consort to Emperor Kimmei of Japan. She gave birth to seven boys and six girls, including Emperor Yōmei, Empress Suiko and Princess Ōtomo....
, a daughter of
Soga no Iname. Soga no Iname was a leader of the Soga clan and a statesman during the reign of Emperor Kimmei in the Asuka period. He was the first person to hold the position of Ōomi that can be verified with reasonable accuracy, in 536 AD...
.
- In 586, Emperor Yōmei took his half-sister , whose mother was another of Iname's daughters, Soga no Oane Hime, as his consort. Princess Hashihito no Anahobe bore him four sons, including Prince Shotoku
, also known as , was a regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan. Recent historical studies cast doubt of some of achievement attributed to him.-Cultural and political role:Prince Shōtoku looked to China for political and religious inspiration....
, who would later become crown prince and regent to Empress Suiko}} was the 33rd tenno of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, and the first of eight women to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne...
. The second was called the Imperial Prince Kume; the third was called the Imperial Prince Yeguri, the fourth was called the Imperial Prince Mamuta.
- Ishikina, daughter of Soga no Iname was appointed a Consort. She bore the Imperial Prince Tame (or Toyora).
- Hiroko, daughter of Ihamura, Ktsuraki no Atahe, bore the Imperial Prince Maroko and the Imperial Princess Nukade hime.
Yomei had three Empresses and seven Imperial sons and daughters.
Yōmei's son, Prince Umayado, is also known as
Prince Shōtoku, also known as , was a regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan. Recent historical studies cast doubt of some of achievement attributed to him.-Cultural and political role:Prince Shōtoku looked to China for political and religious inspiration....
.
Events of Yōmei's life
The influential courtiers from Emperor Bidatsu's reign,
Mononobe no MoriyaMononobe no Moriya was an Ō-muraji, a high-ranking clan head position of the ancient Japanese Yamato state, having inherited the position from his father Mononobe no Okoshi...
, also known as Mononobe Yuge no Moriya no Muraji or as Ō-muraji Yuge no Moriya, and
Soga no UmakoSoga no Umako , the son of Soga no Iname and the strongest member of the Soga clan of Japan, conducted political reforms with Prince Shotoku during the rules of Emperor Bidatsu and Empress Suiko and established the Soga clan's stronghold in the government by having his daughter married with members...
no Sukune, both remained in their positions during the reign of Emperor Yōmei. Umako was the son of Sogo Iname no Sukune, and therefore, he would have been one of Emperor Yōmei's cousins.
- 586: In the 14th year of Bidatsu-tennō 's reign (敏達天皇14年), he died; and the succession (senso) was received by his younger brother. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Yōmei is said to have acceded to the throne (sokui).
Emperor Yōmei's reign lasted only two years; and he died at the age of 69.
- 587, in the 4th month: Yōmei died and his body was placed in a coffin, but not buried.
- 587, in the 5th month: Armed conflict over the succession erupted. Shintoist, anti-Buddhist forces of Yuge no Moriya no Muraji (also known as Ō-muraji Yuge no Moriya) battled unsuccessfully against the pro-Buddhist forces of Prince Shōtoku and Soga Umako no Sukune. The opposition to Buddhism was entirely destroyed.
- 587, in the 7th month: The body of former Emperor Yōmei was buried.
Because of the brevity of his reign, Emperor Yōmei wasn't responsible for any radical changes in policy, but his support of
BuddhismBuddhism, as traditionally conceived, is a path of salvation attained through insight into the ultimate nature of reality. It encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha...
created tension with supporters of
Shintoor kami-no-michi is the natural spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. The word Shinto was adopted from the written Chinese , combining two kanji: , meaning gods or spirits ; and , or "do" meaning a philosophical path or study...
ism who opposed the introduction of Buddhism. Moriya, the most influential supporter of Shintoism, conspired with Emperor Yōmei's brother, Prince Anahobe, and after Emperor Yomei's death they made an abortive attempt to seize the throne. Although Emperor Yōmei is reported to have died from illness, this incident and the brevity of his reign have led some to speculate that he was actually assassinated by Moriya and Prince Anahobe.