| Emperor Chūai | |
|---|---|
| 14th Emperor of Japan | |
| Reign | legendary |
| Born | legendary |
| Died | legendary |
| Buried | Yega no Naganu no nishi no Misasagi (Osaka) |
| Predecessor | Emperor Seimu |
| Successor | Emperor Ōjin |
Emperor Chūai (仲哀天皇, Chūai-tennō); also known as Tarashinakatsuhiko no Sumeramikoto; was a Japanese monarch, the 14th emperor (tennō) of Japan to appear on the traditional list of emperors.[1] Emperor Chūai is considered by most historians to be a legendary figure, and the name Chūai Tennō was assigned to him posthumously by later generations.
The Imperial Household Agency designates Oka misanzai kofun (岡ミサンザイ古墳) in Fujiidera, Osaka as his tomb; it is known as Ega no nagano no nishi no misasagi (恵我長野西陵).
Contents |
Legendary narrative
No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign. Chūai 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. There is insufficient material available for further verification and study. If Chūai did exist, there is no evidence to suggest that the title tennō was used during the time period to which his reign has been assigned. It is much more likely that he was a chieftain, or local clan leader, and the polity he ruled would have only encompassed a small portion of modern day Japan.
According to the Kojiki and Nihonshoki, he was the father of Emperor Ōjin. Ōjin is generally accepted to have existed based on archaeological evidence, but his father was Yamato Takeru, whose story is generally accepted not to do so. He was a grandson of Emperor Keikō, a Yamato monarch. Chūai's wife was Jingū.
According to these same legends, his wife was suddenly possessed by some unknown gods. The gods promised Emperor Chūai rich lands overseas. Chūai then looked to the sea, but he could see nothing and denounced his belief in the promises of the gods. The gods were enraged by this and declared that he would die and never receive the promised land. Instead they would go to his conceived but unborn son. The legend then states that Chūai died soon after and his widow, Jingū, conquered the promised land, which is conjectured to be part of modern day Korea. According to one version of the legend, Chūai's son was born three years after the death of Chūai, which lends further support to the notion that the stories surrounding him are based on myth rather than actual events. This legend also has many other flaws (it claims that Jingū was flown into the middle of the promised land and then conquered into Japan) which have largely discredited the story among historians.[2]
See also
Notes
References
- Aston, William George. (1896). Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner. [reprinted by Tuttle Publishing, Tokyo, 2007. 10-ISBN 0-8048-0984-4; 13-ISBN 978-0-8048-0984-9]
- Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). [ Jien, c. 1220], Gukanshō (The Future and the Past, a translation and study of the Gukanshō, an interpretative history of Japan written in 1219). Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03460-0
- Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. OCLC 194887
- Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652], Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland.
- Varley, H. Paul , ed. (1980). [ Kitabatake Chikafusa, 1359], Jinnō Shōtōki (A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-04940-4
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Emperor Seimu |
Legendary Emperor of Japan 192-200 (traditional dates) |
Succeeded by Empress Jingū |
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