Who was this person?
An emperor of the Nara period. Amid famine, epidemics and rebellion, he sought to protect the realm through Buddhism, ordering provincial temples and nunneries in every province and the Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji. With his consort Empress Kōmyō he is also linked to the treasures of the Shōsōin.
| Name | Emperor Shōmu (聖武天皇) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 701 – 756 |
| Period | Nara period |
| Also known as | Prince Obito |
| Main achievements |
|
Born Prince Obito to Emperor Monmu and Miyako, daughter of Fujiwara no Fuhito. That year the Taihō Code, the basic law of the state, was completed.
When he was 6 his father Emperor Monmu died. Because the prince was so young, his grandmother became Empress Genmei. His mother Miyako, it is said, was long unable to see him owing to illness of the mind.
The capital moved to Heijō-kyō in Nara. The boy grew up in the new city laid out like a grid.
At 13 he became crown prince. Two years later he married Kōmyōshi, daughter of his grandfather Fujiwara no Fuhito.
His aunt Empress Genshō abdicated in his favor, and he took the throne at 23. Maneuvering between the Fujiwara and the royal princes over power continued.
Prince Nagaya, a powerful royal, was accused of treason and took his own life. That year Kōmyōshi became the first empress not of royal birth.
A great smallpox epidemic killed many people, including the four Fujiwara brothers who led the government. Grieved, the emperor turned to the power of the Buddha.
Fujiwara no Hirotsugu rebelled in Kyūshū. The revolt was soon put down, but the emperor left Heijō-kyō and for about five years moved between Kuni-kyō, Naniwa and Shigaraki.
He ordered a provincial temple and nunnery in every province, hoping Buddhism would calm disasters and protect the country.
At Shigaraki he issued the edict to build the Great Buddha, asking people to contribute even "a blade of grass or a handful of earth", and enlisted the popular monk Gyōki. The same year the law allowing permanent ownership of newly cleared land was issued.
After five years he returned the capital to Heijō-kyō, and work on the Great Buddha at Tōdai-ji began in earnest.
Gold was discovered in Mutsu (northeast Japan), and he rejoiced that the Great Buddha could be gilded. That year he abdicated in favor of his daughter, Empress Kōken.
The Great Buddha was finally completed and consecrated in a grand eye-opening ceremony. The Indian monk Bodhisena painted in the eyes, and some ten thousand monks are said to have gathered.
With Empress Dowager Kōmyō and others, he received the Buddhist precepts from Ganjin, who had come from Tang China after great hardship.
He died at 55. Empress Dowager Kōmyō offered his treasured belongings to the Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji; they survive today as the treasures of the Shōsōin.
A. An emperor of the Nara period. Amid famine, epidemics and rebellion, he sought to protect the realm through Buddhism, ordering provincial temples and nunneries in every province and the Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji. With his consort Empress Kōmyō he is also linked to the treasures of the Shōsōin.
A. Period: Nara period. Born in 701, died in 756.
A. Smallpox, famine and the revolt of Fujiwara no Hirotsugu had unsettled the country, and he hoped the Buddha’s power would bring peace. The statue was consecrated in 752.
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Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.