Who was this person?
The prince who, with Nakatomi no Kamatari, overthrew Soga no Iruka in 645 (the Isshi Incident) and launched the Taika Reforms to build a state centred on the emperor. He later reigned as Emperor Tenji at Ōmi Ōtsu and made Japan’s first nationwide census register, the Kōgo nenjaku.
| Name | Prince Naka no Ōe (Emperor Tenji) (中大兄皇子（天智天皇）) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 626 – 671 |
| Period | Asuka period |
| Also known as | Emperor Tenji, Prince Katsuragi |
| Main achievements |
|
Born a son of Emperor Jomei and Princess Takara (later Empress Kōgyoku/Saimei). At court, the Soga clan held great power.
His father Emperor Jomei died, and the 15-year-old prince delivered the funeral eulogy. The next year his mother took the throne as Empress Kōgyoku.
Soga no Iruka attacked and destroyed the family of Prince Yamashiro no Ōe, son of Prince Shōtoku. The prince is said to have feared for the country as the Soga overshadowed the royal house.
At a kickball game at Hōkō-ji, Nakatomi no Kamatari picked up the prince's fallen shoe and handed it back. They became friends and, on their way to study with Minabuchi no Shōan, discussed plans to change the country.
At a court ceremony he struck down Soga no Iruka, and Iruka's father Emishi took his own life. His uncle became Emperor Kōtoku, and the prince, as crown prince, stood at the center of government. The capital moved to Naniwa and the Taika Reforms began.
The edict declared land and people state property and set out plans for provinces, registers and taxes—a big step toward a sovereign-centered state.
At odds with Emperor Kōtoku, he left Naniwa for Asuka with his mother, brother and the empress. The emperor, left alone in Naniwa, died the next year.
The Nihon Shoki says he made Japan's first water clock, a new way to tell the people the time.
After his mother Empress Saimei died in Tsukushi, he ruled without formally taking the throne. He sent a large army to help Baekje in Korea, but it was crushed by Tang and Silla at Baekgang, and many soldiers never returned.
Fearing attack by Tang and Silla, he built the Mizuki earthwork and mountain forts in Kyūshū and set up frontier guards and signal fires.
He moved the capital to Ōtsu in Ōmi (Shiga). It is said that not everyone welcomed the move.
He was finally enthroned as Emperor Tenji. The next year his lifelong ally Kamatari died. In 670 he had the first nationwide register, the Kōgo Nenjaku, compiled.
He made his son Prince Ōtomo Grand Minister, while his brother Prince Ōama took vows and withdrew to Yoshino. At the end of the year he died at 45. The next year the Jinshin War broke out over the succession.
A. The prince who, with Nakatomi no Kamatari, overthrew Soga no Iruka in 645 (the Isshi Incident) and launched the Taika Reforms to build a state centred on the emperor. He later reigned as Emperor Tenji at Ōmi Ōtsu and made Japan’s first nationwide census register, the Kōgo nenjaku.
A. Period: Asuka period. Born in 626, died in 671.
A. Political reforms begun after the Isshi Incident of 645. They aimed to replace control of land and people by powerful clans with a state centred on the emperor. How far the reform edict’s text reflects that time is debated.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Soga no UmakoPrince ShōtokuNakatomi no Kamatari (Fujiwara no Kamatari)Empress Jitō
People of the Asuka period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.