Emperor Suinin

Emperor Suinin
垂仁天皇
Emperor of Japan
Reign29 BC – 70 (traditional)[1]
PredecessorSujin
SuccessorKeikō
BornIkume (活目尊)
69 BC[2]
Died70 (aged 139)
Burial
Sugawara no Fushimi no higashi no misasagi (菅原伏見東陵) (Nara)
SpousesSaho-hime
Hibasu-hime [ja]
Issue
among others...
Emperor Keikō
Posthumous name
Chinese-style shigō:
Emperor Suinin (垂仁天皇)

Japanese-style shigō:
Ikumeiribikoisachi no Sumeramikoto (活目入彦五十狭茅天皇)
HouseImperial House of Japan
FatherEmperor Sujin
MotherMimaki-hime
ReligionShinto

Emperor Suinin (垂仁天皇, Suinin-tennō), also known as Ikumeiribikoisachi no Sumeramikoto (活目入彦五十狭茅天皇) was the 11th legendary Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.[3][4] Less is known about Suinin than his father, and likewise he is also considered to be a "legendary emperor". Both the Kojiki, and the Nihon Shoki (collectively known as the Kiki) record events that took place during Suinin's alleged lifetime. This legendary narrative tells how he ordered his daughter Yamatohime-no-mikoto to establish a new permanent shrine for Amaterasu (the Sun Goddess), which eventually became known as the Ise Grand Shrine. Other events that were recorded concurrently with his reign include the origins of Sumo wrestling in the form of a wrestling match involving Nomi no Sukune.

Suinin's reign is conventionally considered to have been from 29 BC to AD 70.[5] During his alleged lifetime, he fathered seventeen children with two chief wives (empress) and six consorts. One of his sons became the next emperor upon his death in 70 AD, but the location of his father's grave (if any) is unknown. Suinin is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto tomb (misasagi) at Nishi-machi, Amagatsuji, Nara City.

  1. ^ "Genealogy of the Emperors of Japan" (PDF). Kunaicho.go.jp. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  2. ^ Kenneth Henshall (2013). Historical Dictionary of Japan to 1945. Scarecrow Press. p. 487. ISBN 9780810878723.
  3. ^ "垂仁天皇 (11)". Imperial Household Agency (Kunaichō) (in Japanese). Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  4. ^ Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida (1979). A Translation and Study of the Gukanshō, an Interpretative History of Japan Written in 1219. University of California Press. p. 248 & 253–254. ISBN 9780520034600.
  5. ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard (1959). The Imperial House of Japan. Ponsonby Memorial Society. p. 32.