Empress Kōgyoku (皇極天皇, Kōgyoku-tennō; 594–661), also known as Empress Saimei (斉明天皇, Saimei-tennō), was the 35th and 37th monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both her reigns were within the Asuka period.
Kōgyoku's reign spanned the years from 642 to 645. Her reign as Saimei encompassed 655 to 661. In other words:
Empress Genmei (元明天皇, Genmei-tennō; April 20, 660 – December 29, 721), also known as Empress Genmyō, was the 43rd monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Genmei's reign spanned the years 707 through 715. She established the capital at Heijō-kyō in 710, marking the beginning of the Nara period.
In the history of Japan, Genmei was the fourth of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant. The three female monarchs before Genmei were Suiko, Kōgyoku/Saimei, and Jitō. The four women sovereigns reigning after Genmei were Genshō, Kōken/Shōtoku, Meishō, and Go-Sakuramachi.
Empress Genshō (元正天皇, Genshō-tennō; 680 – May 22, 748) was the 44th monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Her reign spanned the years 715 through 724.
Genshō was the fifth of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant, and the only one in the history of Japan to have inherited her title from another empress regnant rather than from a male predecessor. The four female monarchs before Genshō were Suiko, Kōgyoku, Jitō and Genmei; the three reigning after her were Kōken, Meishō, and Go-Sakuramachi.
Emperor Tenji (天智天皇, Tenji-tennō; 626 – January 7, 672), known first as Prince Katsuragi (葛城皇子, Katsuragi no Ōji) and later as Prince Nakano Ōe (中大兄皇子, Nakano Ōe no Ōji) until his accession, was the 38th emperor of Japan who reigned from 668 to 671. He was the son of Emperor Jomei and Empress Kōgyoku (Empress Saimei), and his children included Empress Jitō, Empress Genmei, and Emperor Kōbun.
In 645, Tenji and Fujiwara no Kamatari defeated Soga no Emishi and Soga no Iruka. He established a new government and carried out political reforms. He then assumed real political power as the crown prince of both Emperor Kōtoku and Empress Saimei. Despite the death of Empress Saimei, he did not accede to the throne for seven years, and came to the throne only after the relocation of the capital to Ōmi in 668. He created Japan's first family register, the Kōgo Nenjaku, and the first code of law, the Ōmi Code.
Okiko (Japanese: 興子), posthumously honored as Empress Meishō (明正天皇, Meishō-tennō; January 9, 1624 – December 4, 1696), was the 109th monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Her reign lasted from 1629 to 1643. Her reign officially began when she was five years old and continued for fifteen years. It is believed that Meishō's father actually ruled in her name until she abdicated in favor of her younger half-brother.
In the history of Japan, Meishō was the seventh of eight women to become empress regnant. The six who reigned before her were Suiko, Kōgyoku/Saimei, Jitō, Genmei, Genshō, and Kōken/Shōtoku. Her sole female successor was Go-Sakuramachi.
Soga no Emishi (蘇我 蝦夷; 587 – July 11, 645) was a statesman of the Yamato imperial court. His alternative names include Emishi (毛人) and Toyora no Ōomi (豊浦大臣). After the death of his father Soga no Umako, Emishi took over Ōomi, the Minister of State, from his father.
According to the Nihon Shoki, from the end of the reign of Empress Suiko to that of Empress Kōgyoku, Emishi enjoyed influence in the court. After the death of Empress Suiko, Emishi succeeded in installing Prince Tamura on the throne as Emperor Jomei by citing the will of Empress Suiko. Although Prince Yamashiro was another candidate, Emishi murdered Sakaibe no Marise, his uncle who nominated Yamashiro, paving the way for his favorite. After the discernment of Emperor Jomei, Emishi supported Empress Kōgyoku.