Random Article Summary #158

Emperor Richū, also known as Ōenoizahowake no Mikoto, is listed as the 17th Emperor of Japan in the traditional line of succession. The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki both describe events said to have happened during his lifetime, including an assassination attempt on Richū by his brother Suminoe after their father, Emperor Nintoku, died. Because no exact dates are known, his short reign is usually placed between 400 and 405. During his reign, traditions say officials called local recorders were appointed in provinces, a royal treasury was created, and court waitresses (uneme) first appeared. Richū had a wife and a concubine and four children, but none inherited the throne because he named his other brother Mizuhawake as crown prince; Richū died around 405, and Mizuhawake became Emperor Hanzei the next year. Although his burial place is unknown, he is still traditionally honored at a Shinto memorial, and modern historians generally believe Richū was not a legendary figure, though the name and title may have been applied by later generations. Japanese tradition has long accepted Emperor Richū as a real historical figure, and a maintained mausoleum for him still exists. The main details come from the pseudo-historical Kojiki and Nihon Shoki chronicles, which mix myth and possibly real events that later became distorted, saying Richū was born in 336 AD, named Ōenoizahowake no Mikoto, and made crown prince by Emperor Nintoku in 343 AD. After Nintoku died in 399 AD, mourning was followed by a scandal that nearly killed the crown prince. Before Richū became emperor, he sent his younger brother Prince Nakatsu to arrange the marriage of Richū’s consort, Kuro-hime, but Nakatsu pretended to be Richū and seduced her. Afterward, he left wrist-bells behind, which Richū discovered; he chose not to punish him, while Nakatsu plotted to kill Richū that night. Richū was rescued and escaped, then another brother, Prince Mizuhawake, returned and bribed a retainer to kill Nakatsu, who was unprepared for the attack, after which Richū rewarded Mizuhawake with granaries. Richū became emperor in 400 AD after his brother’s rebellion was crushed. Punishments followed, including tattooing for some involved, and Kurohime was later made a concubine; they had children, but Richū named his brother Prince Mizuhawake “Crown Prince” in 401. In 403 officials were first appointed to record local statements, Kurohime died in 404 under unclear circumstances, and in 405 Richū appointed Princess Kusakanohatabino-hime as empress and set up a royal treasury. Richū ruled for six years before dying of illness, and Mizuhawake became emperor in 406. Historians generally accept that Emperor Richū was a real ruler in the early 5th century, and his reign is often treated as “semi-historical.” Some scholars connect him to King San from Chinese records, and there is debate about when key record-keeping and cultural ideas reached Japan, along with suggestions of administrative and storehouse developments during his time. There is no solid evidence that the title tennō was used for him, and his name and titles may have been given or regularized later as imperial legends were compiled. His grave’s exact location is uncertain, but he is venerated at an imperial kofun site in Sakai, Osaka, and verifiable dates for early emperors only become clearer with later reigns such as Kinmei.