Emperor Jimmu
| Jimmu | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of Japan | |
 |
|
| Reign | legendary |
| Born | legendary |
| Died | legendary |
| Buried | Unebi-yama no ushitora no sumi no misasagi (Nara) |
| Successor | Suizei |
Emperor Jimmu (神武天皇 Jinmu-tennō?) was the 1st emperor of Japan,[1] according to the traditional order of succession.[2] He is known as the founder of the Imperial dynasty. Historians consider Emperor Jimmu to be a legendary person,[3] and the name Jimmu-tennō was created for him after his death by later generations.
No certain dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign.[4] The conventionally accepted names and sequence of the early emperors were not to be confirmed as "traditional" until the reign of Emperor Kammu, who was the 50th monarch of the Yamato dynasty.[5]
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[change] Traditional history
Jimmu is almost certainly a legend. The Kojiki and Nihonshoki records his name and genealogy. Jimmu is regarded as a direct descendant of the Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu.
[change] Events of Jimmu's life
The absence of information about Jimmu does not imply that no such person ever existed. Very little information is available for study prior to the reign of the 29th monarch, Emperor Kimmei (509?-571).[6]
[change] After his death
This emperor's official name after his death (his posthumous name) was regularized many centuries after the lifetime which was ascribed to Jimmu.[7]
The actual site of his grave is not known. According to the Imperial Household Agency, the emperor is venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine (misasagi) in Kashihara at Nara.[1] The mausoleum is located a short distance from Kashihara Shrine.
[change] National holiday
In 1872, the Meiji government declared that February 11, 660 BC was the exact date on which the reign of Jimmu began. This was identified as the start of the Japanese nation.
This mythical date was commemorated as the holiday Kigensetsu ("Era Day").
This national holiday was celebrated from 1872 to 1948.
The Kigensetsu events in 1940 were special. They celebrated what was then calculated to have been 2,600 years since the start of Emperor Jimmu's reign.[8]
After the end of the Pacific War, this holiday was ended.[9]
[change] Related pages
[change] References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Imperial Household Agency (Kunaichō), 神武天皇 (1); retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ↑ Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du Japon, pp. 1-3; Brown, Delmer et al. (1979). Gukanshō, p. 249; Varley, Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, pp. 84-88; Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric et al. (2002). "Traditional order of Tennō" in Japan encyclopedia, pp. 962-963.
- ↑ Kelly, Charles F. "Kofun Culture," Japanese Archaeology. April 27, 2009; retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ↑ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, p. 29.
- ↑ Aston, William George. (1896). Nihongi, pp. 109.
- ↑ Titsingh, pp. 34-36; Brown, pp. 261-262; Varley, pp. 123-124.
- ↑ Aston, pp. 140-141.
- ↑ Brownlee, John. Japanese Historians and the National Myths, 1600-1945: The Age of the Gods, pp. 136, 180-185.
- ↑ A similar national holiday was reinstated beginning February 11, 1966 — National Foundation Day (Kenkoku Kinen no hi).
[change] Other websites
| Preceded by —— |
Legendary Emperor of Japan Jimmu 660-585 BC (traditional dates) |
Succeeded by Emperor Suizei |
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