Emperor Ōjin

According to the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, Ōjin was the son of the Emperor Chūai and his consort Empress Jingū. As Chūai died before Ōjin's birth, his mother Empress Jingū became the de facto ruler. The history book written to the 8th century, alleged that the boy Ōjin was conceived but unborn when Chūai died. His widow, Empress Jingū, then spent three years in conquest of a promised land, which is conjectured to be Korea, but the story is largely dismissed by scholars for lack of evidence. Then, after her return to Japanese islands, the boy was born, three years after the death of the father.

Either a period of less than nine months contained three "years" (some seasons), e.g. three harvests, or the paternity is just mythical and symbolic, rather than real. Ōjin was born (in 200 according to the traditional) in Tsukushi Province upon the return of his mother from the invasion of the promised land, and was named Prince Hondawake. He became the crown prince at the age of four. He was crowned (in 270) at the age of 70 and reigned for 40 years until his death in 310, although none of the TC dates around his reign have any historical basis. He supposedly lived in two palaces, both of which are in present-day Osaka.

Ōjin was traditionally identified as the father of Emperor Nintoku, who acceded after Ōjin's death.[6]

Memorial Shinto shrine and mausoleum honoring Emperor Ōjin.

While the historical existence of Emperor Ōjin is debated among historians, there is a general consensus that he was "probably real". If Ōjin was an actual historical figure then historians have proposed that he ruled later than attested.[7][8][9] Dates of his actual reign have been proposed to be as early as 370 to 390 AD, to as late as the early 5th century AD.[7] At least one Japanese historian has cast doubt on this theory though, by revising a supporting statement given in 1972. In this new narrative Louis Perez states: "only kings and emperors after the reign of Ojin... ...are seen as historical figures".[10][11] In either case there is also no evidence to suggest that the title tennō was used during the time to which Ōjin's reign has been assigned. It is certainly possible that he was a chieftain or local clan leader, and that the polity he ruled would have only encompassed a small portion of modern-day Japan. The name Ōjin-tennō was more than likely assigned to him posthumously by later generations.[12]

While the actual site of Ōjin's grave is not known, this regent is traditionally venerated at a kofun-type Imperial tomb in Osaka. The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Ōjin's mausoleum, and is formally named Eega no Mofushi no oka no misasagi.[13] At some point Ōjin was made a guardian Kami of the Hata clan, and is now also deified as Hachiman Daimyōjin.[lower-alpha 2] Outside of the Kiki, the reign of Emperor Kinmei[lower-alpha 3] (c. 509 – 571 AD) is the first for which contemporary historiography has been able to assign verifiable dates.[15] The conventionally accepted names and dates of the early Emperors were not confirmed as "traditional" though, until the reign of Emperor Kanmu[lower-alpha 4] between 737 and 806 AD.[16]

Emperor Ōjin's family allegedly consisted of 28 children, which include 2 unnamed princesses from a previous marriage. He had one spouse who bore him a son that would become the next Emperor, as well as 10 consorts.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Emperor Ōjin.

• Emperor of Japan
• Hachiman
• List of Emperors of Japan
• Imperial cult

• Aston, William George. (1896). Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner. OCLC 448337491
• Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). Gukanshō: The Future and the Past. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-03460-0; OCLC 251325323
• Chamberlain, Basil Hall. (1920). The Kojiki. Read before the Asiatic Society of Japan on April 12, May 10, and June 21, 1882; reprinted, May 1919. OCLC 1882339
• Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. OCLC 194887
• Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Ōdai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691
• Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-04940-5; OCLC 59145842
• Wakabayashi, Tadashi. (1995). Japanese loyalism reconstrued: Yamagata Daini's Ryūshi shinron of 1759. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824816674; OCLC 31078696