1. Emperor Tenmu was the 40th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.
20 Facts About Emperor Tenmu
1. 2.
Emperor Tenmu ascended to the throne following the Jinshin War, during which his army defeated that of Emperor Kobun.
3.
Emperor Tenmu used religious structures to bolster the imperial authority, building several Buddhist temples including Yakushi-ji and monasteries as well as strengthening ties with the Ise Shrine.
4.
Emperor Tenmu was succeeded by Empress Jito, who was both his niece and his wife.
5.
Emperor Tenmu is mentioned briefly in the preface to the Kojiki, being hailed as the emperor to have commissioned them.
6.
Emperor Tenmu's father died while he was young, and he grew up mainly under the guidance of Empress Saimei.
7.
Emperor Tenmu was not expected to gain the throne, because his brother Tenji was the crown prince, being the older son of their mother, the reigning empress.
8.
Tenji was suspicious that Emperor Tenmu might be so ambitious as to attempt to take the throne, and felt the necessity to strengthen his position through politically advantageous marriages.
9.
In 671 Emperor Tenmu felt himself to be in danger and volunteered to resign the office of crown prince to become a monk.
10.
Emperor Tenmu moved to the mountains in Yoshino, Yamato Province, officially for reasons of seclusion.
11.
Emperor Tenmu took with him his sons and one of his wives, Princess Unonosarara, a daughter of Tenji.
12.
The army of Tenmu and the army of the young Emperor Kobun fought in the northwestern part of Mino, an incident known as the Jinshin War.
13.
In 673 Emperor Tenmu moved the capital back to Yamato on the Kiymihara plain, naming his new capital Asuka.
14.
Emperor Tenmu reigned from this capital until his death in 686.
15.
Emperor Tenmu renewed the system of kabane, the hereditary titles of duty and rank, but with alterations, including the abolition of some titles.
16.
Emperor Tenmu attempted to keep a balance of power among his sons.
17.
Emperor Tenmu used religious structures to increase the authority of the imperial throne.
18.
Emperor Tenmu showed favor to Buddhism, and built several large temples and monasteries.
19.
The early years of Emperor Tenmu's reign are not linked by scholars to any era or nengo.
20.
The use of nengo languished yet again after Tenmu's death until Emperor Monmu reasserted an imperial right by proclaiming the commencement of Taiho in 701.