Saimei period

The years of Empress Saimei's reign or the Saimei (Japanese: 斉明) period should not be misunderstood as a Japanese era name (年号, nengō, lit. year name) following after the Hakuchi era. The nengō system which was introduced in reign of Emperor Kotoku was abandoned at the end of his reign, and the era name was not updated.

For further discussion, see Talk:Japanese era name.

During the years after Emperor Kōtoku, the reigning sovereign was Saimei-tennō (斉明天皇). The first year of Empress Saimei's rule (斉明天皇元年; 655) could be arguably abbreviated as "the first year of Saimei" (斉明元年; 655)), but this is nowhere understood as a true nengō. The reigns of Japanese emperors and empresses are not nengō, nor were the two considered to be the same until Meiji came on the scene.

References to the emperors that ruled during this period are properly written as, for example,

• "the 3rd year of Saimei" (斉明天皇３年), and
• not "Saimei 3" (斉明３年).

Nengō were abolished during the interregnum years between Hakuchi and Shuchō, and again between Shuchō and Taihō.

• The commonly accepted pre-Tahiō nengō are:
• Taika: 645.6.19–650.2.15
• Hakuchi: 650.2.15–654.10.?
  • GAP/interregnum
• Shuchō: 686.7.20–686.9.?
  • GAP/interregnum
• Taihō: 701.3.21–704.5.10

Non-nengō period

• the 1st year of Saimei's reign (斉明天皇元年; 655): A new period is marked by the beginning of the reign of Empress Saimei, but the end of the previous nengō Hakuchi 6 does not imply the commencement of a new nengō. This practice was allowed to lapse until it was restored at the beginning of the 8th century.

Events of the Saimei period

• Hakuchi 4 (654): Emperor Kōtoku, in the 10th year of his reign (孝徳天皇10年), dies at age 59; and his nephew and heir declines the succession (‘‘senso’’). Shortly thereafter, Empress Saimei formally accedes to the throne (‘‘sokui’’).

• In the 7th year of Saimei, in the 7th month (661): Empress Saimei, in the 3rd year of her reign (斉明天皇3年), designated her son as her heir; and modern scholars construe this as meaning that this son would have received the succession (‘‘senso’’) after her death or abdication. Shortly after she did die at age 68, Emperor Tenji could be said to have acceded to the throne (‘‘sokui’’).

The first time she reigned three and a half years; and the second time she reigned for seven yeers. The total number of years in which she reigned as sovereign was ten years.

References

Further reading

• Brown, Delmer and Ichiro Ishida, eds. (1979). Gukanshō; "The Future and the Past: a translation and study of the 'Gukanshō,' an interpretive history of Japan written in 1219" translated from the Japanese and edited by Delmer M. Brown & Ichirō Ishida. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN0-520-03460-0
• Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō (1652)]. Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, tr. par M. Isaac Titsingh avec l'aide de plusieurs interprètes attachés au comptoir hollandais de Nangasaki; ouvrage re., complété et cor. sur l'original japonais-chinois, accompagné de notes et précédé d'un Aperçu d'histoire mythologique du Japon, par M. J. Klaproth. Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland.--Two digitized examples of this rare book have now been made available online: (1) from the library of the University of Michigan, digitized January 30, 2007; and (2) from the library of Stanford University, digitized June 23, 2006. Click here to read the original text in French.
• Varley, H. Paul , ed. (1980). [Kitabatake Chitafusa, 1359], Jinnō Shōtōki ("A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa" translated by H. Paul Varley). New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-04940-4

External links

• National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection

Saimei period	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th
Gregorian	655	656	657	658	659	660	661	662