Emperor Ankō


Emperor Ankō was the 20th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Emperor Ankō is the earliest generally agreed upon historical ruler of all or a part of Japan.
No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life or reign, but he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 453 to 456.

Legendary narrative

Ankō was a 5th-century monarch and the first generally agreed upon historical ruler of Japan. The reign of Emperor Kinmei, the 29th Emperor, is the first for which contemporary historiography is able to assign verifiable dates; however, the conventionally accepted names and dates of the early Emperors were not to be confirmed as "traditional" until the reign of Emperor Kanmu, the 50th sovereign of the Yamato dynasty.
According to Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, Ankō was the second son of Emperor Ingyō, his birth name was. His elder brother Prince Kinashi no Karu was the Crown prince, but due to an incestuous relationship with his sister, Karu no Ōiratsume, Kinashikaru lost favour with the court. After an aborted attempt to rally troops against Ankō, Kinashi no Karu were exiled and committed suicide.
Ankō's contemporary title would not have been tennō, as most historians believe this title was not introduced until the reign of Emperor Tenmu. Rather, it was presumably Sumeramikoto or Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Ōkimi, meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven". Alternatively, Ankō might have been referred to as or the "Great King of Yamato".
Ankō was assassinated in his third year of reign by Mayowa no Ōkimi, in retaliation for the execution of Mayowa's father.
The actual site of Ankō's grave is not known. The Emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine at Nara Prefecture.
The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Ankō's mausoleum. It is formally named Sugawara no Fushimi no nishi misasagi.
His Empress was Princess Nakashi, Emperor Richu’s daughter. He did not have other consorts and any children.

Consorts and children

Empress: Princess Nakashi, Emperor Richu's daughter

Gallery