Emperor Kōbun


Emperor Kōbun was the 39th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.
Kōbun's reign lasted only a few months in 671–672.

Traditional narrative

Emperor Kōbun was named the 39th emperor by the Meiji government in 1870; and since the late 19th century, he is known by the posthumous name accorded to him by Meiji scholars.
In his lifetime, he was known as Prince Ōtomo. He was the favorite son of Emperor Tenji; and he was also the first to have been accorded the title of Daijō-daijin.
Contemporary historians now place the reign of Emperor Kōbun between the reigns of Emperor Tenji and Emperor Tenmu; but the Nihongi, the Gukanshō, and the Jinnō Shōtōki do not recognize this reign. Prince Ōtomo was only given his posthumous title and name in 1870.
The actual site of Kōbun's grave is known. This emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine at Shiga.
The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Kōbun's mausoleum. It is formally named Nagara no Yamasaki no misasagi.

Non''-nengō'' period

The years of Kōbun's reign are not linked by scholars to any era or nengō. The Taika era innovation of naming time periods – nengō – languished until Mommu reasserted an imperial right by proclaiming the commencement of Taihō in 701.
In this context, Brown and Ishida's translation of Gukanshō offers an explanation about the years of Empress Jitō's reign which muddies a sense of easy clarity in the pre-Taiho time-frame:

''Kugyo''

The top court officials during Emperor Kōbun's reign included:
Empress Consort: Princess Tōchi, Emperor Tenmu’s daughter
Empress: Fujiwara no Mimimotoji, Fujiwara no Kamatari’s daughter
Emperor Kōbun had another son named Prince Yota, whose mother is unknown.

Ancestry