By E. Patricia Tsurumi Historical Reflections, Vol. 8:1 (1981)
Summary: The article challenges the traditional “intermediary theory,” which holds that Japan’s early female emperors occupied the throne only temporarily to prevent succession disputes and preserve it for male heirs. Examining the six women who ruled across eight reigns between 592 and 770, it finds that this explanation fully fits only Kōgyoku/Saimei. Suiko was an experienced and respected political figure rather than a temporary placeholder, while Jitō exercised power before, during and after her reign, governing alongside her husband and remaining influential following her abdication. Gemmei and Genshō were also active rulers whose accessions cannot be explained solely by the need to protect a male successor. Kōken, who returned to the throne as Shōtoku, reclaimed authority from Emperor Junnin, defeated Fujiwara Nakamaro’s attempted seizure of power and governed independently. The article concludes that Japan’s early female emperors performed varied political, military and religious roles and should be understood as rulers in their own right, arguing that the persistence of the intermediary theory reflects assumptions about male sovereignty rather than the historical evidence.
We thank the editors of Historical Reflections / Reflexions Historiquesfor their permission to republish this article. Top Image: 18th-century portrait of the Empress Suiko by Tosa Mitsuyoshi
Japan’s Early Female Emperors
By E. Patricia Tsurumi
Historical Reflections, Vol. 8:1 (1981)
Summary: The article challenges the traditional “intermediary theory,” which holds that Japan’s early female emperors occupied the throne only temporarily to prevent succession disputes and preserve it for male heirs. Examining the six women who ruled across eight reigns between 592 and 770, it finds that this explanation fully fits only Kōgyoku/Saimei. Suiko was an experienced and respected political figure rather than a temporary placeholder, while Jitō exercised power before, during and after her reign, governing alongside her husband and remaining influential following her abdication. Gemmei and Genshō were also active rulers whose accessions cannot be explained solely by the need to protect a male successor. Kōken, who returned to the throne as Shōtoku, reclaimed authority from Emperor Junnin, defeated Fujiwara Nakamaro’s attempted seizure of power and governed independently. The article concludes that Japan’s early female emperors performed varied political, military and religious roles and should be understood as rulers in their own right, arguing that the persistence of the intermediary theory reflects assumptions about male sovereignty rather than the historical evidence.
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We thank the editors of Historical Reflections / Reflexions Historiques for their permission to republish this article. Top Image: 18th-century portrait of the Empress Suiko by Tosa Mitsuyoshi
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