Emperor Kōbun

Emperor Kōbun
Artistic rendering of Emperor Kōbun.

Emperor Kōbun

Emperor Kōbun (弘文天皇) (Prince Otomo2) was the 39th Emperor of Japan who ruled in 672AD. His father was the Emperor Tenji and was the nephew of Emperor Tenmu.1

Reign

His reign sadly only last a few months, his Uncle Temmu impatient for the throne instigated an armed uprising which became known as the Jinshin no Ran (壬申の乱). Kōbun rose to meet the attack in person but was sadly defeated and so committed suicide.1

Footnotes

1. Martin, P. (1997) ”The Chrysanthemum Throne”. Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing Limited.
2. MacMillan, P. (2018) ”One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each: A Treasury of Classical Japanese Verse”. St. Ives: Penguin Classics.

Check out the Japan Archives, our Japanese History Podcast.
Instagram (Japan): @japan_archives

Check out our Gaming Channel on Youtube.
Instagram (Minecraft): @mycenria

Find the website useful?
Please consider donating to help up keep the website running.