Ōsu

• • • • Period: Legendary Period
      • Occupation: Prince
      • Family: Emperor Keikō (father) Harima no Inabi no Ōiratsume (mother) Yamato Takeru (brother) Wakayamatoneko (brother) Kushitsunuwake (brother) Kamukushi (brother)
      • Birth: –
      • Death: –

Ōsu

Ōsu (大碓皇子) was the son of Emperor Keikō and Harima no Inabi no Ōiratsume.

He was the twin of Yamato Takeru having been born on the same day.

During his father reign, he was sent to collect the daughters of Kambone by the names of Anetohoko and Ototohoko as his father wanted to marry them. However, Ōsu decides he wants to marry them himself and takes them to bed.

The Emperor later finds out and is furious.¹

Later on it is stated that he was away from court from quite some time and so the Emperor asked his brother Yamato Takeru to deal with it. His way of dealing it being to tear his brother to pieces.²

The nihongi states during the 40th year of Emperor Keikō’s reign a decision needed to be made about who would deal with the rebelling Emishi. Yamato Takeru suggests Ōsu be sent, but he became scared and did not go.

Due to this he was instead sent to Mino to govern, and became the ancestor of the Kimi of Muketsu and Kimi of Mori.¹

This of course, contradicts with the kojiki where he is stated to have been killed.²

Footnotes

1. Aston. W.G. (1896) “Nihongi Volume 1: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to AD697”. Tuttle Publishing.
2. Ponsonby, F. (1959) “The Imperial House of Japan.” Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society.

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