, also known as and , was the 12th (and legendary) emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki (collectively known as the Kiki) record events that took place during Keikō's alleged lifetime.
Keikō was recorded as being an exceptionally tall emperor who had a very large family. During his reign he sought to expand territorial control through conquest of local tribes. He had a very important son named "Prince Ōsu", now known as the folk hero Yamato Takeru, who was in possession of the Kusanagi no Tsurugi when he died. This treasure was later moved to Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, and is now a part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. It is possible that Keikō lived or reigned in the 4th century rather than the first, but more information is needed.
Keikō's reign is conventionally considered to have been from 71 to 130. During his alleged lifetime, he fathered at least 80 children with two chief wives (empress) and nine consorts. One of his sons became the next emperor upon his death in 130, but the location of Keikō's grave (if any) is unknown. Keikō is traditionally venerated at a at Nara.
Legendary narrative
The Japanese have traditionally accepted this sovereign's historical existence, and a mausoleum (misasagi) for Keiko is currently maintained. The following information is drawn from the pseudo-historical Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, collectively known as or Japanese chronicles. These chronicles include legends and myths, as well as purported historical facts that have since been exaggerated and/or distorted. The records state that Keikō was born sometime in 13 BCE, and was given the name Otarashihiko-no-mikoto. Otarashihiko-no-mikoto was allegedly chosen as crown prince over his elder brother based on a casual question on what they both had wished for. In the former's case, he said, "The Empire," while his elder brother said "Bow and arrows". Otarashi-hiko later ascended to the throne in 71 CE a year after his father's death.
Accounts in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki are split when it comes to initial territorial expansion during Emperor Keikō's reign. In the Kojiki, the Emperor is said to have sent his son Prince Ōsu to Kyūshū to conquer local tribes. Alternatively, the Nihon Shoki records that he went there himself and won battles against local tribes. Both sources agree that Keikō later sent Yamato Takeru to Izumo Province (now eastern Shimane Prefecture) then and the eastern provinces to conquer the area and spread his territory. According to traditional sources, Yamato Takeru died in the . His possessions were gathered together along with the Kusanagi sword, and his widow venerated his memory in a shrine at her home. Sometime later, these relics and the sacred sword were moved to the current location of the Atsuta Shrine. The Sino-Japanese name Keikō and the title tennō 'emperor' were given posthumously by later generations. His name might have been regularized centuries after the lifetime ascribed to him, possibly during the time in which legends about the origins of the imperial dynasty were compiled as the chronicles known today as the Kojiki. This period is concurrent with the Japanese missions to Tang China having an audience with the Tang emperor, though more evidence is needed to make any conclusions. Like his father before him, Keikō is also known to have an exaggerated lifespan, which is unlikely to be factual. The consecutive reigns of the emperors were compiled in the 8th century, and it is thought that age gaps were "filled up" to address numerous lacunae. For comparison, verified ages in the 110s have since been documented and recorded as the "oldest in the world".
Although the exact site of Keikō's grave is unknown, the Emperor is traditionally venerated at a misasagi in Tenri, Nara. The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Keikō's mausoleum, and it is formally named Yamanobe no michi no e no misasagi. The conventionally accepted names and dates of the early emperors were not confirmed as "traditional" though, until the reign of Emperor Kanmu between 737 and 806. Some of his listed children might actually be duplicates of the same person. The size of Keikō's family also could have been exaggerated over time through legends and word of mouth stories.
Spouse
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Position|| Name || Father || Issue
|-
| Empress (1st) || || Prince Wakatakehiko || <br> <br>
|-
| Empress (2nd) || || Prince Yasakairihiko || <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>
|}
Concubines
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Name || Father || class="unsortable"| Issue
|-
| || Prince Iwatsukuwake ||
|-
| || || <br>
|-
| || Abe no Kogoto ||
|-
| || ||
|-
| || || <br> <br>
|-
| || ||
|-
| || Prince Wakatakehiko || <br>
|-
| || Mononobe no Igui ||
|-
| || || See below
|}
Issue
thumb|[[Yamato Takeru later became a legend in his own right.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Status || Name || Mother || class="unsortable"| Comments
|-
| Prince || || Harima no Inabi no Ōiratsume ||
|-
| Prince || || Harima no Inabi no Ōiratsume || Ancestor of
|-
| Prince || || Harima no Inabi no Ōiratsume || Ōsu, later known as Yamato Takeru, was the father of Emperor Chūai.
|-
| Prince || || Yasakairi-hime || Wakatarashihiko became the next emperor. (Known as "Seimu" posthumously)
|-
| Prince || || Yasakairi-hime ||
|-
| Prince || || Yasakairi-hime ||
|-
| Prince || || Yasakairi-hime ||
|-
| Prince || || Yasakairi-hime ||
|-
| Princess || || Yasakairi-hime ||
|-
| Princess || || Yasakairi-hime ||
|-
| Princess || || Yasakairi-hime ||
|-
| Prince || || Yasakairi-hime || Isakiirihiko is the ancestor of
|-
| Prince || || Yasakairi-hime ||
|-
| Princess || || Yasakairi-hime ||
|-
| Princess || || Yasakairi-hime ||
|-
| Princess || || Mizuhanoiratsume || Ionono-hime-miko was possibly also a Saiō.
|-
| Prince || || Ikawa-hime ||
|-
| Prince || || Ikawa-hime ||
|-
| Prince || || Abenotakada-hime ||
|-
| Prince || || Himuka no Kaminagaootane ||
|-
| Prince || || Sonotake-hime ||
|-
| Prince || || Sonotake-hime ||
|-
| Prince || || Sonotake-hime ||
|-
| Prince || || Himukanomihakashi-hime || Ancestor of
|-
| Prince || || Inabinowakairatsume ||
|-
| Prince || || Inabinowakairatsume ||
|-
| Prince || || Igoto-hime ||
|-
| Princess || || || Married Prince Hikohitoōe
|-
| Prince || || || Speculated as the same person with Prince Iokiirihiko
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || || Speculated as the same person with Prince Takekunikoriwake
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || || Speculated as the same person with Prince Oshinowake
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || || Speculated as the same person with Prince Hikohitoōe
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|-
| Prince || || ||
|}
See also
- List of Emperors of Japan
- Imperial cult
- Takahashi Ujibumi
Notes
thumb|right|120px|[[Imperial Seal of Japan|Japanese Imperial kamon — a stylized chrysanthemum blossom]]
References
Further reading
- Aston, William George. (1896). Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner.
- Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). Gukanshō: The Future and the Past. Berkeley: University of California Press. ;
- Chamberlain, Basil Hall. (1920). The Kojiki. Read before the Asiatic Society of Japan on April 12, May 10, and June 21, 1882; reprinted, May, 1919.
- Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society.
- __________. (1953). Studies in Shinto and Shrines. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society.
- Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Ōdai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland.
- Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki: A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns. New York: Columbia University Press. ;