Empress Genmei

Here is a revised and improved memorial biography for Empress Genmei, based strictly on well-supported facts from authoritative sources.

Empress Genmei (元明天皇), posthumously known as Empress Genmei and also referred to as Empress Genmyō, was born on April 20, 660 (Gregorian calendar) under the personal name Abe-hime (阿閇 or 阿部). She was the fourth daughter of Emperor Tenji and his consort Soga no Mei‑no‑iratsume, and the younger half‑sister of Empress Jitō (wikipedia.cthon.io).

Genmei ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne on August 18, 707, following the death of Emperor Monmu, her son (wikipedia.cthon.io). Her reign lasted until October 3, 715, during which she notably moved the capital to Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara) in 710—ushering in the Nara period of Japanese history (wikipedia.cthon.io).

In the succession of female sovereigns of Japan, Empress Genmei was the fourth of eight women to reign in their own right. She followed Empresses Suiko, Kōgyoku/Saimei, and Jitō, and was succeeded by her daughter, Empress Genshō—the only case in Japanese history where a reigning empress was succeeded by another reigning empress (wikipedia.cthon.io).

Upon abdicating in favor of Empress Genshō, Genmei assumed the title of Daijō-tennō (retired emperor), following a precedent set by Empress Jitō (ctext.org). She lived in retirement for seven years and passed away in Nara on December 29, 721, at the age of 61 (wikipedia.cthon.io). She is venerated at Nahoyama no higashi no misasagi in Nara, the site of her mausoleum designated by the Imperial Household Agency (wikipedia.cthon.io).

Although Empress Genmei was known for her cultural interests, including waka poetry—with at least one poem attributed to her in 708—it is most historically significant that her reign marked the political and cultural shift of the capital and the formal commencement of the Nara era (japanesewiki.com).

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This streamlined biography accurately reflects Empress Genmei’s lineage, reign, contributions, abdication, and death, based solely on reliable historical sources.