Empress Consort Jingu, the Dragon Queen

Queen Jingu (170 - 269) was the first Queen appears in Japanese original history books. "Nihon Shoki" and "Kojiki" are 2 oldest Japanese history records. Both carry articles on Queen Jingu. According to the records, Yamato (later became unified Nippon) government was in the civil war, in the process of unifying Japan in the second and third centuries. Emperor Chuai, Jigu's husband, was leading Yamato troops fighting against a tribe in Kyushu Island. The Empress Consort Jingu was pregnant but accompanied her husband as one of generals of Yamato army. When her husband died in the middle of the war, the empress consort Jingu decided to take over her husband vision and continue to fight.

Her army won the civil war in Kyushu Island and she led her army to Korea against all the objections from her subjects. This was first Japanese aggression to Korea in the world history. It was the first time Japan appeared in the history of Far East Asia as an aggressor. It was unfortunate that this war was purely aggression of Japan. However, it helped to redefine Japan as one of the powers in Far East Region opened Japanese cultural exchange and trading with the Eurasia Continent. The tie with Continental Culture helped Japan to modernize its culture, society, and politics from prehistoric characteristics.

Still Jingu was not the empress. She gave birth to a boy baby, who later became Emperor Ojin. In her way back to her palace from the war with her newborn baby, she found that her nephews' rebellion army stopped her to come back in attempting to become the next emperor. In accordance with her legend, she stopped her soldiers who wanted to fight against traitors. She invited her nephews and generals of rebellion army, telling them that she had no intention of fighting. Instead, she wanted to surrender if it helped the peaceful solution. When her nephews came for peace talk, Jingu killed them and declared that she would not kill rebellion army's generals and soldiers if they agreed to surrender.

She appears to be a cruel woman who attacked Korea and killed her own nephews to be an empress. She obviously had an international sense opening up the door to the continental culture for bringing up her country to the next level. It was also not uncommon that the royal family's brothers and sisters killed each other, for getting to the highest position in a history of any country. Nobody should blame Empress Jingu just because she was a woman and killed her family members for her government stability.

Instead, it is noteworthy that this determined and powerful queen drove her own country one step closer to the unified Japan and opened the door to the next level culture and society. There is no record that she officially became an empress. Thus, Japanese history calls her Empress Consort Jingu, not Empress Jingu. Japanese history remembers her and respects her as the Dragon Queen.



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Empress Suiko, the Founder Empress of Constitutional Government

Late sixth century and early seventh century were a period of paradigm shift for the early history of Japan. Justice was power earlier than this period in Japan. The Imperial family of Japan also obtained and stabilized its power using military force. They defeated many local tribes and formed unified Japan. When Empress Suiko (554 - 628) became the highest ruler position of Japan, most of Japan was under control of Yamato government. As they did not have any enemy country that was an immediate threat to Yamato government, higher position aristocrats and imperial family member were fighting for political power.

Yamato government needed new concept to reign peaceful Japan. Empress Suiko appointed Prince Shotoku as her regnant. Prince Shotoku decided to introduce constitutional government system from China and sent his mission to then Chinese emperor. Based on the knowledge and experience from the people sent to China, Prince Shotoku could establish the twelve official ranks for modernization of Yamato government. He promulgated Seventeen-articles constitution. Prince Shotoku successfully modified his government to be modern, centralized, and constitutional, based on the concept and knowledge introduced from China. Noteworthy is the fact that he could accomplish this modernization despite all power struggles in Imperial Palace in Japan, at that time.

Prince Shotoku took all the credit for modernization of Japan in the seventh century including promulgation of the very first constitution of Japan. It might not have been possible that Prince Shotoku achieved establishment of the first central government by himself in the midst of bloodshed power struggle. Empress Suiko must have given full support to her regnant to realize modern central government.

Quite unfortunately, there is no record to show how Empress Suiko supported Prince Shotoku. However, in the period when just survival was not easy, Empress Suiko must have been a determined and strong-minded lady. There is a myth, which tells what kind of person Empress Suiko was. According to the legend, Umako, who was the head of the most powerful political family, at the same time, uncle of the queen wanted her to approve ownership of a royal land. The empress rejected her uncle's request. She said royal land belonged not just to royal family, but also to the people. She continued that Japanese people would have hated them both, if she accepted his request of giving people's property to him, all because she is the empress and he was her uncle and the leader of the most powerful clan.

She does not appear much in official records, but she must have been quiet but strong leader in the paradigm shift age.



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