Empress Kōken
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Empress Kōken was the 46th and 48th monarch of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Seeking to protect the bloodline of Prince Kusakabe, her father, Emperor Shōmu, proclaimed her th
1878 depiction of Empress Kōken by Utagawa Kunisada III
The Nara Great Buddha at Tōdai-ji
1880s depiction of the warrior Sakanoue no Karitamaro during the Fujiwara no Nakamaro Rebellion
An 18th century depiction of Shōtoku
Emperor Kōnin
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Emperor Kōnin was the 49th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Kōnin's reign lasted from 770 to 781; he reigned during the Nara period.
Empress Kōken
…a great-grandson of Emperor Tenji and husband to one of Shōtoku's half-sisters, Princess Inoe, as her heir. He was enthroned in the tenth month as Emperor Kōnin. Shōtoku would have almost certainly opposed this choice, as the succession had been previously reserved for descendants of Emperor Tenmu since his…
Emperor Kōnin