Background
Tennō Genshō was born in 680 in Asuka, Japan. She was the daughter of Prince Kusakabe and Empress Gemmei. Genshō was an elder sister of Emperor Monmu.
Tennō Genshō was born in 680 in Asuka, Japan. She was the daughter of Prince Kusakabe and Empress Gemmei. Genshō was an elder sister of Emperor Monmu.
Genshō Tennō ascended the throne to commence a new era known as Reiki (tortoise). This was so named as a tortoise was caught on the day of her coronation in 715. One of her acts on ascending the throne was to order Fuhito Fujiwara in 718 to revise the Taiho Constitution, which comprised of ten volumes and 12 chapters of laws and ten volumes and 30 chapters of ordinances. In 724, after reigning for eight years and five months (from October 3, 715 to March 3, 724), she abdicated in favor of Emperor Shomu.
She never married and had no children.