Before Jomei's ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was Tamura or Prince Tamura. As emperor, his name would have been Okinagatarashihi Hironuka Sumeramikoto. He was a grandson of Emperor Bidatsu, both paternally and maternally. His father was Prince Oshisakanohikohito-no-Ōe, his mother was Princess Nukate-hime, who was a younger sister of his father.
Events in Jomei's reign
He succeeded his great aunt, Empress Suiko. Suiko did not make it clear who was to succeed her after her death. Before her death, she called Tamura and Prince Shōtoku's son, Prince Yamashiro-no-Ōe, and gave some brief advice to each of them. After her death the court was divided into two factions, each supporting one of the princes for the throne. Soga no Emishi, the head of Soga clan, supported Tamura. He claimed that Empress Suiko's last words suggested her desire that Tamura succeed her to the throne. Prince Yamashiro-no-Ōe was later attacked by the Soga clan and committed suicide along with his entire family.
629: In the 36th year of Empress Suiko's reign, the empress died, and despite a dispute over who should follow her as sovereign, contemporary scholars then construed that the succession was received by a grandson of Emperor Bidatsu and a great-grandson of Emperor Kinmei. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Jomei is said to have acceded to the throne.
Jomei's contemporary title would not have been tennō, as most historians believe this title was not introduced until the reigns of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō. Rather, it was presumably Sumeramikoto or Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Ōkimi, meaning "the great king who rules all under heaven". Alternatively, Jomei might have been referred to as or the "Great King of Yamato". During Emperor Jomei's reign, Soga no Emishi seized several political initiatives. After Jomei's death, the throne was passed to his wife and niece, Princess Takara and then to her younger brother, Emperor Kōtoku, before eventually being inherited by two of his sons, Emperor Tenji and Emperor Tenmu. Emperor Jomei's reign lasted 13 years. In the 13th year of his reign, he died at the age of 49. The actual site of Jomei's grave is known. The emperor is traditionally venerated at a memorialShinto shrine located in Nara Prefecture. The Imperial Household Agency designates this location as Jomei's mausoleum. It is formally named Osaka no uchi no misasagi.
Poetry
The Man'yōshū includes poems attributed to emperors and empresses, including "Climbing Kagu-yama and looking upon the land", which is said to have been composed by Emperor Jomei:
Consorts and children
Hi: Princess Tame, Emperor Bidatsu’s daughter Empress: Princess Takara later Empress Kōgyoku, Prince Chinu's daughter
Second Son: Prince Kazuraki/Naka-no-Ōe later Emperor Tenji
