Itoku

Itoku ( Japanese 懿徳天皇 Itoku-tennō ; * 553 BC ; † 477 BC ) was according to the ancient chronicles of Kojiki and Nihonshoki Japan's 4th Tenno (510 BC-477 BC). Its historical existence is doubtful. He is one of the "eight undocumented emperors" ( 欠史八代 kesshi hachidai ) of whom only a sketchy representation is known.

His proper name was Ō-yamato-hiko-suki-tomo no mikoto (Nihonshoki (N): 大日本彦耜友尊 , Kojiki (K): 大倭日子鉏友命 ). According to the Nihonshoki, his mother was Nuna-soko-naka-tsu-hime no mikoto ( 渟名底仲媛命 ), according to the Kojiki Akuto-hime ( 阿久斗比売 ). At the beginning of the 11th year of his father Annei's reign (538 BC) , he was appointed crown prince at the age of 16 and took over the throne after his death on the 4th day of the second lunar month of the following year (510 BC) .

Itoku ruled after the Nihonshoki in the Magario Palace ( 謂曲峡宮 Karu no Magario no miya ) and after the Kojiki in the Sakaioka Palace ( 軽之境岡宮 Karu no Sakaioka no miya ) in Karu (probably in today's Kashihara ). According to the Nihonshoki, his wife was Ama-toyo-tsu-hime no mikoto ( 天豊津媛命 ), according to the Kojiki Futo-ma-waka-hime no mikoto ( 賦登麻和訶比売命 ). This gave birth to the heir to the throne Mi-matsu-hiko-kae-shine no mikoto (N: 観松彦香殖稲尊 , K: 御真津日子訶恵志泥命 ), as well as Takeshi-hiko-kushi-tomo-se no mikoto ( 武石彦奇友背命 ) or after the Kojiki Tagishi-hiko no mikoto ( 多芸志比古命 ).

Entrance to Itokus Imperial Tomb

He died according to the Nihonshoki at the age of 77 on the 8th day of the 9th lunar month in his 34th year of reign (477 BC), according to the Kojiki at the age of 45. His mausoleum ( misasagi ) is the tumulus Unebi-yama-no-minami-no-manago-no-tani-no-e-no-misasagi ( 畝傍山南纖沙溪上陵 , 'Imperial tomb over the mountain stream of fine sand south of the Berg's Unebi '; 34 ° 29 ′ 20 ″ N , 135 ° 46 ′ 55 ″ E ) in Kashihara, 300 m southeast of his father's. 34.488888888889 135.78194444444

The name Itoku, whose two characters mean 'virtuous', was given later when the Japanese emperors began to give themselves Chinese, often Buddhist-inspired names.

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b ^c ^d ^e William George Aston: Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to AD 697 . Trench, Trübner & Co., London 1896, p. 142–143 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ). ; Copy of Nihonshoki (Japanese)
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Basil Hall Chamberlain: The Kojiki . 1919, Section LVII. - Emperor I-toku ( sacred-texts.com ).
↑ 天皇陵 - 懿徳天皇畝傍山南纖沙溪上陵 . Kunai-chō , accessed October 5, 2017 (Japanese).

predecessor	Office	successor
Annei	Tennō 510–477 BC Chr.	Kosho

personal data
SURNAME	Itoku
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	懿徳天皇 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	4. Tennō of Japan (510 BC-477 BC)
DATE OF BIRTH	553 BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH	477 BC Chr.

[Aston-1] A ^b ^c ^d ^e William George Aston: Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to AD 697 . Trench, Trübner & Co., London 1896, p. 142–143 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ). ; Copy of Nihonshoki (Japanese)

[Kojiki-2] Basil Hall Chamberlain: The Kojiki . 1919, Section LVII. - Emperor I-toku ( sacred-texts.com ).

[3] 天皇陵 - 懿徳天皇畝傍山南纖沙溪上陵 . Kunai-chō , accessed October 5, 2017 (Japanese).