Princess Kibi

Japanese: 吉備内親王 - きびないしんのう

Year of death: Tempyo 1.2.12 (729.3.16)
Year of birth: Unknown. Daughter of Prince Kusakabe and Princess Abe (Emperor Genmei). Wife of Nagaya no O. She had the same mother as Emperor Mommu and Emperor Gensho. "Kitamiya" may be another name. In 715, among the children of Nagaya no O (third generation kings), boys and girls born to the princess were given special respect as second generation kings, as the maternal lineage was respected. In 724, when Shomu ascended to the throne, she was given the rank of Nihon (second rank). Her grandfathers (Tenchi and Tenmu), mother, older brother, and older sister were all emperors, so she was in close proximity to the throne, and her child with Nagaya no O (grandson of Tenchi and Tenmu) was a strong candidate to succeed to the throne. This led to tragedy. In 729, a false accusation that Nagaya no O was plotting a rebellion led to soldiers surrounding the mansion, the king committing suicide, and the princess and her four sons hanging themselves. The children born to Fujiwara no Fuhito's daughter were spared, and immediately after the incident, the princess was declared innocent, and Nagaya no O's relatives and descendants were all pardoned. This clearly shows that the aim of the incident was to eliminate the king, the princess, and their children. Six months later, Kōmyōshi became empress, and the Fujiwara clan achieved their goal. In recent years, a large number of wooden tablets, including "Kibi no Naishinno Daimyo" and "Nagaya no Omiya", have been excavated from a prime location near Heijo Palace, and they have been identified as the remains of the couple's mansion. This has revealed the reality that the couple each had their own household administration and lived together in cooperation. In addition to Nagaya no O's relationships with his relatives and other wives, he also had a strong relationship with Genmei and Gensho, and there is a theory that Nagaya no O lived in the princess's mansion after marriage. The words "Nagaya no Denka" and the signature "Kitamiya" that appear in the so-called "Nagaya no O Gankyo" also suggest a close bond between the two. <References> Michiko Nagai, "There is an Objection to the Nagaya O Residence" (Bungei Shunju Special Issue No. 188)

(Akiko Yoshie)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：天平1.2.12(729.3.16)
生年：生年不詳
草壁皇子と妃阿閉皇女(元明天皇)の皇女。長屋王の妃。文武・元正天皇と同母。「北宮」は別称か。霊亀1(715)年,長屋王の子(三世王)のうち内親王の生んだ男女は,母方の血筋を重んじて特に二世王とされた。神亀1(724)年,聖武即位に際し二品に叙される。祖父(天智,天武),母,兄,姉が天皇という皇位の至近距離にあり,長屋王(天智,天武の孫)との間の子は有力な皇位継承資格者だった。そのことが悲劇を招く。天平1(729)年,長屋王謀反という偽りの密告により邸宅は兵に囲まれ,王は自尽,内親王と4人の男子は首をくくった。藤原不比等の娘の生んだ子らは難にあわず,事件後ただちに内親王は無実,長屋王の親族,子孫はみな許すとされたことは,事件の狙いが王と内親王およびその子らの抹殺にあったことを明白に物語る。半年後に光明子が立后,藤原氏は目的を果たした。近年,平城宮近くの一等地から「吉備内親王大命」「長屋親王宮」などの木簡が多数出土,ふたりの邸宅跡と判明。夫婦がそれぞれに家政機関を持ち,協力して生活を営んでいた実態が明らかになった。長屋王の親族や他の妻との関係とともに,元明,元正との関わりも大きく,内親王の邸宅に結婚により長屋王が同居していたとの説もある。いわゆる「長屋王願経」にみえる「長屋殿下」の語と「北宮」の署名にも,ふたりの緊密な結びつきがうかがえる。<参考文献>永井路子「長屋王邸に異議あり」(『別冊文芸春秋』188号)

(義江明子)

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