Empress Genshō
| Empress Genshō 元正天皇 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait of Empress Genshō | |||||
| Empress of Japan | |||||
| Reign | October 3, 715 – March 3, 724 | ||||
| Predecessor | Genmei | ||||
| Successor | Shōmu | ||||
| Born | Hidaka (氷高 or 日高), Niinomi (新家) 680 Asuka, Japan | ||||
| Died | May 22, 748 (aged 67–68) Nara, Japan | ||||
| Burial | Nahoyama no nishi no misasagi (奈保山西陵) (Nara) | ||||
| |||||
| House | Imperial House of Japan | ||||
| Father | Prince Kusakabe | ||||
| Mother | Empress Genmei | ||||
Empress Genshō (元正天皇, Genshō-tennō, 680 – May 22, 748) was the 44th monarch of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Her reign spanned the years 715 through 724.
Genshō was the fifth of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant, and the only one in the history of Japan to have inherited her title from another empress regnant rather than from a male predecessor. The four female monarchs before Genshō were Suiko, Kōgyoku, Jitō and Genmei; the three reigning after her were Kōken, Meishō, and Go-Sakuramachi.