Empress Suiko

Empress Suiko was the first reigning empress of Japan in recorded history, and the 33rd monarch of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. She reigned from 593 until her death in 628. She was the daughter of Emperor Kinmei and the sister of Emperor Yōmei. She was also the consort of Emperor Bidatsu, her half-brother, and the mother of seven children. Suiko became the empress after the assassination of her brother, Emperor Sushun, by Soga no Umako, the head of the powerful Soga clan and her uncle. Umako chose Suiko as his puppet ruler to avoid a power struggle between the Soga and the rival clans of Mononobe and Nakatomi. Suiko appointed her nephew, Prince Shōtoku, as her regent and trusted advisor. Together, they promoted Buddhism and Chinese culture in Japan, and established diplomatic relations with the Sui dynasty of China. Suiko was a devout Buddhist and supported the construction of many temples and monasteries. She also issued the Seventeen-article constitution, a set of ethical principles for the governance of Japan based on Confucian and Buddhist teachings. She encouraged the adoption of the Chinese calendar, writing system, and bureaucratic system in Japan. She also sent several missions to China to learn from its advanced civilization and to bring back scholars and craftsmen. Suiko was a benevolent and wise ruler who brought peace and prosperity to Japan. She was respected and loved by her people and by the neighboring countries. She died in 628 at the age of 74 and was buried in Shinaga no Yamada no misasagi, a mausoleum in Osaka Prefecture. She was succeeded by her grandson, Emperor Jomei.